In July, Toast welcomed Angela Roseboro, our Chief Diversity Officer. Before joining Toast, Angela spent time at companies like Riot Games and Dropbox, and also took what she described as a corporate detox– time to rest and recharge. We are excited to welcome Angela to the team, and look forward to the experiences and wisdom she will bring to enhance our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices. Learn more about Angela below!

Can you share a little bit about what brought you to Toast?

The Toast opportunity came at a time when I wasn't sure if I was ready to re-enter the workforce. I was very intentional in taking time to rest and recharge and was still on my rest journey when Toast reached out. I took the call because my dad worked as head chef in a restaurant and my mom ran a bar for as long as I can remember. I know firsthand how hard this industry can be. I was struck by how Toast helped restaurants during the pandemic and even more taken by the people I met.  Every leader I spoke to cared about creating an inclusive culture at Toast. The will is there and I'm hoping I can have an impact by helping find the way.  

I’d love to hear more about how you grew up, and how your identity shaped you. 

I grew up in Chicago, South Side. College was never the plan. I was encouraged to work, and I probably wasn’t the best student. When I was 15, I had a math teacher – Sister Marlene – and she told me I was smart for the very first time. No one had ever said that to me! She encouraged me to go to college and take the ACT. The first time I took the ACT, there was a reading portion that was an analogy between two Shakespeare plays. Where I grew up, I’d never read Shakespeare. The first time you read Shakespeare should never be on a test. In that moment I realized someone was going to make an assessment on if I was smart enough based on this test – even though I never had the access or opportunity to learn. 

After that test, I went back to Sister Marlene and she gave me a book about Shakespeare. And then I took the ACT again. So even at that early stage, I realized I wanted to help level the playing field so that everybody can reach their full potential. Today, I feel like it’s my responsibility to make sure I am developing the next generation of leaders because somebody did that for me. 

What a powerful story, thank you for sharing. Is that what compelled you to focus so much of your career in the DEI space? 

I was actually tracking towards a head of HR role. However, at the time, my company – a bank – was in trouble and they needed someone to lead DEI and compliance programs. I knew more women were in the workplace and making decisions about money. So I started a campaign to bring more woman-identifying customers to the bank to open free checking accounts and get complimentary financial advice. The campaign greatly increased our deposits and it made me realize that while we were selling a product that was universal, we needed to be able to connect to all sorts of people and understand what your employees and your customers need.  

What have been some of your priorities in your first six months at Toast? 

I have three priorities. First, I believe you have to understand a culture. So I want to immerse myself in Toast’s culture, and build relationships. 

Second, I want to understand what success looks like in four, five years. We have to know what our North Star is, and leaders have to know their “why” – and it has to go beyond “this is the right thing to do.” DEI allows you to innovate and reach people in new ways – and that’s what I think is our why and we should ground people in that.

Third, I want to look at every process and system we have and put a diverse lens on it, from recruiting, to evaluating talent, to attrition. Using that information, I want to come up with a long range plan to get to that North Star. 

I’m a big believer in doing three things really well, and building on those things. If you try to do 60 things, you may not get the impact. Every action we take should move us closer to our North Star for DEI at Toast. 

Creating inclusive spaces is everyone’s responsibility. I am a big believer in the power of one: one person or one act of inclusion can make a difference. 

Angela is now a member of the Toast alumni community. We greatly appreciate their many contributions and lasting impact on Toast!