One word to describe yourself: Passionate
Alma Mater: University of Manitoba
Fun fact about yourself: I love going hiking and discovering new and beautiful local places.
Charli Champagne leverages her experience in learning, development and manufacturing to be NFI Group’s champion of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). As a queer woman, Champagne always felt she had to work twice as hard to be taken half as seriously. Champagne joined NFI in 2017 where she started as a training and development specialist, ascending to her current role as workforce development manager where she works cross-functionally to lead NFI’s DEI and workforce development initiatives, furthering efforts to increase opportunities for underserved, underrepresented, disadvantaged and diverse candidates.
Under Champagne’s leadership, NFI administered its first ever data-driven organizational-wide climate assessment DEI survey in 2021, which garnered a more than 55 percent participation rate – no small feat in a global organization of thousands. With the survey results, Champagne developed tangible strategies to strengthen DEI efforts across NFI.
One initiative she’s most proud of is New Flyer’s Anniston Workforce Development Program (AWDP). In partnership with the Transportation Diversity Council, Champagne is helping to create pathways and opportunities to underserved, underrepresented and disadvantaged individuals to enter the manufacturing industry, regardless of their experience or backgrounds. Champagne has helped 18 individuals join New Flyer’s Anniston team and has provided support to transition these folks into new roles and opportunities for advancement.
Champagne continues to innovate NFI’s approach to enhancing DEI, including the introduction of pronoun use in the workplace to signal greater inclusiveness. She remains committed to enhancing the cultural safeness of NFI’s workspaces, as well as bridging the gap between pre-employment and employment with traditional and non-traditional support.
In Canada, calls for action through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) have grown louder in recent years and Champagne has not shied from the call. As a member of the TRC92: Employer Consortium, she works alongside other businesses to meet Call to Action #92, focused on building Indigenous representation and opportunity in businesses. She builds accountability with executive leadership and HR teams through focused training initiatives, which further education and understanding of the past harms Indigenous people in Canada have experienced, as well as the direct impact it has on hiring and retention of Indigenous people. She is also collaborating in intensive workshops with the goal of identifying employment barriers for Indigenous youth and integrating findings and solutions to ensure NFI workplaces are inclusive to all cultures and people.
Champagne recognizes that small changes can have large ripple effects and is actively involved in industry initiatives including APTA’s Racial Equity Commitment Program. Recently, she spoke as a panelist on APTA’s Kaleidoscope webinar series on organizational climate assessments, as well as speaking to the Leadership APTA Class of 2022 on the topic of “Turning Visions for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion into Actions.”
Growing up in a small, conservative town as a single mom and open member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community had its fair share of challenges both personally and professionally, but Champagne’s commitment to visibility, representation and support for all people has encouraged her to live openly, while proudly serving as a role model for local youth who identify along with her.
Champagne’s passion for inclusiveness transcends the office to her community, where her decade-long involvement in youth football started when her son needed a coach to start his season – despite her lack of football experience. Today, she continues to coach competitively with a focus on empowering young girls to join the sport and she hopes to soon lead the first all-girls team out of her community.
Currently, she also serves as a Career Trek board member, a non-profit organization providing educational and career exploration opportunities for disadvantaged youth across Manitoba.
Champagne’s leadership is noticed, valued and respected, with colleagues describing her as ambitious, passionate and with an energy that will impart lasting change on everyone she encounters. Navigating personally and professionally as a queer woman in visible roles will have its challenges, but Champagne’s vision and expertise have propelled her ability to build greater inclusivity – not just within NFI, but across the transportation industry.
Is there a specific experience that led you to where you are today?
I don’t think it’s one specific experience as much as it is just being a queer woman in any space, let alone the manufacturing industry, that really ignited a passion for ensuring that opportunities and safe spaces are created for all individuals. There came a point where I realized that I was able to have a voice and make a difference and since then, I have never stopped working towards making my voice count.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
What I enjoy most is the ability to lead and deliver tangible change, and not just “talk the talk” when it comes to workforce development and DEI. With the trust and support of NFI, I am able to impact workplace practices, training, communication and policies that benefit our team, the communities in which we operate and the industry as a whole through active involvement in various workforce and DEI initiatives. It’s so rewarding to come to work every day and do work that I am so incredibly passionate about.
What’s the most challenging part of your job?
Strategically implementing change and multifaceted initiatives within a global organization comes with unique challenges. With so many great causes to support and challenges to take on within the realm of workforce development and DEI, it can be difficult to take a step back and realize that as much as I want to, I can’t get them all done at once! That’s where our strong strategic plan and supportive team work together to keep things focused and moving forward.
Accomplishment you’re most proud of and why?
The work that we’re doing in Alabama with the Anniston Workforce Development Program (AWDP) holds a strong place in my heart. What we’re doing is working to level the playing field and helping people from all backgrounds enter the new mobility era. Building meaningful relationships within the community and reaching individuals who may not have had a pathway to manufacturing means a great deal to me. I am excited to take this model and these experiences and bring them along to our other locations.
Best advice/tip/best practice to share from your area of expertise?
Never assume that you know everything and never stop seeking out new experiences. Our world is constantly growing and evolving and there is always so much more that you can learn.
