Salena Coachman, VP Talent Sustainability and Acquisition and Diversity & Inclusion at Armstrong World Industries, a company dedicated to the design and manufacture of ceiling and wall system solutions in the Americas committed to building a better future.
Coachman leads the development and execution of programs and processes in support of Armstrong’s talent sustainability. Coachman sits on many nonprofits boards in Lancaster County such as United Way of Lancaster County, Bright Side Opportunities Center, and The Lancaster County Community Foundation.
One United Lancaster spoke with Coachman about her role and volunteer work in Lancaster County. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
One United Lancaster: Can you share a bit about your background and how you reached your current position?
Salena Coachman: I worked 23 years in the aviation industry. I went to school for English education, but I told my parents I wanted to fly for six months, so I became a flight attendant and of course, I didn’t stay a flight attendant. I worked in that role for about two and a half years, and then I started having some health challenges…When I came back, someone approached me about being in the training center and asked me if I wanted to train flight attendants. I said, yes. I was like, this is kind of funny. I didn’t want to teach school, and here I am doing adult training, and particularly flight attendants….Because, you know, often, oftentimes, people think you’re helping them learn how to serve a drink, but really, it’s more about, how do you get people safely out in an emergency? That turned into corporate training and a bunch of other things in the company. I ended up going into operations management, so the person at the airport that did conflict resolution…I worked in operations management for a very long time. Gave me a lot of skills, because that person does humane resources (HR), that person helps prevent delays. They take care of all the metrics for when planes are landing and departing, it was great opportunity, Then, I met an HR leader that came to my station when I was at Dallas, and she and I took to each other right away. And she said, “You’re in the wrong capacity. You should be working in HR. You’re a people person. I do people right here in operations.” So very, very, long story short, she said to me, “I don’t have a role for you, but if you come with me, this has got to grow your career.” And I was like, well, I don’t know about not having a role, but I’m very much a person of faith. I said, I think I’m being pulled to do this thing in my life. I ended up taking a position with her, and it ended up becoming employee relations, engagement culture but before COVID, we kind of said engagement and culture and wrapped DEI in that and everything. A lot of companies said diversity and inclusion, but particularly in corporate or airlines, we would say engagement and culture of our people, but we did all the employee resource groups and all of that work. So that’s got me into work of engaging with employees, employee relations, settling complaints, being able to be a leader for HR business partners…During COVID a lot of airlines had to consolidate their flying because there was no airspace. They weren’t going overseas. That’s what my carrier did. I work for a regional carrier. So, that meant it pushed the regional carriers out of their space. I had to do a full workforce reduction of 2,800 employees.…My department was the team that wrote all the letters saying, “We don’t anticipate you returning,” and helping people with unemployment, helping them with life skills, and figuring out, how do we transfer your skills into something else, trying to connect them with Delta, United American, the larger carriers, that were still in existent….That was my priority for a long time. And then when I was done, they didn’t need me anymore, I was like, wow, “I need a job.”….I had another airline that I was interviewing with, and someone called me a personal friend, and said, “I hear about a company that is looking for something that’s exactly what you do now.” And I was like, “No way.” She’s like, of course, you have to go through the full interview process, but when they are posting the job, I’ll let you know. I did my own research. I found out who the hiring manager was, because that was a no brainer…I found her on LinkedIn, and I reached out to her, and I asked if we could have a conversation. And her name is Ellen Romano, and we had call, and she said, “Well, when I post for the position, I hope you apply.” And I did.
One United Lancaster: Why is it important for organizations like Armstrong World industries, to have a dedicated role focused on diversity and inclusion efforts?
Salena Coachman: The role itself is dedicated to talent sustainability. Whether we’re talking about diversity and inclusion, we’re talking about people feeling like they belong at Armstrong, that they’re part of their communities, and they’re doing work in their communities. “Are we hiring the right people for the right roles?” For Armstrong, the dedication of the role was thought through, very smart, because in times like this, where words like, diversity, are becoming a target, even for companies, to think about what that looks like for them and their audiences. I believe it was very wise to make this role, talent sustainability. That way you continue to do the work for your people, and make sure everyone has an even playing ground. When you ask me, “Why do I think it’s important that we have this particular role for diversity and inclusion,” I think is bigger than that. It’s making sure the people inside the company represent the communities we have, and we have 19 different communities that we serve. So, “What does representation look like?”
