Designing and Building Inclusion

Champaigne Powell
Graduate Senior Recruiter, Houston
Champaigne Powell, a senior recruiter on Protiviti’s recruiting team, is finding the next generation of Black talent—and thinking creatively about how to enable these young professionals to be at home and set up for success in their new roles.
As a recruiter, Champaigne spends a lot of her time working closely with and caring for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). She’s also a leader within BEING, Protiviti’s employee network group for Black employees and allies.
Connecting the Dots
These two aspects of her life at Protiviti complement each other perfectly. She loves to be “boots on the ground” on campus, talking to students about what they want from their future employer. That’s great information for the recruiting team, and it’s valuable for the BEING leadership team too, as they plan their programming based on what future interns and new hires will expect when they join.
Her dual role extends beyond the campus. Especially in the early days of their Protiviti career, she wants new Black hires to feel part of a larger network. “Consulting is fast paced,” she says. “We want to make sure everyone feels supported at the local office level and at the national level, from day one.”
To further that goal, Champaigne helped launch a BEING initiative in 2023 that gives interns and new hires the option to connect with BEING members as soon as they accept an offer. For interns, this means they can choose to stay engaged with Black employees in the firm throughout the months before their internship. Once they start work, Champaigne is quick to connect them with BEING members in their local office, as well as making sure they have the chance to participate in the national group. She also focuses on helping new Black hires navigate a challenging transition from the classroom to working in a client environment.
A Comprehensive View of DEI
Champaigne loves the 360 view that being in recruiting and BEING gives her. “I see the campus, the client, and the company. And because of my connection with BEING and the global Protiviti Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives I support, I look at DEI in everything I’m doing.”
In finding the next generation of Black talent—and thinking creatively about how to enable these young professionals to connect and grow, Champaigne reflects the caring culture of Life At Protiviti.
