Shani Dellimore Barrax, she/her/hers (formerly Barrax Moore) is a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategist with more than 25 years of practical experience in DEI training and development; change leadership, management and agency; data-informed strategy and action planning, and capacity-building programming. At her core, Shani is a change agent grounded in cultural humility, striving to replicate change agency for those committed to creating and sustaining spaces that are humane - where everyone can thrive, engage, and develop with psychological safety. After a career in public relations and marketing she began specializing in dialogue-based intrapersonal and interpersonal awareness programs, integrating inclusion and belonging into organizational branding and development strategy.

A trained mediator, Cornell Certified Diversity Practitioner/Advanced Practitioner, Prosci certified change management practitioner, and Intercultural Development Inventory Qualified Administrator, Shani has led and liaised with cross-functional teams across sectors  - such as education, non-profit and nongovernmental organizations and associations, corporate and the arts  - to increase individual and organizational capacities through change agency facilitation.  Her skills include integration of cultural humility and self-reflection into learning and development strategy through innovative curriculum design and delivery, data storytelling for strategic road mapping, application of academic theory to practice, and inclusive leadership development.

Shani helped to pilot INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine’s Women of Color Need Courageous Allies In the Academy Series, and partners with Viewfinder Campus-wide Climate Surveys for higher education data collection and analysis services.  Her experience with climate survey management includes planning committee leadership, survey customization and deployment, analysis and data-informed strategies, and respondent marketing; at the University of North Texas where she served as an assistant vice president, she secured a new car as a participation incentive through her strategic partnership acumen. During her tenure at UNT, she created and delivered a Coursera titled Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Essentials, being used by organizations such as The PGA of America for their DEIB learning and development. She also led the re-branding and expansion of the Equity and Diversity Conference, including the development of corporate strategic partnerships.

A sought-after keynote speaker, facilitator, and presenter at numerous conferences events, and organizations, her thought leadership contributions include the NAIS publication Diversity Work in Independent Schools: The Practice and the Practitioner and textbooks such as Quantum Realities: Educational Truth-telling in an Era of Alternative Facts and Multicultural and Diversity Issues in Student Affairs Practice: A Professional Competency-Based Approach.  In higher education, Shani has served as an academic advisor, administrator and adjunct instructor in business, leadership, and social work. 

Shani leads Aurora Change Agency LLC, a consulting collective of women guiding organizations from compliance to intentional inclusion, innovating and facilitating equitable programs and practices, and developing belonging strategies for cultivating psychologically safe and humane organizations. A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, she received her bachelor’s degree with a concentration in public relations from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a minor in French (GO HEELS!), and her Master of Business Administration with a concentration in marketing and human resources.  A member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated, Shani is the proud mom of two teenage daughters and a former Carrollton, TX city council candidate. When she’s not being a dance or orchestra mom supporting her daughters’ arts activities, she enjoys playing Scrabble, interior and exterior design, hosting pool parties, and cuddling with her 3 cats.