Inclusion, Diversity & Belonging
Progress is an inclusive workplace where opportunities to succeed are available to everyone.
Our unique combination of perspectives inspires innovation, connects us to our customers and positively affects our communities.
What I really want is for employees to feel as though they have a vested interest in inclusion, equity and diversity. This work is not just for “underrepresented” groups. There’s something for everyone.
Dr. Shirley Knowles Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer
Pillars of an Inclusive Company
Progress strives to be a diverse, equitable and inclusive company where every employee– no matter their experience, perspective, identity, or belief–has a sense of belonging. Belonging is a deeply felt sense that you’re a part of something bigger. You are welcomed and a valued member of a group or community. It’s when you feel comfortable to bring your authentic, whole self to work, knowing you and your ideas will be respectfully seen and heard.
Education
We believe that Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) starts with education. It’s critical for employees to understand the “why” behind I&D before we ask them to do the “how”.
“The I&D training was extremely helpful, enlightening and valuable. It reinforced for me that Inclusion & Diversity is really about how we interact and treat each other so that everyone feels they are valued. Every single employee has a stake in helping to make us a more inclusive and diverse company. “
Michael Duncan
Values
Our I&D mission is engrained into our ProgressPROUD values, especially the “R”: respect differences and diversity.
“I found the Inclusion & Diversity trainings to be eye-opening, particularly around the concept of unconscious bias. While most people have good intentions and proper manners, we can unknowingly be influenced by automated thinking. I sent my team the link for an Implicit Association Test so we can become more aware of these biases.”
Tom Stevens
Community
It takes a village to maintain a successful inclusion and diversity program, which is why we see collaboration and accountability with this work between our senior leaders, managers, and individual contributors.
“The inclusion training created an amazingly safe space for the attendees to participate in discussions that can sometimes be uncomfortable. The instructors guided the conversation gently and used a number of tools that enabled the participants to share their experiences and ask questions to better understand different perspectives. “
ANGELA CAMPBELL
Our Active Progress ERGs
ASPIRE
Leaders - MeiLani Dumont and Sai Tharun Kollampally
Our mission:
- Connect APIs and allies to exchange ideas, share challenges, collaborate and provide support in a safe environment
- Celebrate and promote the unique cultures, traditions, voices, and viewpoints of the API community
- Counsel APIs in career growth and advancement, leadership and networking
Blacks@Progress
Leaders - April Turner, Errin Staunton, Janelle Richey, and LaVerne Chambers
Our mission:
- To foster and sustain an environment at Progress that will advocate for the recruitment, retention, and professional advancement of Black Progress employees at all job levels
- Create opportunities for leadership development, networking, mentoring education, service, and community outreach.
ENABLE
Leaders - Sheila Kelley and Maria Kabaivanova
Our mission:
- Focus on education, collaboration, process, technology adoption and support to ensure Progress is a place where people with differing abilities feel welcome, safe and appreciated.
- We also endeavor to create a safe space for education, raising awareness among all employees about the challenges faced by those with disabilities. with the goal of overcoming stereotypes and stigmas.
Plus
Leaders - Dale Foster and Rodrigo Zuniga Calvo
Our mission:
- To foster an LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) community at Progress
- We aim to build bridges across the company to connect and represent the voices and stories of the LGBTQ+ Progressers
- We promote visibility and awareness into the social issues that affect us and ensure a space to discuss and inform into the I&D efforts at the company.
Progress for Her
Leaders - Jennette Skaggs, Terrie Butcher, and Girija Kolagada
Our mission:
- To empower women at Progress by providing leadership and networking opportunities, as well as the tools needed to create substantial influence both in and out of our professional network
- We create a supportive space to amplify women's ideas and concepts to ensure an inclusive environment within Progress and beyond.
Unidos en Progress
Leaders - Fernanda Murillo and Barbara Gurgel
Our mission:
- To foster intercultural understanding and to empower Hispanics to overcome the challenges they face.
Veterans@Progress
Leaders - Christopher Cunningham and Erica Flynn
Our mission:
- To foster an inclusive community of veterans, reserve servicemembers, and military families at Progress and in our local communities
- Through engaging with Veterans@Progress, our members will find a community where we are included and belong while also driving programs that support and encourage each other.
I&D Advisory Committee
Dimitrina Petrova
Being part of different teams and divisions over the years, Dimitrina has a lot to share with fellow colleagues. She is passionate about communication and exploring new environments, being especially interested in understanding how people connect and interact. Dimi harnesses the power of numbers to optimize and improve what she does, always seeking to ensure the best customer experience. Her topics of interest are learning how to lose and establishing trust. After work, she is always ready to discuss any topic over a glass of beer or wine.
