Hello, my name is Thom Gridley. I am a 25+ year design veteran, from the Sportswear & Footwear industry. I have been fortunate to work for some of the most iconic global brands in the world, including my current role as VP of Design Crocs/Heydude and formerly with Puma, Vans, New Balance, Saucony & Reebok. Though many of the brands I worked for took Diversity and Inclusion serious as a key tenant to their hiring practices, there is a catastrophic gap of black and minority designers in our industry as a result of systemic privilege and the lack of financial and educational resources.