Darin Conley-Buchsieb
Human Resources Director and Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at San Francisco Ballet, United States

In a time where companies in all industries, including in the Arts, are starting to revamp their focus and change their people strategies to give the appearance that their organization cares about its people, Darin Conley-Buchsieb has made it his life-practice to always put people first. He keeps people at the forefront and core of how he directs human resources throughout his organization and how he engages, outside of his professional career, with people in everyday life. Darin drives human resources and organizational impacts with his extensive legal background, high-level negotiations skills and his devotion to the social and the strategic productivity impact that diversity, equality, equitability and inclusivity brings to organizations.
Born and raised in Monterey, California and led by the courageousness of his military veteran father and the hardest-working woman (his mother) on the planet, Darin was able to excel in education despite socioeconomic and societal barriers in the form of racism, homophobia, gender norms and classism due to his many intersections of diversity. It is the strength, boldness and humanity from his community and parents that has fueled his lifelong love relationship with positively impacting the lives of as many people as possible. Darin has worked in prison rights justice to protect the constitutional rights of people targeted by our unjust justice system, pressed legislators to end laws and policies that disproportionately harm, imprison and kill young Brown and Black men, organized actions geared towards ending transphobia shouting Trans Black Lives Matter, negotiated collective bargaining agreements for 38,000+ of the hardest working people of the City and County of San Francisco, and has dealt with painful racism and hate himself in places that he has worked.
Darin brings together all of his life experiences, professional experiences and heart to create a human resources function that isn’t solely grounded in legal compliance, but is shaped, reworked as needed, and keenly focused on creating a work environment where everyone’s voice is welcome. A workplace where people can bring their very best selves to and where differences are never hidden, or overshadowed by “colorblindness” or white fragility, but where differences are routinely celebrated instead. Leading first by example, he strives to make a lasting impact on the human resources professional field, the Arts, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, by centering the workplace back on its most precious core; it’s diverse, dynamic and driven people.
Join Darin at Communicating the Arts in Montreal, as he will discuss DEI – Diversity, equity and inclusion in his case study “Beyoncé the Arts- Building Authentic and Sustainable DEI Strategies in the Arts”
Read Darin’s interview : Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Art Institutions