About

Dr. Shaunna Payne Gold

Dr. Gold speaking to a large group of people with two tables behind her and several people in front of her.

Dr. Shaunna Payne Gold is an facilitator, educator, higher education administrator, ordained minister, and highly sought-after consultant in the workplace, equity, and inclusion marketplace. Dr. Gold currently serves as the Founder & CEO of Gold Enterprises, LLC.

She expanded GELLC’s portfolio from primarily higher education clientele to an industry-agnostic approach that has served clients across the country. GELLC has a presence in higher education, health equity, federal, state, and municipal government / quasi-government, law enforcement, and non-profit organizations. GELLC has a presence in several states including California, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

Before leaving higher education officially in 2021, Dr. Gold served as the Assistant Provost for Diversity & Inclusion at Towson University near Baltimore, MD. Her primary goal is to support the Division of Academic Affairs by attracting, advancing, and retaining diverse staff, faculty, and librarians. Working in tandem with the Office of Inclusion and Institutional Equity and the Office of Human Resources, Dr. Gold is responsible for compliance and analytics, hiring, onboarding, funds development, faculty retention and cultural competency programming for faculty and librarians. Within the role, Dr. Gold serves as a Train-the-Trainer for difficult dialogues using the University of Michigan's racial reconciliation model.

Dr. Gold's Resume

Dr. Gold is an award-winning administrator, entrepreneur, and facilitator. She has recent honors as a Baltimore Business Journal Leader in Diversity (2020), a team lead for Towson University’s Truth and Racial Healing Institute (2020), as well as a team lead for Towson University as the recipients of the Insight Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award for 2020. Dr. Gold was recently recognized as a 2022 Movers and Shakers as co-host of the [un]phased podcast. Dr. Gold was selected as a 2022 - 2023 Tory Burch Fellowship.

Dr. Gold was also selected as a member of the NorthStar DC Cohort of the U.S. Small Business Association’s T.H.R.I.V.E. Emerging Leaders program in 2024.

Dr. Gold holds degrees and certificates from James Madison University, Eastern Mennonite University, The George Washington University, Cornell University, and the University of Pennsylvania. She has two amazing sons, Trai (13) and Kendrick (10). In her (lack of) spare time, she is an Ironman 70.3 triathlete, an endurance swimmer, a marathon runner and mentor to underrepresented doctoral students nationwide.

GELLC 2024 by the Numbers

23

Active
Clients

72

Training Sessions

12

Executive Coaching Clients

7

Strategic Plans Drafted

7

Equity
Audits

Our
Philosphy

GELLC Mission

The mission of Gold Enterprises, LLC is to guide organizations to become the best places for everyone to work, learn, play, and grow.

GELLC Vision

The GELLC vision is to transform organizations from chilly climates to warm climates, so much so that our services are no longer needed in generations to come. Success looks like measurable increases in equity, inclusion, and belonging, with lower risk, dissatisfaction, and turnover.

GELLC Approach

We do this by increasing retention, building a warm workplace, and systematizing equity in ways that protect organizations, allowing everyone to thrive.

GELLC Values