Daniela Dimitrova
Daniela is a Senior Director, Software Engineering in IT, responsible for the Website & Application Development teams. She is based in Sofia and has been with the company since 2013. One of her core values, driving both her personal and professional life is the kaizen (Japanese word for continuous improvement) mindset. She thinks that integral parts of continuous improvement are different perspectives, a broad range of experiences and an open mind to learn from every situation and every person around you. And that everybody has something to share.
Todd Karabatsos
FINANCE DIRECTOR
Todd is a Finance Director within the Corporate FP&A department who primarily works from his home office in CT but frequents the Burlington office. Throughout his 13-year career at Progress, he’s had the opportunity to work across several different functions of the organization. It is through this experience that he’s reinforced his belief that diversity in people, culture and ideas creates the best environment for success.
Iliyan Iliev
lliyan is an Engineering Manager based in Sofia since joining the company in 2012. Iliyan believes “that the only way to reach the best decisions and minimize potential risks is to include various points of view. We all fall victim to our biases and exclude that important opinion which could have changed the whole point of view.” He believes that everyone should be given the same opportunities for growth and talent expression.
Nichol Goldstein
Nichol is the Progress Community Manager, responsible for helping our users foster closer connections with Progress and each other. She works from home in the Burlington area and has enjoyed being a Progresser since 2018. Nichol thinks that every perspective is worth hearing and is a fan of the phrase: “You have two ears, but only one mouth for a reason.” She’s excited to learn more from her colleagues as we work toward being more diverse and inclusive.
Sam Basu
Sam Basu is a technologist, author, speaker, Microsoft MVP and a Developer Advocacy Manager at Progress Software. With a long developer background, he now spends much of his time advocating modern development platforms & tools on Microsoft/Telerik/KendoUI technology stacks. His spare time calls for travel, fast cars, cricket and culinary adventures. You can find him on the internet. When it comes to I&D, Sam says, “Kindness and inclusion empowers everyone to do their best. Empathy makes a lot of business sense.”
Gergana Dimova
Geri (Gergana) is Manager Business Services and part of the ePMO team in Progress, where she leads a team supporting the Sales Journey and D&A Agile Release Trains. She is passionate about empowering teams and individuals, balancing leadership with mentorship, fostering growth, and delivering successful outcomes across complex projects. As a continuous learner, she is dedicated to refining processes, inspiring others, and breaking barriers. Outside of work, Geri loves spending time in nature and travelling with her husband, two daughters and dog.
Dalia Hamzeh
With nearly 15 years of experience in security strategy and culture transformation for Fortune 50 to 500 companies, Dalia has witnessed the empowering effect of inclusive workplaces. Leading Security Strategy and Operations at Progress, she works closely with teams across the organization to drive a security-first culture. She believes that fostering an environment where everyone feels valued and respected for their unique perspectives and diverse backgrounds is essential to building trust and enabling greater collaboration, communication, and innovation. Outside of work and with joy, Dalia is Chief Canine Stewardess to her 3 dogs.
Nawin Pranav Marimuthu Vijayamohan
Nawin is a member of the Corporate Marketing Team at Progress, where he leads Demand Generation for Sitefinity. Based in Dublin, Ireland, he has been an integral part of the company for over a year. A firm believer in the power of inclusion and diversity, Nawin is deeply committed to building a workplace where everyone feels valued, heard, and empowered. His passion for fostering equity and belonging drives him to advocate for initiatives that celebrate diverse perspectives and create meaningful change.
Vivek Taparia
Vivek has been a part of Progress since Jan 2011, he is based in Hyderabad, India. He believes that a strong inclusion and diversity strategy can help organizations attract top talent and drive innovative results.
Focus Areas
Accountability
Everyone at Progress, from our senior leaders to our employees without management responsibilities, has a role to play in creating a workplace where all individuals feel valued, respected, and supported. This means holding ourselves and others accountable for our words, actions, and behaviors that can positively contribute to an inclusive workplace culture.
Connection
By building strong relationships with our internal and external stakeholders, we continue to create a powerful network of allies and advocates who are committed to advancing diversity, inclusion, belonging, and equity in our workplace and global communities. Together, we aim to create a world where all individuals are valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.
Education
We continue to expand the scope of our I&D work by incorporating a greater focus on wellbeing, accessibility, and deepening the understanding of why inclusive work environments matter. By providing training and resources on topics such as unconscious bias and inclusive leadership, we can empower individuals to understand their own biases and take proactive steps to create a culture of belonging.
Related Resources
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Awards
