If DeRetta Rhodes, PhD, could give her younger self advice, it would be to use her voice confidently. “In so many situations during my career, I did not give value to my voice and often felt muted and lacked the confidence to understand the importance of speaking,” she said. “As I have moved through experiences – personally and professionally – I understand the importance of voice and as a result, my courage has led me to provide a voice not only to myself, but for those that are now in the rooms that I sit in today.”
As the chief culture officer of the Atlanta Braves, Rhodes uses her voice to lead human resources, community affairs and corporate communications.
The businesses of the Atlanta Braves Holdings consist of Braves Holding LLC, the owner and operator of the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball Club and assets associated with the Brave’s ballpark and mixed-use development called The Battery Atlanta. The Atlanta Braves’ mission statement is to build community through baseball engaging Braves country, reaching vulnerable populations and improving equity and access in sport, health, education and well-being outcomes for children, families and communities.
In her role, Rhodes has aligned processes and people to deliver business strategies in the enterprise and ensures the right people are in the right roles to create a high engagement culture which correlates to increased productivity and profitability measured by cost per hire, average time to fill positions, percentage of promotions, turnover and retention, annual engagement surveys and average performance ratings.
Rhodes is also known for being a huge advocate of philanthropy by sitting on several boards in a leadership capacity that impacts the direction of executive compensation and leadership. “Due to her passion regarding women in leadership, she has a deep focus on research, speaking and advancement of leadership to include mentorship, sponsorship and advocacy,” said her colleagues.
Rhodes does that in not only her role at the Atlanta Braves, but she serves as a mentor at the University of Georgia and Pathbuilders. “Because of her understanding of workforce development and the cycle of having a job, gaining a better job and creating a career, it became a passion to help create that for others as well,” said her staff. “She impacts economic stability in her professional and personal life every day.”
As a result, Rhodes has received the 100 Women of Influence award four times from the Atlanta Business Chronicle and the OnCon Icon Award Top 100 Human Resources Professionals.
Throughout her career, authenticity and voice have guided her as a leader, said Rhodes. “The most important attribute of a leader is vulnerability and the ability to learn alongside your team and those that you lead,” she said.
