Black History Month Interview Series

Meet Kyala Johnson, Executive Assistant at Griffith Foods Inc.

Kyala Johnson is the strategic business partner to four high-level executives and also supports their direct teams. Her executives range between Presidents and Sales and Marketing leaders, which has given her the opportunity to learn and know the business at different levels and perspectives. At Griffith Foods, Kyala was empowered by the Group President of North America to write her own job profile, which helped to create a space for an Executive Assistant to support the main areas in the US business that work closely with their customers.

Kyala is the Global Administrative Ambassador for Griffith Foods’ Women Leaders, where they focus on leadership and development opportunities for their employees. Kyala also co-leads the Griffith Foods Garden Initiative, where they grow fruit and vegetables to encourage healthy lifestyles for their employees.

Let’s get to know Kyala!

Tell us some fun facts about yourself.

  • One of my passions is the creative arts. I have a Bachelor in Fine Arts with an emphasis on sculptor and intermedia arts. Current art projects that I am focused on are making spiritual art, dolls, and writing poems and children’s plays.
  • I make healing salves for skin disorders such as dried skin, eczema, and wounds. My salves are made with organic products and honey from local beekeepers.
  • I am vegan and love creating vegan recipes with my children to help heal our bodies.
  • Meditation is a daily spiritual practice.

What do you LOVE about your role?

I love that I am able to inspire and empower others to be more inclusive by nourishing relationships cross-culturally. I participated in a purpose-driven program at Griffith Foods called the Purpose Accelerator, which is a 6-week program to assist employees in finding their purpose or passion and bringing their authentic selves to work. My role as an Executive Assistant is not only to help my Executives thrive, but also to encourage a healthy culture at work. I’ve made it a point to empower those who feel voiceless to speak up and voice their concerns, opinions, and ideas. Inspiring others to be confident and walk in their confidence is what I love about my role. An Executive Assistant has the power to reach so many levels and departments at an organization because developing and nourishing relationships is one of our attributes. Why not also take the time to inspire and empower at the same time?

Tell us about a defining moment in your personal and/or professional life.

A defining moment in my professional life is actually right now. Currently, I am working on a Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging project at work which started right after the death of George Floyd and the ongoing civil unrest. Since my passion is to empower others that are underrepresented, I am taking the time to read and research to become more knowledgeable about historical and current Diversity and Inclusion programs in corporate America. Part of this research will be taking a course on Diversity and Inclusion at Northwestern University. As a Black woman, I understand the challenges Black people and other diverse groups of people go through in the corporate world; having the knowledge and facts by learning from the past will help to Make the Future Better in the workplace. The journey with the current project has been quite a journey, both good and bad, because I’m the type of person where if there’s a problem, let’s tackle and solve it immediately. However, the type of racial issues and biases in the workplace cannot be solved overnight. The truth can be painful for others to understand because it comes with the realization that there is a great need for change. I’m learning to be patient, to listen, and to work efficiently because this journey will definitely take time as we are in our preliminary stages.

What are you most proud of in your career?

The one thing that I’m most proud of in my career is being treated as a Strategic Business Partner. In the beginning of my career as an Executive Assistant, it was challenging to have a seat and voice at the table. Some people would try and “hush” me or not want to listen to my ideas. I fought through the stereotypes inflicted upon Administrative Professionals by learning more about the business, asking to be on projects, leading multiple projects, and making a point to have my voice and ideas heard and recognized. My confidence level has always been high, especially when I’m knowledgeable; my parents taught me this valuable lesson early on. Now that I have a seat and voice at the table, I have more opportunities at work, and I am fulfilled with the work that I’m doing. The end goal in my career is to always be at peace with the work.

What is the best career advice you’ve received? What is your favorite piece of advice to give?

The best career advice that I’ve ever received was “If you don’t know what you want, then someone else will decide for you.”

This advice was given to me at an early age by my father, Dr. Duane G. Johnson, and I’ve always carried this advice with me in my career. My father had a really bad stuttering problem when he was younger. As a young Black man growing up on the southside of Chicago in the 1950s, he experienced extreme racism in school and was always put in the back of the classroom and told that he would never accomplish anything in life. As you may know, this experience can cause self-esteem issues but not for my father; it only fueled him to decide what he wanted in life. He rose above the stuttering issue, pursued higher education, became an entrepreneur in the technology business, and eventually received his Ph.D. in Business and Information Technology. My father’s life is a good reminder for me to go after what I want and to not let anyone else dictate my life or career.

My favorite piece of advice to give that can be applied in any situation is “Always be open to hearing diverse ideas from people outside your normal circle.”

There are so many generational ideas passed down to others to hate the opposite view. This is one of the obstacles that are helping to fuel systemic racism in the world and in the corporate environment. We need diverse ideas for change. If we focus on the solution and work backwards to the root of the problem, then it can help us to identify the path needed for change.

At ELS, the role of the executive assistant has been described as the culture carrier. What are some of the pressures of having to be a culture carrier and a person of color that leaders don’t even realize?

This is such a good question! The pressure of having to be the culture carrier and a Black woman is we are viewed as knowing everything “culture” or knowing everything “Black,” or that we are all aligned and in agreement. There are so many layers to the Black identity that one individual will not know it all. Another challenge is facing defensiveness when providing our truth and feedback after being asked for our opinions or insight. Sometimes there is a catch-22, and we don’t know if voicing our opinions or keeping silent is the best option. But at the same time, speaking our truth can influence others to do the same. We must control the narrative since it affects us directly.

Is there a specific Black leader who inspires you? What do you admire about this individual and is there a quote you’d like to share?

I am truly inspired by Shekhem Ur Shekhem Ra Un Nefer Amen I, founder of the Ausar Auset Society, which is a Pan-African spiritual organization established over 45 years ago. He has helped so many people of African descent by showing us the need for African spirituality, meditation, health, and wellness. I admire his teachings on maintaining peace and oneness in the midst of challenges, which has helped my family and me greatly.

“We must learn to see that the problems in life have nothing to do with material problems and losses, but our emotional reaction to pain and suffering.” –Ra Un Nefer Amen I

Is there a Black writer, podcast host, Black-owned business, or something else you’d like to spotlight?

I would like to spotlight, Girls For A Change, a nonprofit youth organization based in Central Virginia, whose sole purpose is empowering young Black girls and other girls of color. Griffith Foods has donated to the organization, and we are in the process of hosting culinary demos on health and nutrition as well as career insight into Food Science. This youth organization is doing wonderful things for our young Black generation, and I am so proud to be working with them on projects.

Another Black-owned business that I would like to spotlight is Justice Of The Pies, a sweet and savory Chicago bakery established by Maya-Camille Broussard. For the National Black Business Month celebration in August 2020, I had the chance to interview Ms. Broussard for an event Griffith Foods Women Leaders hosted to highlight the importance of Black businesses in the community. Justice Of The Pies has such a rich story that focuses on its social mission of positively impacting the lives of those in the community. We served pies to our essential workers and talked with Ms. Broussard about her business, social change, and the importance of the Black family lineage.

What do you want others to know or remember as they celebrate Black History Month?

Black History Month is a way to spotlight the contributions that Black people have made to our country and the world because it is vast and outstanding. The resiliency of the Black community is because our Ancestors have helped pave the way, and have shown us that no challenge is greater than our lives. I am in deep appreciation of our freedom fighters, peacemakers, inventors, and spiritual advisers; being Black is amazing!