Our Team
About Us
For over 25 years Robinson and Associates has been helping organizations measure, manage and improve service. They have recently added Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to their professional services.
They are recognized as a leader in the training and development space. Their highly interactive and participant centered training featuring the Socratic method makes learning fun and memorable.
Their “Why” - Positively Transform Lives and Have FUN Doing It!
When it comes to inclusion and diversity training the key is always starting out with the end in mind. What is the desired outcome and how do we effectively get there? Diversity and inclusion training is often about listening, learning and sharing a variety of possible perspectives.
When you look at creating a more diverse and inclusive organization or culture it’s not about changing minds but opening them to new ways of thinking and viewing things.
Change is often hard but when you have a plan and a continuous training and development process being more diverse and having an inclusive focus is possible.
Inclusion and diversity training is not the end of the journey… it’s the beginning!
Lydia Baird
Lydia is the Founder and COO of Robinson and Associates Inc. They started the company over 25 years ago. They are passionate about bringing results driven learning to their clients.
DEI is personal to Lydia as her father grew up in south Texas and he and his brother were sent to different schools because of their skin color. (Lydia’s dad had lighter skin so he went to the “white” school.)
Her father served in the military and came back and started his own auto paint shop.
Her mom was a stay-at-home mom. After her dad passed away, her mom went back to work and ended up cooking at businesses in California and Washington. Lydia is proud of the work ethic her parents modeled and instilled in her.
Accomplishments include:
+25 years as a business owner
Is a WMBO
Working with diverse populations at casinos across the US, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean
Has worked with over 30 Tribes and Tribal Governments
Selected by Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) Greece to consult on project
Additionally, Lydia:
Is happily married for almost 30 years!
Has 2 sons (18 &17)
Has enjoyed being a vice-chair of the Boise Veterans Parade while personally increasing their fundraising results over 500% & supporting the school our sons attended
Has a driving principle of Family first
Julie Still-Rolin
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a former resident of the good ol’ state of Alabama, Julie is all too familiar with organizations that lack inclusiveness and equity, and her “why” comes from her passion for helping organizations understand diversity and make positive changes.
Julie’s experiences drove her to research and aid organizations in eliminating discrimination and harassment by understanding diversity. Julie has worked with a variety of organizations, including most recently Stamped Film Festival, Volunteers of America, and Pensacola Animal Hospital. These organizations boast about their new Diversity and Inclusion programs. Julie has also presented on the topic extensively.
At the core of Julie’s consultancy is the belief that we can make change possible without much pain and effort through fun and interesting educational experiences.
Accomplishments Include:
Author of Coming Out in the South: Going from Fear & Frustration to Courage & Confidence and The End Game: A Training Guide for Ending Sexual Harassment
Has developed Diversity Training and Implementation Plans for several organizations, including the Alabama Community College System Adult Education Program, and Pathways for Change
Has presented on diversity and inclusion at multiple conferences since 2007
Has been featured in magazines and blogs for diversity articles and research
aPHR certified
Master of Arts, English and Communication, Minor in Gender Studies
Additionally, Julie:
Is the President of Evolve ‘n Thrive Events, a nonprofit organization that hosts safe and fun events for the LGBTQ+ community in the Southeast U.S.
Paints and hosts painting workshops
Refurbishes furniture
Writes fiction
Hangs out with her wife and their four (young adult) kids and one grandchild
Volunteers with Gulf Coast Kids House and Powerful Women of the Gulf Coast
Before coming out, Julie was an English instructor for eleven years. She enjoyed helping students improve their writing and develop critical thinking skills. Once she announced her engagement to her now wife, Julie’s position was dissolved. There are still no protections for the LGBTQ community in Alabama and many other states.
Marty Baird
Marty is the Founder and CEO of Robinson and Associates Inc. They are known for their “Life changing” approach to learning and development. He has over +25 years of experience creating, delivering and facilitating participant centered learning featuring the Socratic Method.
Accomplishments Include:
Working with diverse populations at casinos across the US, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean
Has worked with over 30 tribes
Been featured speaker at domestic and international conferences
Has had over 300,000 words published in national and international magazines
Has facilitated over 10,000 hours of in person training and development
Has written 3 books
Selected by Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) Greece to consult on project
Most often used statements:
That’s interesting
Mas Preguntas
Less is More
People know everything all we need to do is ask the right questions
I hope to end lecture in my lifetime
People want to know “WIIFM” (What’s In It For Me)
Don’t look at data points...watch the trends
Make the participants do the work
The more participants do, the more they learn
Before launching Robinson and Associates Inc he worked at several firms in Arizona after graduating from Purdue University.
Additionally, Marty’s passions are; his family, helping people, making learning fun and fly fishing.
In addition to his passion of positively transforming lives and having FUN doing it he was recruited by NBC/Discovery Channel to star in a TV show. It was designed to be a mixture of “Restaurant Impossible” and “Bar Makeover” featuring casinos. Baird didn’t yell or swear enough so the show never got past the “Sizzle Reel”.
