WTR Advisory Board
WTR’s Advisory Board is composed of highly accomplished industry leaders who hold significant experience in the areas of Leadership Development, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Inter-Cultural Development and Higher Education. The Board provides strategic insight and counsel to ensure that WTR is leading industry best practices and transforming the HR space with data-driven and technology-enabled workforce solutions.
- Provide “wise counsel” on issues raised by the executive leadership team
- Provide unbiased insights and ideas from a third point-of-view
- Encourage the exploration of new business ideas that align with core competencies
- Encourage governance framework that enables sustainable growth
Board Members
Dr. Shelly McDowell-Porter
Social Scientist and Educator
Shelly is a proud, first-generation Jamaican American raised in the Bronx who has used her personal and professional background to help improve systems in the areas of mental health, education, leadership, training, diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, she spent 15+ years in the child welfare, mental health, medical and military social work sectors, providing counseling, resources, and essential services to help clients navigate complex systems. Shelly’s skills extend beyond the field of social work. She currently works at the Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO) as the Program Manager of the Assessment Design and Evaluation (ADE) group. At HumRRO, she collaborates with other research scientists to develop high-stakes operational assessments for human capital management, hiring and promotion, credentialing, leadership evaluation and provide evidence-based solutions in educational, business, governmental, and military contexts. She is a professor at Chamberlain University and Phoenix University schools of social work. She designs culturally competent courses that support the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) and National Association of Social Work (NASW) mission for diversity equity, inclusion, and respect for all people. She teaches advanced courses focused on therapeutic communication and international social work practice that embraces non-western customs and global awareness. Shelly received a Bachelor of Social Work from Stony Brook University, a Masters of Social Work (Organizations & Communities concentration) from Fordham University, and a Ph.D. in Social Work from Howard University. A life-long learner, she will complete a second master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Spring 2022.
Rita Mitjans
Chief Diversity & Corporate Social Responsibility Officer, ADP, Retired
Rita’s diverse background includes having served as Chief Diversity & Corporate Social Responsibility Officer for ADP. She developed ADP’s global diversity, inclusion, and corporate social responsibility strategy, including establishing metrics and integrating the company’s talent processes and policies with industry-leading diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. She repositioned employee resource groups as Business Resource Groups, growing membership by more than triple to over 12,000 associates, and establishing a clear linkage with the company’s human capital management strategy. Under her leadership, ADP achieved significant increases in women and minorities in executive leadership and a top 3 industry ranking for diversity. Rita led the realignment of ADP Foundation grants with the company’s corporate social responsibility priorities, resulting in a 300% increase in employee giving, and a 40% increase in scholarships and grants to diversity-focused institutions. Rita also developed the company’s sustainability program, including publishing the company’s first Corporate Social Responsibility Annual Report and improving the company’s rankings with sustainability rating agency such as CDP, ISS and MSCI. She also introduced a new global rewards and recognition platform that resulted in improved associate engagement and more than 90% of the employee population receiving regular peer recognition for their work. Prior to this role, Rita held senior leadership positions in marketing, strategy, and business development at ADP, Deutsche Bank, and Bankers Trust. Rita holds a master's degree from Harvard Business School and a bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, from St. John's University. Rita was named a Top Executive in Diversity by Black Enterprise® in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Dr. Kristin S. Walle
SVP and General Manager, ADP
Kristin’s experience encompasses financial, strategic, and risk with global responsibilities for the past 18 years at Automatic Data Processing (ADP). In this role she oversees $2T of financial transactions, 700 international associates, $140M in expenses, and $100M in new client implementations annually. Her responsibilities extend beyond the global financial operations to include shared services for the compliance solutions division. This includes the client experience, implementation, partner alliance, and program management/lean six sigma operations across seven product lines. Beyond her corporate role, Kristin teaches leadership courses and devotes significant time to the development of leaders through formal mentoring and coaching engagements. Kristin holds a doctorate in organizational leadership and an MBA in finance from Pepperdine University. She also holds a Microsoft greenbelt and has received executive education: Women on Boards from Yale University and executive education: Digital Business Strategy: Harnessing our Digital Future from MIT.