Sessions

Employee resource groups are essential for talent to feel welcome, accepted, and understood in the workplace. Despite the necessity of these groups, it is still daunting to start an ERG on your own. This group will discuss the foundational information necessary to start your own ERG from scratch. Panelists will share their specific experiences with and best practices for starting ERGs in an organization.

Employee resource groups and business resource groups are invaluable tools for inclusion and diversity in the workplace. These groups provide a home for similar people while they’re in the workplace. However, for ERGs and BRGs to also promote progress and advocate for its members, they require allies. This session will discuss how to cultivate a group of allies to help drive ERGs and BRGs.

Inclusion teams intentionally seek to diversify the workplace. Inclusion teams, therefore, are a driving force for diversity and inclusion within their respective organizations. This session will discuss the innate importance of D&I and specifically inclusion teams. This panel will include members of inclusion teams as they attest to the important role they play in organizational growth and diversity.

Employee Resource Groups provide countless benefits to the members they serve. However, employee resource groups take time and effort to ensure that they run smoothly and maximize benefits offered. This session will include members of ERGs and ERG founders. They will advise on best practices for running and creating ERGs.

Employee resource groups and business resource groups are invaluable tools for inclusion and diversity in the workplace. These groups provide a home for similar people while they’re in the workplace. However, for ERGs and BRGs to also promote progress and advocate for its members, they require allies. This session will discuss how to cultivate a group of allies to help drive ERGs and BRGs.

Employee Resource Groups are essential for employee health and happiness. Through that, ERGs also contribute heavily to an organization’s bottom line. This session will focus on how ERGs can contribute and be leveraged for your bottom line. This session will feature multiple experts on ERGs.

As ERGs continue to evolve and grow across all business segments and types of organizations, and as they become more aligned to business goals, ERG leaders and coordinators continue to seek “best practices” from across the business. This practical session will examine some innovative and successful ERG practices across how to structure, how to deliver value to members, how to have a greater impact on the business and more. Workshop leader Stan Kimer currently facilitates the module on “Best Practices for ERGs” for the DiversityFIRST Certification Program as well as designing NDC’s new ERG Academy offering.

Employee resource groups are essential for talent to feel welcome, accepted, and understood in the workplace. Despite the necessity of these groups, it is still daunting to start an ERG on your own. This group will discuss the foundational information necessary to start your own ERG from scratch. Panelists will share their specific experiences with and best practices for starting ERGs in an organization.

There is no mistaking that racism is still rampant in today’s society, and organizations are not immune to that disease. This then creates in the workplace places of privilege and places of racism. This session is geared toward discussing race and racism in the workplace and how to navigate it. This session will also incorporate talks around what privilege is and how it plays into structural racism.

Are you interested in what it takes to be a leader? Do you know how to inspire as a leader? Do you know how to define yourself as an emerging leader? This lesson is designed by leaders to equip emerging leaders with the tools necessary to utilize their skills and designate themselves as leaders.

It is often said that for an organization to succeed, then all must work for that success. Therefore, leaders in all groups should seek to serve, guide, and assist others in the organization to assure overall success for all. This session will help attendees to meet that goal. Specifically crafted for leaders and aspiring leaders, this session will discuss how to serve others in order to serve the whole and ultimately succeed.

As the title suggests, for upward mobility risks are required. However, despite the connotation of the word, risks do not inherently have to be dangerous. Risks can be beneficial for a career if not a catalyst for it. This session will help attendees differentiate between a chance and a calculated risk that can bolster a career.

Diversity and Inclusion, of course, requires the involvement of women, people of color, the LGBTQIA community, and people of different abilities. However, the benefits of white males in this movement is often overlooked. White men, through their positions in power, can be catalysts for change. Therefore, their championship for diversity and inclusion can help the movement make leaps and bounds. This session will enable attendees to engage with white males who have made inclusion their mission to determine how white males can be champions and how organizations can better utilize white men as supporters of diversity.

While diversity is necessary in the workplace, it cannot be sustained without inclusion. One of the most efficient ways to ensure that companies are able to acquire a diverse workforce is to adapt an inclusive lens. An inclusive leadership lens will allow those in management to realize and acknowledge the array of ideas available in a diverse workforce. This session will help attendees discern what an inclusive leadership lens looks like and determine how to adapt one in their own organizational model.

