Beyond the Blueprint: Leadership Journeys From Tapestry’s Black Alliance Employee Business Resource Group

Leadership stories are often told as straight lines: clear goals, deliberate moves, steady climbs. But many leaders don’t follow a blueprint — they grow into leadership by showing up, contributing and letting their impact speak for itself.

Two members of Tapestry’s Black Alliance Employee Business Resource Group (EBRG) are doing just that.

“It wasn't my plan to come in [to the Black Alliance ERBG] at the lowest level and find my way to the top,” says Jason Livingston, Manager of Procurement and Vendor Engagement at Tapestry.

When first becoming involved with the EBRG group, Livingston says his thinking was only, “I like what’s going on here, I like what they’re trying to build, I want to participate. My journey [into the co-lead role] has been one of availability.”

Livingston first stepped into the group by volunteering as a marketing coordinator, segueing into philanthropy, and as he tells it, “Someone left, so I got elevated from coordinator to co-lead because someone said, ‘Jason can do it.’”

As much as he downplays it, Livingston’s work in Black Alliance is a natural fit. Not only is it an extension of his full-time role helping to connect Tapestry with varied vendors, but it also allows him to follow his personal interests through experiences and events while connecting with others.

The Black Alliance’s “Bookish Book Club for instance — I was already reading Black authors and content related to the Black community. The only difference is that now I’m talking to people in the community about what I’m reading,” Livingston says. “I was already going to museums and Black History Month cultural events, now I do it with my Tapestry community.”

The Bookish Book Club is just one of the events the EBRG hosted in honor of Black History Month. Throughout February, members also heard an “Unscripted” conversation with United Airlines captain, Carole Hopson, and attended a Black History Month Kitchen Takeover and an end-of-month celebration at Hudson Yards.

FROM ON MUTE TO VOLUME UP
For Carmen Williams, General Manager for Coach in Southern California, entry into the Black Alliance EBRG also started quietly – by showing up.

“When I first joined the calls, I would be on Zoom on mute,” Williams remembers. “I would unmute myself, say something once in a while, and then immediately mute again.”

Soon enough, Williams — who’s been a COACH General Manager for 17 years — realized others on the call listened to and valued her ideas. “I did have a voice, I did have a seat at the table, and I was making an impact — even when I was just listening,” she says.

With steady participation, Williams began to see the opportunities Black Alliance provided for Tapestry employees, namely: leadership, networking, philanthropy.

From listening on mute, Williams was invited to become more involved, eventually becoming lead of the Professional Development pillar where she co-created career growth programming. Now as part of Williams’ role as a Black Alliance Co-lead, she regularly advocates for virtual access to meetings and events for retail and fulfillment center employees.

“The store population of Tapestry is the largest employee populations in our company,” Williams says. “If we’re talking about people first, this needs to be louder.”

For Williams, it’s Tapestry’s value of “Embracing Difference By Design” that resonates most as a leader — both in her full-time role and as Black Alliance co-lead.

“I want to be an ally because I have over 100 people on my team [as a general manager] and I need to be able to relate to their diverse needs,” says Williams, who is also a member of Prouder Together and Juntos Unidos EBRGs.

CREATING SPACE FOR LEADERS TO RISE
Both Livingston and Williams’ stories prove that confidence often builds within a supportive community. And they credit Tapestry with creating space and resources to allow them to join that community and evolve into leadership roles.

“Tapestry has done an excellent job of allowing this space to happen,” Livingston says. “For all the EBRG groups, we get to do certain events, host speakers, and there’s the space to do them.”

Williams says EBRGs like Black Alliance are a crucial part of retaining talent. “EBRGs gives people the opportunity to take a deep breath and say ‘I definitely belong.’ Inclusion and belonging is key to what we do.”

In the end, the leaders who leave the deepest mark didn’t always have a blueprint. Instead they’re the ones who consistently participated, took action, and let their growth as a leader speak for itself.

As Livingston says it best, “Participation matters at every level. You don’t have to lead — you just have to show up.”

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