Meet Ebony Travis Tichenor

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ebony Travis Tichenor.

Hi Ebony, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hello there.  I am still pinching myself, but more than 20 years ago, I joined Boston Scientific (BSC) which was formerly Guidant in 1997 as an administrative assistant to the Field Sales team, supporting more than 500 employees. I had one goal that hasn’t changed: I wanted to do what I love, which is helping people, motivating and inspiring them to be their best selves. This job gave me an opportunity to do just that along with a broad range of activities and support employees in the Sales team by helping to make their already busy jobs a bit easier.

In this role, I believe my positive attitude and pleasant demeanor didn’t go unnoticed. Believe it or not, I credit those attributes to participating in Miss Texas, USA beauty pageants, as well as a brief stint as a professional cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys football team. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but pageants primarily taught me how to ‘show up’ and build my personal brand,” Pageants helped me to create the narrative of how I wanted to be seen not only on stage but on any room in a global corporation.” 

As I sit here and reflect on my personal brand and how that has helped me in my career journey, and shaped my brand because of many mentors and sponsors who helped me become more strategic in channeling my desire to help grow my career within the company. I had people, actual leaders see something in me early in my career and encouraged me to go back to school, My husband Robert today was one of those individuals who too inspired and encouraged me to finish my degree. He along with everyone else said ‘you can decide what you want to do, but first, we want to encourage you to finish that degree and find what your secret sauce is. And I did. With their guidance and encouragement especially from my husband and my dear mother (my biggest cheerleaders), I earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and an MBA in Human Resources while holding a series of progressive roles within the company.

Over the years, I have worked in different departments like Sales, Operations and Support, Global Compliance and Legal, Human Resources as a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) senior manager. But my path to success wasn’t a straight shot. As I navigated my career in these departments, I took lower-level roles stepping down from being a manager—twice—to get the foundational skills, such as strategic thinking, people management, and policy development, that were needed to continue to be successful.

I have no regrets about my journey. By taking these unconventional paths to success, I have worked across BSC acquiring critical skills along the way. It’s OK to take that step backward to take that giant leap forward. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t do that. It was the smartest thing I could have done. 

During my time in DE&I, I was instrumental in helping drive the company’s strategic vision of creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace and collaborating with leaders and employees to develop employee resource groups globally. But I am not just passionate about DE&I; it personifies me. As a Black-Hispanic woman married to a Caucasian man, I find ways to bring up diversity. I believe you have to find ways to introduce yourself in conversations. Announce who you are—be comfortable with it—whether you’re LGBTQ, disabled, or a veteran, you should be able to have your say and be heard.

Shortly after completing my MBA and working in Global Compliance, I moved to DE&I. In 2019, while in DE&I, I also took on a stretch assignment for a year within Legal, working in Employee Relations. This paved the way for me to marry my passion for people, the desire to help, an understanding of policy, and a commitment to DE&I in my current role as the Director of Global HR & Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy & Audit.

One of the surprising things about my career that many do not know is that I have done the vast majority of it remotely from my home in Dallas, Texas. However, it’s never limited my aspirations or effectiveness. Even being a remote employee for 24+ years, I’ve never felt separated from my colleagues because I’ve always found ways to remain connected. When I travel, I intentionally make time for people, whether with a quick hello or a fun selfie. I want them to know that I see them.

Looking back at my illustrious yet unconventional career journey, I see that all this paved the way for me to live a fulfilling life, knowing there are still so many opportunities ahead. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road. Starting as an admin early in my career, I found that this is what people saw in me for many years until I reshifted my personal brand and mindset. I also found that being the “only one” i.e., black woman in the room, proved to have its struggles at times, but I never let that slow me down. Over time I strived to ensure people saw the color of my skin, for if they didn’t see color, they did not see me.  

Another challenge faced throughout my career journey is learning to tapper my positive energy, which is something I have struggled with, but over time realized that I can meet individuals where they are at without losing sight of who I am and how I show up each day, which is full of life and energy.  Never forget to be authentically you in every aspect of your life.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a Subject Matter Expert in the areas of Human Resources, Talent and Organizational Development, Compliance, Diversity, and Inclusion. I currently serve as Director for Global Human Resources Policy, Programs, and Training, where I have worked for nearly 25 years.

I am a dynamic speaker. I draw on my broad experience in change management, talent management, diversity and inclusion, performance management, goal attainment, employee engagement, mentoring, training, and development to influence the process and cultural changes that improve organizational effectiveness and employee growth and well-being.

You know I also love being a moderator of leadership panels at public forums, business meetings, conferences, and public events, while also being a guest speaker or sitting on panels. I love inspiring others through these forums.

What makes you happy?
Life, People, my family, and friends are what make me happy. Why? Because life is too short not to be happy. When I am not working, which I so love to do, I love spending time with friends and family, but I also love to inspire and motivate people to be fit, be healthy and be happy. I am a social media influencer with a large Instagram following, focusing on personal branding, fitness, and self-care. Basically, having fun which is my secret sauce to life. I love sharing my life, which is always full of joy and happiness. Social media is not me just sharing the good it is me truly sharing how my life is – fulfilling.  I believe we must feed our minds with positive thoughts to live a fulfilling life. You can also find me being a full-time caregiver to my mother, who lives with my hubby and me along with our 2 fur babies, Coco and Cinnamon. Being a wife, mother to two fur babies, a daughter, and a caregiver is vital to me. All this gives me purpose. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ebonytravis
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ebony.travis
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/eboneytravis

Image Credits
Ebony Travis