Understanding the LGBTQIA community is an essential move for businesses to evolve with modern society. The LGBTQIA community offers a diverse array of opinions and advantages. However, to access and serve their community, employers must create environments that are welcoming. This session will enable attendees to realize the best practices for working with and for the LGBTQIA community.

Unfortunately, today not all are treated equally. This is especially true in the field of healthcare. From physicians, to healthcare providers, to actual patient care, disparity is rampant. This roundtable is intended to explain what disparities exist, why they exist, and how they can be mitigated.

With increased reliance on technology in today’s society, the tech industry is of course booming. However, one area in which the tech industry struggles is diversity. Despite being a major employer and industry in the United States, the tech industry has not fully embraced diversity. This session is designed to discuss the many shades of prejudice that are present in the tech industry as well as how we can attempt to mitigate them.

Cesar Chavez once said that, “Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.” In a world that is increasingly connected, many groups are finding that the introduction of their culture leads to its disrespect. This is particularly true for the Latinx community in the workforce. This session is crafted to discuss trends and challenges faced specifically by the Latinx workforce as well as how the Latinx community can advocate for itself in the office.

There is no mistaking that racism is still rampant in today’s society, and organizations are not immune to that disease. This then creates in the workplace places of privilege and places of racism. This session is geared toward discussing race and racism in the workplace and how to navigate it. This session will also incorporate talks around what privilege is and how it plays into structural racism.

Emotional intelligence involves a person’s awareness of his/her/their own emotions. Further, it includes the ability to handle relationships wisely and with empathy. Emotional intelligence is an immense asset for leaders as it allows them to maintain and control their own emotions while calmly addressing the needs of others. This session will discuss how emotional intelligence can enhance leadership.

It is often said that for an organization to succeed, then all must work for that success. Therefore, leaders in all groups should seek to serve, guide, and assist others in the organization to assure overall success for all. This session will help attendees to meet that goal. Specifically crafted for leaders and aspiring leaders, this session will discuss how to serve others in order to serve the whole and ultimately succeed.

Everyone has a skillset. However, not all skillsets are beneficial for leadership. This session is designed to help leaders and emerging leaders assess what skills are practical for roles of leadership. This session will also give examples on what skills have helped its panelists reach their positions of leadership.

Though veterans are often given a lot of praise throughout the United States, they are often underutilized in the workplace. Veterans hold a wide variety of skills as well as a unique perspective. This session is designed to discuss how veterans can be leveraged in the workforce. This session is also intended to help employers learn how to recruit and retain veterans.

This interactive workshop will focus on how employee resource groups, which include affinity groups, business resource groups, and other employee networks, can be structured in such a way that enables group members to develop professionally and to contribute to their respective organization’s mission or business strategy. Participants will engage in a facilitated discussion to identify the critical components of such employee groups that are required to demonstrate their value as a “resource” to the organization. By sharing successes and potential missteps as a group, participants will glean best practices that can be used to develop and/or enhance their own networks. Get ready to learn together!

Being a woman in any space comes with its challenges. This is especially true in the field of technology. This session is both to praise and learn from women who have made a name for themselves in technology. These women will discuss the struggles and triumphs they’ve experienced in this prestigious and difficult field.

In the U.S., one in three adults has a criminal record. This is about as many as those with college degrees. And each year, nearly 700,000 are released from prison to find themselves often locked out of the job market. At the same time, there are 7 million job openings in the U.S. right now as businesses fiercely compete for talent. This session will explore how hiring people who want a chance to work is a win-win-win: It helps keep families together by decreasing the chance of recidivism, it supports a valuable talent pool of willing and trainable workers, and it gives people who have made mistakes the dignity of work.

The glass ceiling, unfortunately and historically, has stopped many women from rising to their capability. The women of this panel, however, have cracked and passed through the ceiling to be some of the most powerful and influential women in their respective fields. In this session, these female leaders will share their experience and expertise. This session intends to inspire emerging female leaders and empower emerging male leaders to be advocates for their female colleagues.

Chief Diversity Officers are the driving force for diversity in the workplace. This makes them a key player in the push for diversity and inclusion in business. This session includes Chief Diversity Officers who have gathered to share their knowledge and best practices. These CDOs will also discuss how they rose to their positions.

In this era, millennials have joined the work force in increasingly large numbers. This group brings with it a modern and unique perspective. When effectively leveraged, the skills of millennials can be highly beneficial to organizations. This session will focus on how to leverage millennials in the workplace as well as create a culture that is welcoming to them.