One United Lancaster: Can you share any specific initiatives you lead at Armstong World Industries to promote employee well-being and community engagement?
Salena Coachman: Oh, just one? …. For community engagement initiatives, I would say one of the biggest things that I’m most proud of is making sure our Employee Resource Groups branch beyond these walls at Armstrong and that they’re part of something that is representative and matters to that employee resource group and its allies….The LGBTQ plus group leads all of our employee resource groups to do Meals on Wheels volunteering. They know that making sure there’s food for all of our people in our communities is also important. I think the overarching theme that I like, as far as our community work, is that it’s not just one person….Our employee resource groups we have a women’s employee resource group, one that’s for the BIPOC community, and one for our emerging professionals, making sure that they are plugging into things that make sense for that organization, and that they can resonate that within the group….. That doesn’t only just serve a need in the community, but with our employee match program, it gives dollars to those organizations, and we want to make sure we’re contributing.
One United Lancaster: What is a common misconception about diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, how can people educate themselves on this initiative?
Salena Coachman: I would say one of the most common things is that it is colored.…I like diversity, because we all kind of believe in it. “Give me what I earned. I earned my work. I want to feel like I’m treated for that.” But I also want access for those, that maybe not have seen that they can earn it. “How do I provide that?” One of the biggest misconceptions, I think, is that there is a color, or that there is a there’s a shade to it, and it’s not. It’s not limited to color, it’s not limited to gender, or anything. It’s deeper, in the sense of, everybody. Everybody, where we’re talking about the neurodiverse, or we’re talking about veterans, or anyone else that right away when you say that particular person’s status or someone can see them, the merit is diminished…. Go to as many things at the United Way and YWCA that you can. There’s so many open community forums that people can attend, many websites and things. Be part of your local community, if you’re part of the community, and the things that are happening in them, oftentimes, you’ll see that is way beyond the look of people. And you’ll see that there’s a deeper need for us to make sure we’re all getting the same thing.
One United Lancaster: Have DEI initiatives increased representation at your company?
Salena Coachman: To be honest, we purposely try to make sure we’re not counting numbers. We focus on the outcomes. “Do we see particular managers always having the same outcome? What’s happening with our compliance line? What are people saying? How long do people stay here? What does that one-year turnover look like?” I think it’s important for us to make sure we’re increasing in the areas that people, any person, feel like they belong here. Any black person, any person that’s LGBTQ plus, or any person that’s a white male. Does a white male say the same thing, that me as a black female would say about the culture of Armstrong? That’s my goal.
One United Lancaster: You sit on multiple boards for Lancaster County non-profit organizations. Why is this work important to you? Before you joined the board of those non-profits what stood out to you about them?
Salena Coachman: I’ll answer the second question. First, I think it’s important before I join a board, to see what stands out to me? What am I going to be doing for that organization matters to me? If I’m sitting on this board, what’s the value added for having my gifts and my talents before anything else. Do you need an HR perspective? Do you need someone with a diversity and inclusion lens? Do you know what you are seeking by adding me? And I need to know that, because I need to know that I’m not just another face being added to that board. And then what do I feel is important that they possess, or that attracts me to them?
One United Lancaster: How do you see your work impacting the Lancaster community and what are your future goals for community involvement?
Salena Coachman: I hope I impact the community. There’s a word my president and CEO likes to use, and I think I have some of that, and it’s unflappable. You show up the same way all the time. It’s probably not going to be any variance. When you hear someone talk about me, they’re going to say this, and they’re going to say it in the next room the same way, because I try to show up the same all the time. The consistency in what I believe in is probably what I hope is most impactful in the community… To enable other people to show up too. I think it’s less about me and more about empowering others.
One United Lancaster: In your 2024 YWCA women of achievement video you mentioned, it is important to represent the people who not yet stepped into certain roles. How are you highlighting or bringing individuals to the table that may have a lack of representation?
Salena Coachman: It’s less about me and it’s more about others. Whether it’s people in the community, I have two, that are standing out right now, they tell me, “I have never done blank,” I feel it’s my job to lead them that way. I’m like, “You’ve never done that?” And I know, even though it’s a small little thing that they may be saying to me that’s preparing them to be able to stand up and stand out. I have to be one of the people that helps them get there. What am I doing, is making sure I’m purposeful about relationships and intentions. And that I’m leading somebody else, to lead tomorrow.
