Black-Owned Business Spotlight – Herring Seminars & Consulting

To celebrate National Black Business Month, we asked our team, LegalShield members, and clients to tell us about their favorite Black-owned businesses in Pennsylvania. One of the businesses that Fiffik Law Group has personal experience with is Herring Seminars & Consulting, owned by Dr. Christine Herring and Dr. Chuck Herring.

Herring Seminars & Consulting offers personalized diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) solutions to organizations so that they may build diverse and inclusive workspaces.

“We want to create a world where a company’s ability to cultivate a diverse workspace, one that is welcoming of all people, is valued just as much as its ability to earn revenue.” -Herring Seminars & Consulting Vision Statement

Herring Seminars & Consulting believes that a safe and inviting workplace leads to better worker retention, talent recruitment, and team communication.

Christine has always been passionate about DEI work. From an early age and throughout her academic and professional careers, she has often been the only Black individual in the spaces she has occupied. She has always made it her mission to leave these spaces better than she found them for other people who looked like her. This inherent responsibility is what catapulted her into DEI work, and what ultimately inspired Herring Seminars & Consulting.

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change,” Christine says.

Christine began her career working in a school to build a DEI team. She recruited people from each level of the school to work with her, learn with her, and collaborate on a collective purpose. Christine noticed that many people, especially when it comes to DEI work, talk a lot about what they are going to do, but then they are slow to action. With her team, she ensured that they immediately put their plans into action. No matter how results-oriented a team may be, however, Christine knows that that there is no overnight fix. In order to build relationships, you have to invest time.

“We work to improve DEI one conversation at a time,” Christine says.

Christine built and grew DEI teams that flourished in schools. She moved on to accept numerous teaching and leadership positions, all the while receiving increasing requests for her services at outside organizations. As much as she cherished being a child educator, she knew that she could make a greater impact by expanding her work to a wider audience. But after 20 years of experience, it was a difficult decision for her to leave the classroom. What finally motivated her to go out on her own was an insight from her daughter: “Why are you hiding in the classroom when you could touch so many more lives if you left?”

Since 2019, Herring Seminars & Consulting has officially been Christine’s primary focus. She and her husband, Chuck, hope to continue to grow and touch as many organizations as possible – and they have already touched Fiffik Law Group. Recently, Chuck presented at our Juneteenth-inspired continuing legal education and training event.

“I’ve known Dr. Herring for 20 years and a more positive, inspirational person you will not meet,” Mike Fiffik said. “Dr. Herring and Herring Seminars & Consulting gets my highest recommendation – have him in to speak with your group. It’ll be a positive and memorable experience.”

Herring Seminars recognizes that every organization’s starting point is different, and every organization’s journey is unique. They are committed to meeting each company wherever they are and offer a helping hand in navigating the complex world of DEI.

“Everyone is lifting at different rates, but the key is that everyone is doing the lifting and leaning into the work,” Christine says.

Learn more about Herring Seminars & Consulting on their website where you can schedule a 30-minute call to learn more about their offerings.

Check out our extended list of Black-owned businesses across Pennsylvania here. Please consider supporting one or more of these businesses online or in your area.

Keep an eye on our social media and blog for full profiles on more Black-owned businesses.