Kendra Cato’s mother wrote and illustrated children’s books so she and her sisters saw characters who looked like them. This was the beginning of Cato’s awareness of the importance of representation. “My mother made sure we felt represented in our house because that wasn’t the case outside,” Cato explains. “It was always an important piece to me.” This sentiment stayed with her as she began her career.

Cato joined Bullhorn in 2018 and became director of enterprise strategy in February 2020. She leverages her position to support DE&I initiatives within Bullhorn and across the industry. “I’m passionate about the recruiting industry. We’re part of the problem, which means we have a big opportunity to make a shift. If we can help folks build their programs and create opportunities to have these conversations, we’ll make change in our industry and then globally,” she says.

In 2020, Cato helped launch BLK@Bullhorn, Bullhorn’s first resource group. As the group’s executive sponsor, she helped develop programming, plan professional development and provide mentoring to help colleagues secure new roles and expand their careers. Her efforts within Bullhorn have led to significantly increased internal diversity. “We added so much color, so many women. … We are the poster child for saying, ‘If you do this, the growth and revenue will come in tenfold.’”

"I’m passionate about the recruiting industry. We’re part of the problem, which means we have a big opportunity to make a shift."

Cato is a part of the Lady Leaders Book Club, which in 2020 comprised 10 female executives in staffing who are committed to helping women succeed. After publishing Together We Rise, a book with their personal stories to help other women feel connected, Cato in 2021 joined a larger, Lady Leaders-based DE&I grassroots group which brainstorms actions the staffing industry can take to advance DE&I initiatives. She was also elected as a council leader of the new American Staffing Association’s (ASA) Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Advocacy (IDEA) Group Council.

Her proudest moment of 2021 was planning that year’s ASA Staffing World event, and arranging a Coffee with a Black Guy Q&A session. “It was a cool, open dialogue about how to get more representation and more diversity. People loved it; it’s one of my proudest accomplishments,” she says.

2023 DE&I Influencers List