Helena Haynes-Carter is the Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) Officer for KeyBank, responsible for driving the diversity, equity and inclusion strategy across the bank. In this role, she leads the strategy and tactics to improve the acquisition, development and retention of diverse talent and suppliers.听
Helena has more than 30 years of business and DE&I experience, spanning the healthcare, financial services, energy, and public sector industries. She has a track record of success in workforce, community, customer, and supplier diversity.听
Previously, Helena served as senior director, global DE&I for UnitedHealth Group. In this role, she led enterprise-wide DE&I strategic and business initiatives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she orchestrated a $14 million response with community-based organizations throughout the U.S., deploying over 30,000 COVID-19 tests, wrap-around services, and care referrals.听
She has also held business and DE&I leadership roles at organizations, including U.S. Bank, Rocky Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council (RMMSDC), Xcel Energy, Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, and Colorado鈥檚 Regional Transportation District.听
From 2011 to 2016, Helena served as the Executive Director of the Denver MBDA Business Center, part of the Department of Commerce鈥檚 Minority Business Development Agency and operated by the RMMSDC. The $1.3 million operation facilitated contract awards totaling over $565 million, $333 million in capital financing plus the creation and retention of over 6,650 jobs.听
Helena鈥檚 mantra of 鈥渞eal work delivers real results鈥� is reflected in her 25 years of board service in communities and non-profit organizations, including serving as a gubernatorial appointee to the State of Colorado鈥檚 Minority Business Office. She currently serves on the board of the Diversity Center for Northeast Ohio and National INROADS, the nation's largest non-profit source of paid internships for undergraduate, diverse youth.
Helena earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Business Administration and Marketing Management from the University of Colorado at Boulder and an MBA in Change Management and Leadership from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. KeyCorp is based in Cleveland, OH and is one of the nation鈥檚 largest bank-based financial service companies, with assets of approximately $190 billion.