Mynesha Spencer, CEO and principal inclusion strategist of All of Us Together Co., felt overwhelmingly out of place growing up in Omaha.
“From being the only person who looked like me in my AP courses to just trying to hang out on the weekends and experiencing some level of discrimination—I hated Omaha,” Spencer recalled. “But, Omaha has changed. I’m happy to be a part of leading that change.”
A combination of experiences in her adolescent years pushed her to become an agent for change in her professional journey. Her siblings and her father, a history teacher, regularly watched the Ken Burns’ VHS series on weekends, sparking her fascination with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ‘60s.
Driven by her educational pursuits, Spencer earned an Administration of Justice degree in 2015 from Texas Southern University—one of the largest historically Black colleges or universities—while continuing her education in Salamanca, Spain, the same year. Spencer recalled encountering the racial tension between Castilian Spaniards and Mexicans and the way the relationship seemed to mirror that of African Americans and Europeans in the United States.
Subsequently, Spencer dedicated a portion of her career to working at the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, KS. There, she gained experience with public-facing programming and audience-centered dialogue. The experience underscored for her that while policies and laws evolve, people’s hearts and minds require intentional guidance.
Spencer felt an overwhelming need to apply what she’d learned and take further action into her own hands.
“I needed to take this with me out the door; I needed to do more with this,” she recalled. “I needed to make a bigger impact.”
Bringing her determination and extensive experiences back to the Midwest, Spencer founded All Of Us Together Co. in 2018 in Topeka. The company expanded to Georgia, and most recently, Nebraska, catalyzing meaningful change in the state for approximately one year.
Presently, All Of Us Together Co. includes a team of four experts and interns well-versed in the arena of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA). The team works with private and public workforces, educational, state, and federal entities, for-profit and nonprofit organizations, and more, providing them with the education and tools to become the most inclusive versions of themselves. With a variety of clients, Spencer rejects the notion of a one-size-fits-all mentality.
“We know that every single human relation challenge is as unique as the humans involved in those challenges,” Spencer explained. “We customize all of our solutions for any requesting client, because no one problem is the same.”
Katie Weitz, executive director of the Weitz Family Foundation, first crossed paths with Spencer while seeking her expertise in addressing racism and bias within grant applications. The Weitz Family Foundation continues to work closely with All Of Us Together Co. to drive racial equity strategies further and achieve meaningful outcomes.
“All of Us Together allows an inclusivity journey without shame and blame,” Weitz explained. “Mynesha’s professionalism allows even the most reluctant or nervous client to feel safe to explore what it means to be inclusive. Mynesha is so much more than the work she does. She will say the difficult things in ways that a person can hear and with suggestions for improvement.”
Spencer’s return to Nebraska has given rise to additional DEIA support opportunities, as she currently serves on the Mayor’s Board for Human Rights & Relations. She was also appointed to the Civil Rights Hearing Board.
“[The board opportunity] is a testament to the way in which Omaha has changed so much from when I was growing up,” Spencer said. “Much of what I do is really predicated upon what I couldn’t do when I was a younger person here in Omaha, which is seeing myself represented by way of board leadership.”
All Of Us Together Co. and other DEIA missions have given Spencer extensive work and life experiences, and while her business is expected to continue expanding, Weitz believes Spencer has a particularly deep understanding of Omaha—she embodies Midwestern humility with a deep work ethic.
“When you work with Mynesha in the political minefield of diversity, equity, and inclusion, you have an anchor—solid with the ability to bring people to a common place,” Weitz explained.
Spencer makes a consistent effort to ensure her company only undertakes tasks within its current capacity, placing the quality of their work above all else. Capacity building is a major company goal moving forward, she said.
“Ultimately, I see All of Us Together Co. as becoming the Amazon of human relations,” Spencer said. “We are in the very early infant stages of that dream being realized, but I think for sure that it can be.”
Spencer remains steadfast in upholding the primary mission of All of Us Together Co. as the cornerstone of their endeavors: to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and justice to all, with the aim of enabling a space for everyone.
“Success, for me, is becoming the most inclusive version of myself,” Spencer explained. “You can be passionate about something, but it takes more than passion to do this work well.”
For more information about All of Us Together Co., visit allofustogetherco.com.
This article originally appeared in the December 2023/January 2024 issue of B2B Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
This article originally appeared in the December 2023/January 2024 issue of B2B Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
