It’s a Chimed Life™: Meet Dion Bullock, Senior Manager, Diversity, Equity, & Belonging

Growing up in New York City in a family of civil servants—his father in the NYC Department of Corrections and his mother in the NY Metropolitan Transit Authority—it seemed destined for Dion Bullock (he/him/his) to end up in a similar position.

Though his parents pushed him to forge a path beyond government work and venture outside of NYC, returning to New York City allowed Dion to test his theories of social justice in one of the largest agencies in the country. After serving in AmeriCorps and in the NYC Mayor’s Office of Service, his experiences led him to build employee experience and DEI initiatives in the New York City Department of Education (DoE).

As a native New Yorker who came up through the public school system himself, working to advance racial equity within that same system felt like a natural extension of his identity. "Being a public servant was more than just a job—it was part of who I was," he says.

A pandemic pivot point

While working at the DoE, Dion began moonlighting as a coach for Bravely (an employee coaching and training platform) in 2018, supporting employees during his evenings. This side gig opened his eyes to something unexpected: "I used to think public sector = good and private sector = bad,” he says “However, I realized the challenges in the public and private sectors aren't that different—they just have different constraints and priorities. In the DoE, our focus was on student graduation rates or managing press inquiries. In tech, it's about revenue and developing products to support customers.”

Then came 2020. As the pandemic forced schools to transition to remote learning overnight, Dion watched racial equity work grind to a halt just when it felt most crucial: "We were seeing anti-Asian hate crimes, continued anti-Black violence, and then the murder of George Floyd. There was this huge void in racial equity work at a time when companies were desperately seeking guidance on supporting Black employees."

As requests for his coaching expertise mounted, Dion saw an opportunity. Despite Bravely being pre-Series A with just 50 employees—a stage when most startups don't yet have DEI roles—he pitched them on creating a position. "I told them, 'You need this. There's significant value in organizing these conversations, and we can build it into our product offering for companies,'" he shares.

Learning a new industry

The transition from the public sector to tech wasn't simple. "I had to be really intentional about learning tech," Dion explains. He joined mentorship programs like Black In Corporate and the First Round Fast Track program, connected with industry leaders, and dove into understanding concepts that hadn't been relevant in education, like revenue models, customer retention, and product development.

But the biggest challenge was internal. "I had to shift how I thought about my career from 'I need to be in this specific position to make an impact' to 'What's the impact I want to create?'" he explains. This reframing helped Dion realize his true passion: helping employees grow and fulfill their potential. "Once I focused on the what instead of the how, I saw I could make this impact anywhere," he says.

"I had to shift how I thought about my career from 'I need to be in this specific position to make an impact' to 'What's the impact I want to create?' Once I focused on the what instead of the how, I saw I could make this impact anywhere."

Finding alignment at Chime

When a mentor suggested Dion explore opportunities at Chime^Ⓡ, he discovered what he calls "a unicorn"—a bright spot in an industry historically seen as exploitative, especially for communities of color and low-income populations. "At Chime, I saw a direct connection between our business and social impact,” he says. “We're creating products that genuinely support people in need and serve communities that have been traditionally neglected."

Beyond being a disruptor in its space, Chime’s mission resonated personally with Dion, who remembers signing up for his first bank account in college and being hit with constant overdraft fees. "To now be part of an institution that understands the financial struggles of many Americans and is pushing for change—it's powerful," he says.

Redefining impact and creating lasting change

In his role, Dion creates opportunities for underrepresented communities to lead and grow. The Chimer Resource Group (CRG) program has been particularly rewarding for him to see grow, especially as it’s evolved from individual, monocultural events to collaborative, intersectional initiatives. He points to a recent panel that brought together Chimigos, AfroChime, ChimeHers, Chimmigrants, and PacificChime to discuss the experience of being the eldest daughter across different cultural communities. “Seeing women from various CRGs sharing their experiences—both different and similar—not only highlighted the unique perspectives Chimers bring to the table but also how we can find commonalities if we look for them,” he says.

One piece of advice he received from Chime’s former VP of Chimer Experience, Erica Johnson, has stuck with Dion as he’s watched Chime’s Diversity, Equity, and Belonging (DEB) work grow: "She told me to meet people where they were, to plant seeds and watch change happen,” he says. “I initially wanted change to happen overnight, but I’ve learned to be patient and consistent. And after two and a half years, I've seen the seeds I helped to plant grow—from more inclusive hiring practices to more collaborative employee resource groups to a more inclusive brand experience."

Looking ahead, Dion is excited about further integrating DEB into Chime's core processes and sharing his team’s work with the broader organization. "There's meaningful work happening across Chime—from bias-free performance feedback to inclusive job slates to equity in compensation,” he says. “I want to help everyone understand how DEB connects to our larger mission of financial inclusion—and how they can get involved if they want to, whether it’s organizing initiatives or just supporting their fellow Chimers."

Dion’s journey from public service to tech and then fintech has taught him a valuable lesson: "If you limit how you achieve impact, you limit the impact you can make. By staying focused on what we want to achieve—like inclusion, equity, and belonging—rather than the how, we've unlocked amazing possibilities at Chime."

"If you limit how you achieve impact, you limit the impact you can make. By staying focused on what we want to achieve—like inclusion, equity, and belonging—rather than the how, we've unlocked amazing possibilities at Chime."