Gena Pemberton is a Black woman who has spent her career diagnosing a way to move forward in corporate America.

She spent over two decades in leadership roles in accounting, operations and human resources at large companies such as Johnson & Johnson. But now, at 50, she is not sure what is next.

She was the chief inclusion and impact officer at Omnicom Health until the company eliminated her position in July 2025. She has been without full-time work ever since, despite applying to dozens of jobs per week and lowering her expectations on seniority and pay.

“I’ve never been unemployed for this long,” she said.

Pemberton is far from alone.…