As a formerly incarcerated, minority, queer woman, Marci Harper-Lawyer struggled to find a community and secure a professional opportunity — until October 2020, when she found herself serving others just like herself as operations officer at Turning Basin Labs, which sources, places and supports diverse talent.

During her tenure, Harper-Lawyer has helped more than 160 individuals from marginalized backgrounds find meaningful employment at $20 per hour or more. A natural community-builder, she also prepares candidates for interviews and does not give up until each worker finds success.

“When I did not have employment, it hit me hard. Now, to be able to help people get jobs and skill up really does it for me,” Harper-Lawyer says. “For me to play a role in helping people survive and thrive, it is breathtaking.”

Having been the recipient of an approach that assumes she has the ability to learn, she funnels the same respect into her candidates. “I don’t have all the different degrees, [so] to work with someone like [TBL founder] Stephen Bediako and the whole team, and for them to respect my intellect, and my ability to take the bull by the horns — that makes me feel valued,” she says.

"[Unemployment] hit me hard. Now, to be able to help people get jobs and skill up ... to [help] people survive and thrive, it is breathtaking."

That feeling has turned her into a force for diversity by ensuring marginalized workers have the tools to better advocate for themselves during interviews, salary negotiations and post-placement. That includes TBL’s own community of at-risk employees, comprising formerly incarcerated individuals, veterans, immigrants and women, which Harper-Lawyer has been tasked with managing and supporting.

Through her support of several partnerships — such as Jobs for the Future, Jewish Vocational Services, JobTrain, Martinez Adult Education, Kaiser Permanente and more — she has helped raise the company’s profile as a DE&I innovator. TBL’s partnership with Jobs For The Future, for example, has helped create innovative studies/reports assessing job quality and a tool that enables employers to design rewarding and fulfilling jobs that reflect worker experiences and perspectives.

As someone who has firsthand experience with employment discrimination, Harper-Lawyer’s personal success story demonstrates that there are paths forward for other returning citizens, and she is proud to be able to help them find rewarding and enriching careers.

2023 DE&I Influencers List