The Second City Bolsters DEI Initiatives with Leadership Changes

CHICAGO, Nov. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In a continued effort to build an equitable and thriving environment for talent, staff, and audiences alike, The Second City announces today a new leadership hire and several recent moves to bolster diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that reach every corner of the legendary comedy company. Ashley Bugeja joins as vice president of human resources to lead The Second City's culture transformation, which includes implementing all people and DEI strategies in partnership with the company's chief diversity officer. Bugeja has held HR leadership positions at tech firms including NICE, Infosys, Unisys, and Computer Science Corporation (CSC). A Detroit native, she holds a master's degree from Roosevelt University and earned her bachelor's degree at Adrian College. 

Bugeja's hire is the latest leadership move for The Second City, which announced last week that Jon Carr has been hired as executive producer. Additional leadership news at the company includes the promotion of Parisa Jalili to chief operating officer. Jalili is focused on improving operations that optimize the talent, staff and customer experience. Prior to joining The Second City as vice president of sales operations in 2019, Jalili worked in global sales enablement and operations for Verizon. Originally from the Bay Area, she graduated from the University of California Irvine with a degree in cognitive sciences.

"The unprecedented challenges of 2020 have only served as opportunities to reassess our priorities as a company and focus on keeping our audiences laughing. We strive to demonstrate our support and commitment to creating a safe and equitable environment as we recognize diversity in our people, backgrounds and experiences is critical for us to flourish. We are thrilled to have an experienced and results-driven COO like Parisa chartering the path to our long-term success," says Steve Johnston, president of The Second City. 

Additional leadership roles that will be guiding the company's transformation include:

• Christal Morris, Ed.D, interim chief diversity officer
• Elizabeth Howard, vice president of production
• Colleen Fahey, vice president of marketing and sales operations
• Abby Wagner, vice president of customer success

About The Second City 
Since opening its doors over 60 years ago, The Second City has grown to become the world's premier comedy brand, focused on the mission of entertaining, inspiring, and transforming through courageous comedy. Renowned for its legendary theaters in Chicago, Toronto and Hollywood, alumni of The Second City's stages, touring companies, theatrical productions, and Emmy-winning iconic TV show SCTV include some of the biggest and most beloved names in entertainment. The Second City shares its unique approach to interactive entertainment and education through a multitude of in-person and digital programming, reaching 11,000 students of improvisational-based arts and The Second City Film School annually, as well as to over 600 Fortune 1000 companies. The comedic empire continues to push new boundaries across a variety of platforms, allowing audiences worldwide to experience The Second City's wholly unique approach to laughter.

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SOURCE The Second City