Celeste R. Warren
Celeste R. Warren

Vice President, Global Diversity and Inclusion Center of Excellence at Merck
Celeste Warren is Vice President, Global Diversity and Inclusion Center of Excellence. As the leader for Merck’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Center of Excellence, she is responsible for working with Merck’s global leaders to advance and embed diversity and inclusion throughout the organization to enhance the employee experience and maximize business performance. Celeste is one of the more tenured Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officers in the Fortune 100 companies having held the role for 10 years.
She has been recognized for her work in diversity, equity and inclusion including:
• Black Enterprise’s “Top Executives in Global Diversity and Inclusion”
• Savoy Magazine’s “Most Influential Women in Corporate America”
• Diversity Global Magazine’s “Influential Women in Global Diversity”
• Diversity Woman Magazine’s: “Elite100” List
She was also recognized as the Chief Diversity Officer of the Year by the National Minority Supplier Development Council.
She serves on the boards of RWJBarnabas Health Systems and Paradigm for Parity. She is also a member of CNBC’s Workforce Executive Council and World 50’s Inclusion and Diversity Impact Community.
Celeste is a published author and her articles on diversity, equity and inclusion have been featured in numerous national and global publications and she has had the opportunity to speak at various events across the world.
Celeste attended the University of Kentucky where she earned her B.S. degree. She received her master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University.
She is the wife of John Warren and the mother of two children, Christina-Celeste and John Steven, Jr.