Dr. J. Bruce Stewart

Dr. J. Bruce Stewart, founder and CEO of Small World Solutions, is one of the leading thought leaders in the field of inclusive diversity. Formerly acting director in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Office of Personnel Management (OPM), J. Bruce was the chief architect in the creation of the New Inclusion Quotient (IQ) and the associated government research on implicit bias. The New IQ—a new way of thinking about and measuring inclusive diversity—is founded upon inclusivity and is associated with research conducted around interpersonal intelligence: Some people are smarter than others in helping their respective teams become smarter. According to Bruce, this inclusive intelligence is teachable, learnable, and repeatable and he has led the way in advocating this new kind of intelligence.

J. Bruce is an accomplished, dynamic, energetic, and results-oriented retired military officer with 20 years of experience in all aspects of diversity management, inclusion strategies, and equal opportunity/affirmative action requirements. Previously, as acting director in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion within the OPM, he managed an 11-person staff and had direct oversight on the strategic implementation of the government-wide Inclusive Diversity Plan across all federal sectors. He was also co-chair of the White House Task Force on Overcoming Implicit Bias in STEM.

J. Bruce has a unique portfolio of government experience with a research- and science-based focus together with the ability to generate leadership and organizational buy-in. He has worked and trained within most government agencies and is adept at customizing training offerings for respective agencies based on their unique cultures and organizational missions. Bruce is considered one of the leading D&I experts in the government.

He is author of a book on leadership diversity titled, “Cultural Leadership: The New Chemistry of Leading Differently,” and another to be published later this year, “The Small World Difference: How the Hidden Patterns of Small World Networks Can Create a World of Togetherness.”