Most people aspire for some degree of upward mobility in their career. This is accessible to all people who seek it. However, first one must seize control of their career to actualize their goals. This session is crafted to discuss how attendees can discern their goals and take control of their career’s trajectory.

Teamwork is essential to achieving any goal. Few to no organizations have succeeded through the efforts of a person. Therefore, it is imperative that teams within an organization work together cohesively and effectively. This session is designed to discuss best practices for building and managing effective teams.

Issues of race, gender, sexual orientation, and ability are evident in most environments. This makes the need to speak up about discrimination ever more pressing. However, it is often difficult to open the floor for an educational, respectful, and illuminating conversation on these matters. This session will focus on finding the courage to have these tough discussions as well as best practices for how to facilitate the conversation.

The Latinx community contains a multitude of people with diverse and unique ideas. These people can greatly benefit any work place. The members of this session are evidence of this as Latinx executives discuss their experience in leadership. The session will also focus on the intersection of a Latinx identity and leadership.

In the era of #MeToo and #TimesUp, the discussion on sex discrimination and sexual harassment is at the forefront. However, many people do not understand the full implications of Title IX. This session is designed to better explain what Title IX is and how it affects sex discrimination. This session will also discuss how attendees can be advocates for all genders in the work place.

Leadership is a position that comes with many responsibilities. This entails the need to seek continual growth and improvement. Though a person must be outstanding in their own right to reach a position of leadership, he/she/they must continue to develop and better their leadership. This session will focus on methods to better attendees’ leadership and ultimately become better leaders.

In order for an organization to succeed, all involve must share the same vision for the whole. Further, all must be held accountable for their own portion. And finally, all members must transparently, effectively, and punctually communicate. It is the job of the leader to ensure that this vision, accountability, and degree of communication is upheld. This session will discuss how a strong leader can craft and manage these three aspects.

The United Nations developed the Sustainable Development Goals. These goals were set in order to achieve future that is sustainable and beneficial for all. The goals include items such as poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, peace, and justice. This session will analyze the progress made toward reaching these ambitious but necessary goals.

Employment discrimination, whether it is on the base of ability, gender, race, or sexual orientation, is rampant. However, as of late there has been a movement to combat employment discrimination. This session will discuss the current state of employment discrimination. Further, this session will open the dialogue on how individuals can advocate for inclusive hiring practices.

In this era, millennials have joined the work force in increasingly large numbers. This group brings with it a modern and unique perspective. When effectively leveraged, the skills of millennials can be highly beneficial to organizations. This session will focus on how to leverage millennials in the workplace as well as create a culture that is welcoming to them.

Most people aspire to climb the ladder in their organization. For some, that means aiming for the prestigious C-Suite. This session will discuss how to accelerate attendees’ careers to reach the C-Suite. This session will include members of the C-Suite who will share their experiences.

Emotional intelligence involves a person’s awareness of his/her/their own emotions. Further, it includes the ability to handle relationships wisely and with empathy. Emotional intelligence is an immense asset for leaders as it allows them to maintain and control their own emotions while calmly addressing the needs of others. This session will discuss how emotional intelligence can enhance leadership.

Just as the human body requires a certain degree of health to perform, organizations must meet standards of health in order to perform. As organizations seek and achieve higher degrees of health, their performance will subsequently be bolstered. This session will discuss the importance of organizational health for organizational performance. This session will also focus on how organizations have improved their overall health to maximize performance.

Impactful leadership starts with discerning your own cognitive and emotional composition which informs your capacity to relate to and inspire others. In this session, we will explore the introspective process, learn how to bolster your professional confidence and practice unpretentious self-advocacy while minimizing competitive dynamics and maximizing your strategic differentiators.

Chief Diversity Officers are the driving force for diversity in the workplace. This makes them a key player in the push for diversity and inclusion in business. This session includes Chief Diversity Officers who have gathered to share their knowledge and best practices. These CDOs will also discuss how they rose to their positions.

Leaning in is often a phrase used to discuss how women should assert and immerse themselves in the work place. While it is important to put a significant amount of effort into one’s work, it is equally important to maintain a healthy work life balance. This session will discuss the importance of leaning in while leaving space for self-care. This session will also feature advice from leaders based on their personal experience with leaning in.

Emotional intelligence involves a person’s awareness of his/her/their own emotions. Further, it includes the ability to handle relationships wisely and with empathy. Emotional intelligence is an immense asset for leaders as it allows them to maintain and control their own emotions while calmly addressing the needs of others. This session will discuss how emotional intelligence can enhance leadership.

