Speaking Engagements
Take your next event to new heights with a dynamic speaker who leaves a lasting impression and offers invaluable perspectives.
Hello, I'm Seena Hodges, Founder and CEO of The Woke Coach.
I'm an award-winning DEI expert and author of the forthcoming book, "From Ally to Accomplice: How to Lead as a Fierce Antiracist". As the founder and CEO of The Woke Coach®, I've led keynote speeches, fireside chats and virtual events for a range of clients including HandsOn Twin Cities, Hamline University, National Alliance for Musical Theatre, Women in Agile, Minnesota Family Support & Recovery Council, Robbinsdale Area Schools, Pipeline Theater Company, and more. My interactive keynotes and virtual events are popular among organizations looking for a way into DEI and antiracism work as well as those wanting to deepen their existing practice by extending training to a large number of staff or community.
"Seena was plain outstanding. She broke it down for the audience in a way that amp'd them up to keep doing the work and also "lowered the volume" for those that are still coming along. Her stories were relevant and relatable."
"Seena is an amazing presenter: candid, powerful, emotional, thoughtful and inclusive."
"Seena is a fantastic and compelling speaker. She leads her audience into feeling welcome and comfortable with getting uncomfortable. She also does a great job of breaking concepts down in ways that seemed to inspire a lot of reflection and learning among the audience."
"Seena was phenomenal as a speaker and I liked how she made me feel more comfortable from the beginning."
Press
MPR News with Angela Davis: Seena Hodges on what it takes to go from ally to accomplice
September 11, 2023 – MPR News host Angela Davis talks to Seena Hodges about her work to create racial equity in the workplace, what it means to be “woke” and the role the arts can play in helping us understand others better.
WCCO | CBS News Minnesota: How to become more than an ally in the fight against racism
June 28, 2023 – Seena Hodges, founder and CEO of anti-racism training consultant The Woke Coach, is releasing her debut book, “From Ally to Accomplice: How to Lead as a Fierce Antiracist.” She joined WCCO to talk about the steps we can take to understand our privilege and power and learn to use it for the benefit of others.
About Seena Hodges
CONNECTOR. FIERCE ANTIRACIST. EQUITY DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION CHAMPION. DYNAMIC COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSIONAL. INTERSECTIONAL FEMINIST. PHILANTHROPIST.
Seena Hodges (she/her) is a connector who loves people and is passionate about equity, intersectional feminism, and access to brave spaces for all. She founded The Woke Coach® in 2018 because she wholeheartedly believes that racial equity is the defining issue of our time.
Through The Woke Coach, Seena and her team engage with clients to facilitate conversations and complete projects that live at the intersection of equity, diversity, inclusion, antiracism, and empowerment. The company’s mission is to help individuals deepen their analysis and develop an understanding around issues of bias and injustice, in turn, helping them become the best, most understanding, empathetic version of themselves. Clients often describe their engagement with The Woke Coach as “transformational,” “though-provoking,” “challenging,” and “life-changing.”
Seena is a graduate of Columbia College (SC) and earned her MFA at Columbia University in New York City. She is a trained equity, diversity and inclusion facilitator and a certified administrator of Clifton Strengths® (StrengthsFinder) and the Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI) — the premier cross-cultural assessment of intercultural competence. She has received a professional Train the Trainer certificate from the University of Minnesota.
Seena has been recognized with the Women in Business Award by the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal and the Women in Color Achievement Award by Women Presidents Organization (WPO) and 100 Black Men of the Twin Cities. She's currently pursuing a PhD program in Management and Public Service at Hamline University in Minnesota.
Her notable work includes serving as the President of the Board of Trustees at the Walker Art Center—the first person of color to hold this distinction—and facilitating cultural competency training for teachers across the state of Minnesota through the Professional Education Licensing Standards Board. Seena is a member of the Black Trustee Alliance (BTA), The Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), Minnesota Women’s Economic Roundtable (MWER), and Women Elevating Women (WEW).
"Seena creates a space that is both challenging and welcoming. She did a great job of facilitating a dialogue on a topic that is still very new to some people."