No matter what industry you're in - Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) is something that should be at the forefront of every organization.
Organizations that neglect to prioritize DE&I initiatives will undoubtedly lag behind their competitors in many ways, especially when it comes to talent acquisition, employee morale, and retention. One of the major keys to fostering a culture of inclusion and belonging lies in ensuring that all individuals are not only welcomed but also valued within the organization they work for. By championing respect, dignity, and collaboration, organizations can drive innovative solutions and stay ahead of the curve.
Are you interested in learning more? Watch DZConneX's engaging and insightful online forum, DEI Initiatives: Staying the Course & Navigating Through the Noise, featuring a panel discussion with leading experts in the field of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion where they share their perspectives on the current state of DEI in 2023 and beyond, strategies for attracting and recruiting diverse early career talent, DEI innovations, lessons learned, and much more.
Learn more about our recent online forum below, including the key takeaways and who the featured speakers are.
Key Takeaways
A lot is covered during this online forum, including how to become an agent of change, how to prioritize DE&I in talent acquisition, how to acknowledge distractions when creating an inclusive culture, and much much more. Here are several takeaways you can expect to gain from watching our recent forum:
- Attracting Diverse Early Career Talent: Discover the latest strategies that organizations are implementing to distinguish themselves in attracting and hiring a diverse pool of early career talent. You will also learn more about the unique challenges posed by evolving generational dynamics and how organizations are adapting to effectively engage with young professionals from diverse backgrounds.
- DEI Innovations: Explore new DEI advancements and innovations that organizations are currently developing or embracing, and how these groundbreaking innovations are reshaping the landscape of diversity and inclusion initiatives within different organizations.
- Development for Diverse Talent: Discover the strategies that organizations employ to foster the development of diverse talent, including the implementation of specialized programs, focused mentoring, external coaching, and various other innovative approaches.
- Being an Ally at Work: Gain a deeper understanding of how to effectively be an ally at work, with valuable insights on the dos and don'ts of actively supporting diversity and inclusion efforts. Discover practical advice that empowers individuals to make a positive impact and foster an inclusive work environment.
- Talking about Privilege and Power: Discover effective strategies for individuals from diverse backgrounds to engage in meaningful discussions about privilege and power within the workplace. Gain valuable insights and recommendations on how to navigate these conversations and promote a more inclusive and equitable environment.
Watch our recent online forum, DEI Initiatives: Staying the Course, today!
Featured Speakers
Host: Regina Blair
Vice President of Talent, Inclusion and Diversity at Day & Zimmermann
Regina Blair is an organizational development and diversity and inclusion leader currently serving as Vice President of Talent, Organizational Development and Diversity and Inclusion at Day & Zimmermann.
While key responsibilities include oversight of the learning strategy, diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, engagement survey process and action planning, design and facilitation of the leadership development experience, the 360 assessment and coaching process for senior leaders, the corporate employee resource groups and overall diversity strategy, some of her most rewarding work comes through partnering in the design of the real-time, custom talent solutions that help advance the business strategy. Her internal clients look to her for leadership in career pathing, organizational design, team effectiveness and change management.
Regina's success is built on a foundation of diverse career experiences at several widely respected organizations. After successfully managing revenue and profit responsibility for a multimillion-dollar book of business as a commercial underwriter, she has spent the last 20 years as a HR professional in roles as an HR Business Partner, U.S. Training Leader, Diversity Director, and Organizational Development/Performance Consulting Director.
Keynote Speaker: Rocki Howard
Chief Equity & Impact Officer at The Mom Project
Rocki Howard is Chief Equity and Impact Officer at The Mom Project and host of the Voices of Diversity and the Grown Woman Life podcasts. Rocki is a tenured talent acquisition strategist with Lean, Project Management, and HR certifications.
