DEI Employee Spotlight: Charles McBride

Charles McBride

Advisory Release Train Engineer

What does diversity, equality, and inclusion mean to you?

As a Christian and follower of Jesus, I believe that diversity, equality, and inclusion reflect the truth that every person is created in the image of God and is therefore worthy of dignity, respect, and love. Diversity celebrates the unique experiences, talents, and perspectives each individual brings. Equality means ensuring every person is treated fairly and has equal opportunity to thrive. Inclusion involves creating an environment where everyone feels valued, heard, and empowered to contribute fully. I believe that when we honor the intrinsic worth of every individual, we create stronger, more compassionate communities.

What are your hopes for DEI at eMoney?

My hope is that DEI at eMoney continues to foster a culture where all employees feel respected, valued, and empowered to use their gifts. I would love to see eMoney be a place where we don’t just acknowledge differences but truly appreciate them — building a workplace where fairness, collaboration, and mutual respect guide how we work together. A thriving DEI culture will not only enrich our community internally but will also strengthen the way we serve our clients and partners externally.

Can you share a personal story or anecdote that made you recognize the importance of DEI?

Throughout my career, I have worked on project teams made up of individuals from very different cultural and professional backgrounds. During these projects, what I found is that when we faced major obstacles none of us could solve them individually. It was only when we intentionally listened to one another’s unique experiences and approaches that we found creative solutions. These experiences deeply impress upon me how important it is to create space for all voices. It taught me that the best solutions often come from a diverse team where every perspective is valued. This lesson was reinforced in my military experience, where life-and-death decisions required diverse perspectives. Each individual brought unique insights, and it was clear that success depended on trusting and learning from one another. It would be scary if it was all up to me and people that think like me. We need each other to make or be anything of value.

How do you think DEI contributes to business success? Do you have any examples that you can share where diversity helped solve a business challenge?

DEI is crucial to business success because it brings broader perspectives, fuels innovation, and creates stronger teams. Diverse teams are better equipped to understand and serve a diverse client base. For example, we have just released Autonomous Planning Beta to our Beta clients. This is the result of countless discussions, differences of thought, and detailed study of our customer needs by a diverse group of individuals from product, FPG, Marketing, Sales and the Technology organization. These varied experiences led to a more comprehensive and user-friendly product design — one that I believe will ultimately resonate with customers and outperform our competitors. When we honor different perspectives, we not only create better solutions but also build stronger trust within the team and with our clients.

Can you recommend any books, podcasts, articles, documentaries, or other content that helped you expand your outlook and understanding about DEI?

A few resources that have helped shape my understanding, particularly from a perspective that aligns with my faith, include:

“The Way of the Shepherd: Seven Secrets to Managing Productive People”, by Kevin Leman and William Pentak – Getting to know your team, one person at a time – Relentlessly communicating your values and your mission – Defining the cause for your people and showing them where they fit in – Having a heart for the people that you’re leading – Understanding that great leadership isn’t just professional, it’s personal

One of the most transformative experiences that has shaped my understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) was working alongside a missionary friend in Ecuador. We partnered with teachers and parents to repaint a local school, bringing a fresh look and instilling a sense of pride in the students and educators. Additionally, this past year, he launched an outreach to schools in the jungle, providing children in kindergarten through fifth grade with a simple yet essential meal—an egg, a piece of bread, and some rice—served every weekday. I had the privilege of delivering these supplies firsthand, witnessing the joy and gratitude in the eyes of the teachers and children as they received them.

This experience deepened my commitment to honoring the dignity of all people, regardless of background. To me, this is the heart of DEI—recognizing the intrinsic worth of every person while remaining firmly rooted in a biblical worldview.

Closing Thought:

I am grateful for the opportunity to support DEI in a way that honors both my faith and the value of every person I work with. For me, this is ultimately an expression of the command to love our neighbor — treating each person as you yourself would wish to be treated, with dignity, respect, and genuine care.