Imposter syndrome posits that individuals doubt their success and accomplishments due to a fear of being shown to be false or fraudulent. While this is not an uncommon fear, it often undercuts an individual’s achievements and hard work. This session will discuss how to utilize praise to overcome the feeling of imposter syndrome. This session will also discuss how perfectionism and the struggle of initial failure play into one’s feelings of professional inadequacy.

Education should be something that is accessible for all groups. Further, all groups should see reflections of their own faces in the faculty and staff they interact with in higher education. However, this unfortunately is not the case. This session will discuss the need for diversity in higher education and what steps can be made toward diversifying higher education.

Learn how RPA can perform highly transactional processes, freeing up employees to focus more on the strategic elements of their work while increasing morale and engagement.

Corporate responsibility is the way in which companies and organizations hold themselves accountable for their own actions. This includes the impact that they have on internal members, stakeholders, and the community as a whole. This session will discuss what corporate responsibility is, why it is a necessity, and best practices. This session will also discuss the importance of corporate responsibility.

Full diversity and inclusion can only be reached through the utilization of all resources and willing advocates. This often includes white males. White males, through their positions of power, can often be strong and compassionate allies for diversity and inclusion. This session will discuss how to better include and leverage white males in discussion on diversity.

LGBTQIA community makes up a notable portion of the population. Accordingly, they should be represented and leveraged in organizations. This session will present the compelling strategic rationale and business case for fully embracing LGBTQIA inclusion, and introduce the wide range of programs and tactics to implement greater LGBTQIA diversity in the work place.

In a world where organizations often do not reflect the diversity of the world at large, diversity initiatives are crucial. Thus, every new diversity initiative is welcome if not necessary. However, often creating a new diversity initiative from scratch can be daunting. This session is intended to discuss what attendees should know when seeking to develop a diversity initiative from scratch.

Globalization refers to organizations that intend to operate on an international scale or have some influence internationally. With the increasing ease of communication, it is now easier than ever for companies to have global reach. This session will discuss the impacts of globalization of diversity and inclusion. This session will also focus on how diversity and inclusion can benefit an organization’s international reach.

The ability to negotiate – to advocate and compromise in order to seek a goal – is crucial for all members of an organization. This is particularly true for leaders as they seek to achieve goals and advocate for their organization. This session will discuss the importance of negotiation for leaders. This session will also discuss how to bolster attendees’ negotiation skills.

Communication is essential to all aspects of life. However, it is especially important in crafting a strong leadership presence. Therefore, one must hone his/her/their communication strategies. This session will discuss how to develop a leadership presence through creating communication strategies.

Learn innovative ways to engage internal and external partners to drive diverse talent to your organization. This session will discuss various case studies including neurodiversity, socioeconomic diversity, veterans and more.

Full diversity and inclusion can only be reached through the utilization of all resources and willing advocates. This often includes white males. White males, through their positions of power, can often be strong and compassionate allies for diversity and inclusion. This session will discuss how to better include and leverage white males in discussion on diversity.

The LGBTQIA community has historically been underserved and underrepresented in most areas of life, particularly in businesses and oganizations. This follow-on session to LGBTQIA 101 will quickly review the compelling business rationale before digging deep into how to execute a wide range of programs that will completely include the LGBTQIA community,including how to scale for size and best practices.

America grows more diverse with each passing day. The demographics of America are continually changing and evolving. Thus, companies must grow and evolve with America. This session will discuss the impact of America’s changing demographics on organizations.

The ability to negotiate – to advocate and compromise in order to seek a goal – is crucial for all members of an organization. This is particularly true for leaders as they seek to achieve goals and advocate for their organization. This session will discuss the importance of negotiation for leaders. This session will also discuss how to bolster attendees’ negotiation skills.

Communication is essential to all aspects of life. However, it is especially important in crafting a strong leadership presence. Therefore, one must hone his/her/their communication strategies. This session will discuss how to develop a leadership presence through creating communication strategies.

In the world of business, it is easy to get caught up in projects and processes causing us to blow past the people around us. Of course we physically see those who work for and with us; but do we really SEE them? Do we SEE and VALUE their unique strengths and abilities? Do we know what environment motivates them? Do we give them the opportunity to truly MAXIMIZE their talent? In this workshop, we will discuss the benefits of making people a priority and provide application tools that will help you initiate the crucial conversations which will lead you to SEE People, VALUE their uniqueness and MAXIMIZE their talent.