Victor Anthony Scotti created Moving Mountains, LLC. to change our experiences as Black people in Corporate America dismantling systematic barriers.
“In Corporate America, when we talk about career training and career readiness for Black people at large, I think that there is a monolithic way of being, particularly for Black men.”
– Victor Anthony Scotti, Moving Mountains, LLC.
Victor Anthony Scotti Interview
What does Black History Month mean to you?
Black History Month is a celebration. Black folks contributed so much to the world and not only contributed but innovated and created from our culture and our history. If anything, Black History Month is a celebration of all our accomplishments, and I think we have and continue to overcome them globally. So, this is one month out of the 12 that all of us — Black, Brown, or otherwise genuinely celebrate black accomplishments and achievements.
What’s the inspiration behind your company (Moving Mountains, LLC)?
The goal of Moving Mountains is personal and professional alignment for Black men, and the motivation behind it is my own experience. I’ve been working for over ten years in Corporate America and tech specifically. It took about five years to understand personal and professional alignment and success.
In Corporate America, when we talk about career training and career readiness for Black people at large, I think that there is a monolithic way of being, particularly for Black men. It’s like: hey, if you want to advance in this organization, you should do this type of work, in this particular way, and what I learned is that while that advice is well-meaning, it’s incongruent with how I was raised; it doesn’t honor the agency and the power and the strength of my own experiences. So, the problem that Moving Mountains wants to solve is: what does it look like for Black men to center ourselves in our experiences in the workplace from an asset-oriented perspective?
As current leaders in the workplace, how can we redefine and reshape career development and training for Black me? So, my work is inspired by my own experiences and journey, both the joys and the struggles. This is a way of dismantling systematic barriers and traditional white power structures while uplifting the US along the way.
What are some of the gaps in the DEI space you think companies should pay attention to?
The most significant area to pay attention to is the progression of traditionally historically excluded talent. We’ve talked about attracting black and Latin talent for a while now. But, when we look at how many folks are retained, supported, and growing within the company, there’s a lot more energy and innovation to dedicate here. Companies can begin to tackle this by interrogating their talent management systems, specifically looking for inequity in their people processes.
Are there disproportionalities in how Black and Brown’s folks are attracted, paid, promoted, and rewarded? Unfortunately, due to systemic barriers, the answer is probably yes. I believe it takes companies’ conscious and intentional work and intentionality and, specifically, those company’s leaders to drive towards equitable outcomes for all.
What is the one quote or motivational word that keeps you going?
A word that comes to mind is hope. For so long, hope has been a vision, a mission, and a watchword for Black folks. Hope is what’s kept us going because when we think about our history and our history in America, for example, hope forces us to keep going. For me, I would also say faith.
The interplay of those words and how Black folks have held both of these together despite horrific circumstances inspires me.
Thank you, Victor, for joining us today.
More About Victor Anthony Scotti
Victor Anthony Scotti, Jr. is a founder, entrepreneur, philanthropist, Black student advocate, and talent developer. He has over a decade of global expertise in crafting community-specific strategies that integrate employee experience and belonging with business outcomes at some of the world’s best companies, including Google and Netflix.
Victor created Moving Mountains, LLC to deepen economic advancement and opportunity for Black men through asset-oriented cultural wealth development.
His approach is a 10-week, entirely virtual, paid Bootcamp curriculum emphasizing agency and choice, equity audits and accountability measures with partner organizations, and scholarship support to eliminate college debt and engender agency in post-grad job opportunities.
Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, Victor graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Sociology, Urban Education, and Africana Studies and holds a certification in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Loyola University Chicago’s Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise & Responsibility.
Victor is a proud financially-active life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Raymond Pace Alexander Scholarship Foundation, Inc. through his chapter of initiation, Psi.
Victor is an avid reader, writer, traveler, and Black children’s book collector. He regularly moderates and speaks on panels and webinars.
His writing coalesces around workplace inclusion and the Black male experience in The Black in HR Magazine, Huffington Post, Jopwell’s The Well, Abernathy, and Mused. He is most passionate about helping Black men and boys define themselves inside and outside the workplace.
Stay Social With Victor Anthony Scotti
www.movingmountainsllc.org
Linkedin /in/vscotti
Instagram (personal) @v_anthony13
Instagram (Moving Mountains, LLC) @moving_mountainsllc
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