Rocki is a 2023 SIA Diversity Influencer, advisory board member for WedgeHR and Informed Decisions, member of the Forbes HR Council has been featured in talent outlets such as HR Executive and ERE. She he has been featured on ABC news, multiple podcasts and has been a featured speaker, panelist and influencer on the topic of DEIB including events such as SIA's Executive Forum and CWS, SourceCon, HR Tech, TA Week, and Hacking HR.
She is a proud over 40, black, Christian wife and mom who prioritizes being a voice for diversity, creating high-performing inclusive work cultures and advocating for bold, brilliant, badass women. She believes "If we change the lives of the historically excluded, we change the world.”
Kim Moton
Managing Director for Talent Acquisition & Outreach at Harvard University
As an accomplished talent management professional with over 25 years of experience, Kimberly is known for her creativity, ingenuity and the ability to formulate and implement comprehensive, high impact human capital and talent management solutions.
Prior to joining Harvard in 2022, Kimberly worked at Johns Hopkins University where she served as the Executive Director, Talent Management, HR, Finance and Administration for Development & Alumni Relations. Kimberly has held Talent and/or DEIB roles throughout her career where she made measurable impact at BAE Systems, Fannie Mae, the American Red Cross and Arthur Andersen. Additionally, Kim is an esteemed Wharton Global Fellow in Talent Management.
Through her training at the Coaches Training Institute, Kim is also an executive and life coach where she helps emerging leaders discover and develop their strengths and to maximize their leadership potential. On a personal note, Kim is extremely passionate about helping young women discover their Goddess within.
Dawn McCartney
Vice President of Contingent Workforce Strategies (CWS) Council at Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA)
Dawn McCartney is the Vice President of the Contingent Workforce Strategies (CWS) Council at SIA, leading and overseeing the CWS Council and SIA’s Certification & Training, including the Certified Contingent Workforce Professional (CCWP & SOW) accreditation program, and CW Workshops.
Responsible for identifying, developing, and implementing cutting-edge research and strategies for the end users of contingent labor, McCartney, who joined SIA in 2012, has been an integral part of the SIA team with ongoing contributions to the rapid development of the CWS Council and in her role advising CWS Council members—amounting to more than $100 billion in contingent spend—in managing their extended workforce programs.
With over 13 years of frontline experience working on both the supplier and buyer sides, her expertise on the buyer side includes contingent workforce policies, procedures, and the implementation of contingent workforce programs including VMS and supplier selection, and a previous role as the Global Workforce Manager for McDonald’s Corporation. A highly regarded industry speaker, Dawn frequently shares insights, thought leadership, and best practices across the workforce solutions ecosystem.
Trish Ferrett
Vice President of Talent Attraction and Acquisition at The Trevor Project
Trish Ferrett (she/they) is the Vice President of Talent Attraction and Acquisition at The Trevor Project, the world's leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ young people. Her over 30 year career has always been focused on bringing the right talent to the right gigs at the right times, starting with an undergraduate degree in Music Industry from James Madison University (Go Dukes!). It didn't take long into their career to realize that 1) music is a lot more fun when your livelihood doesn't depend on it, and 2) navigating the world of talent needed to be better for all involved--whether hiring manager or job seeker.
After several years in the for-profit sector with companies such as Circuit City, AMF Bowling, and Advance Auto Parts, Trish shifted her career to the non-profit space with the American Red Cross, Pact, Counterpart International, and Save the Children before making the move to Trevor. In these amazing experiences, they've found particular joy in the care and feeding of recruiters--helping them grow and develop into true talent professionals: emerging from the expectations of "post and pray," and changing the perception of recruiters being administrators to true thought partners.
Trish now holds an MBA in Organizational Development and an SPHR, and still enjoys performing music on the side.
Watch Now!
Don't miss this opportunity to hear from industry leaders and get insider knowledge about the changing landscape of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in 2023 and beyond. Be sure to watch this engaging and informative discussion that can help shape your organization's DEI strategies for the future!
To watch this online forum, please click here.
