top of page


Welcome!
"I would work with (or for) Necko Fanning in a heartbeat. I have learned so much from him over the years and continue to seek his expertise to inform my work as a DEI Consultant. Necko's lived experience, paired with his infectious passion for DEI, make him a natural DEI champion, but it's his ability to think strategically while activating initiatives at the local level, that elevates him to an exceptional DEI practitioner."
- Paige Robnett, Founder & CEO, DEI Consultant
Who Am I?
Writing and social justice are my two great passions. After leaving the Army in 2015 I set off to bring these passions together. Initially working for an inclusive men's publication as an Assistant Editor focused on topics of equity, racism, my own experiences as a gay soldier, and the effects of toxic masculinity. But I found it tough not seeing the direct impact of my work.
Leveraging experiences, research, and unique insights into equity and inclusion, I stepped into the world of DEI leadership. After successfully leading a massive (72 agencies in 42 countries) DEI Representative network I moved into a director role in under 18 months of people leadership. Within six months of holding I was again promoted to overseeing the North America region. Soon after, I accepted a role leading a new DEI mission at an organization undergoing tumultuous layoffs, restructuring, private equity acquisition, and employee dissatisfaction. Under my leadership we saw a marked improvement to employee satisfaction scores, retention, and recruitment.
During my time as a culture leader I've learned some vital lessons:
​
-
The line between performative inclusion and true equity work depends on stakeholder buy-in.
-
Nobody ever accomplishes anything alone.
-
The importance of writing is vastly undervalued.
-
Articulating changes with compassion and empathy makes all the difference to employees.
-
A powerful story can change the world.
​
A voracious reader myself, I employ storytelling as a tool to combat ignorance and encourage empathy. I often centralize simple and "fun DEI" techniques such as reading fiction from authors of diverse backgrounds, a practice born from research by the National Library of Medicine in which one study stated "readers of fiction score higher on measures of empathy and theory of mind (ToM) – the ability to think about others’ thoughts and feelings – than readers of non-fiction, even after controlling for age, gender, intelligence and personality factors".
​
bottom of page