Cascade Engineering’s Executive Vice President, Kenyatta Brame, will discuss his efforts to break down barriers for formerly incarcerated people to employment.  He will also talk about his efforts to break down barriers to education for inner-city youth and disenfranchised people living in marginalized communities. Kenyatta will show how these two initiatives foster more inclusive work environments, and he will encourage attendees to engage in open dialogue about these topics.  This event is an opportunity for attendees to gain a greater appreciation of how corporate DEI initiatives like the ones pursued by Cascade Engineering can transform their communities for the better. 

Kenyatta Brame is responsible for directing Cascade’s cross-organizational services, which include the company’s legal/risk management, human resources, benefits, marketing, talent management, IT, lean, and Environmental, Safety, and Sustainability (ESS) functions. Brame’s extensive community affiliations include serving as an elected trustee of GRCC, Butterball Farm Family Enterprise Board, West Michigan Works, Alternative Directions, Corewell Health Healthier Communities, Civil Service Board of the City of Grand Rapids, the Tipping Point Initiative and he is the Scouts Master of the Omega Scouts, Troop 258 (BSA). He is a graduate of Wabash College (BS in Political Science and Psychology), the University of Michigan (Juris Doctor), and Michigan State University (MBA). 

Kenyatta Brame is the Executive Vice President of Cascade Engineering (Cascade). Cascade is a manufacturer and marketer of plastic products and services supporting various industries, including furniture, automotive, truck & bus, solid waste, and pallets/bins. Cascade, a privately held Triple Bottom Line (TBL) company, is a leading proponent of sustainable business practices, and a widely recognized employer of choice. Brame is responsible for directing Cascade’s cross-organizational services, which include the company’s legal/risk management, human resources, benefits, marketing, talent management, IT, lean, and Environmental, Safety, and Sustainability (ESS) functions. In addition to ensuring the alignment of those services with Cascade’s business objectives, he also is the secretary of the Cascade Board of Directors and leads Cascade Returning Citizen, Welfare to Career, and B Corp initiatives. Prior to joining Cascade, Brame served as Senior Vice President of Operations and General Counsel at SYSCO Food Services of Grand Rapids, a Fortune 50 distributor of food service products, responsible for operations, warehousing and transportation, merchandising, marketing, and all employee relations functions.   

Brame’s extensive community affiliations include serving as an elected trustee/board member of the Grand Rapids Community College, Butterball Farm Family Enterprise Board, West Michigan Works, Alternative Directions, Corewell Health Healthier Communities, Civil Service Board of the City of Grand Rapids, the Tipping Point Initiative and he is the Scouts Master of the Omega Scouts, Troop 258 (BSA).