Tomya Watt was named the first Chief Diversity Officer of MSK in November 2019. She also serves as VP, Talent Acquisition and Mobility, responsible for the strategic approach to attracting and retaining talent in a competitive market.

In 2020, Watt, alongside other members of the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) Governance Group and Council, set inaugural ED&I goals for the institution. These goals showcase MSK’s commitment to accelerating change and becoming a more inclusive and diverse institution. Under Watt’s leadership, a mandatory ED&I learning program was implemented along with the first phase of a skills-based talent approach. Watt cultivates a diverse work environment to encourage cross-functional mobility across MSK.  

Watt was named a Notable Black Leader by Crain’s New York in 2021 and received the 2022 Moves Mentor Award from Moves magazine.

Since joining MSK in 2009, Watt has driven a vital transformation of MSK’s talent acquisition function to deliver on high-growth enterprise goals and enhance the internal talent experience. Through key partnerships, including with HBCUs and diverse workforce development partners, such as OneTen, the New York CEO Job’s Council, and CareerWise New York, Watt has made it her priority to support, educate, and elevate the underrepresented talent community in Greater New York.

In her twenty-plus years’ experience, Watt has held senior positions in commercial lending, sales, and talent acquisition. At Kelly Services, where she held three senior roles through career progression, she managed global relationships with Fortune 100 clients with portfolios in excess of $40M in revenue across varying industries and implemented a value-added strategy that realigned Kelly Services’ nascent supplier diversity program, resulting in the company winning the client’s coveted Supplier Diversity Award. In her previous positions, Watt has served as a trusted advisor and valued colleague at JPMorgan Chase and Comerica Bank.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Spelman College and a Master of Business Administration from Howard University.