Marilyn is the Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder of Rise Results, bringing over 30 years of experience in executive leadership. Formerly the Chief Diversity Officer at Cisco, she pioneered culture work with the first Inclusion and Belonging Index and a now widely used Maturity Model.
At Watermark, she launched the acclaimed Conference for Women and led custom learning programs for top companies. Marilyn advises global organizations on building inclusive cultures and speaks regularly on leadership and innovation.
Kim is the CEO and Co-Founder of Rise Results, leading partner and client relations. With a background in nonprofit leadership, she helped scale Watermark by securing 48+ sponsor partnerships with firms like Google, Amazon, and KPMG.
Today, she works with executives to co-create solutions that build culture, improve engagement, and drive growth. Kim also chairs the Board of the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California and is a nationally recognized speaker on workplace impact.
Leading Beyond the Org Chart explores what it takes to build resilient, inclusive, and high-performing workplace cultures. Hosted by Kim Steppe and Marilyn Nagel, the podcast features candid conversations with leaders across industries.Each episode highlights real-world insights on:
Driving meaningful employee engagement
Leading with purpose, inclusion, and accountability
Creating cultures that support belonging, wellbeing, and performance
Navigating workplace dynamics with clarity and empathy
Designed for anyone committed to leading beyond titles—and making work better for people.
