Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Conference

08:00 AM - 09:00 AM ET

Registration and Breakfast

09:00 AM - 09:05 AM ET

Opening Remarks

Lori Trawinski, Ph.D., Age Diversity Thought Leader, AARP Public Policy Institute

09:05 AM - 09:30 AM ET

The View from the C-Suite: Building Competitive Advantage through DEI

As leaders, it is the C-suite's responsibility to ensure that they are creating a culture that is inclusive, welcoming, and respectful of all individuals, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, ability, or any other aspect of their identity. But beyond just being the right thing to do, DEI is also a business imperative. Research has shown that diverse and inclusive teams are more innovative, more likely to make better decisions, and more likely to outperform their less diverse counterparts.

Join Holly Gagnon, CEO of WarHorse Gaming, for an insightful fireside chat, where she explores how DEI has been instrumental in attracting and retaining top talent, increasing creativity and innovation, and improving the overall culture and employee experience. You will hear about specific steps taken to implement DEI initiatives and strategies to incorporate DEI into a company's business model.

Lori Esposito Murray, President Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board, Committee for Economic Development

Holly Gagnon, President, HGC Hospitality Gaming Consulting

09:30 AM - 09:45 AM ET

Connections: Meet & Greet

Welcome to our networking session via the app! We'll spend some time meeting new people and making new connections. Please move around the room and befriend others - the network effect will make your conference experience much better!

09:50 AM - 10:40 AM ET

Panel: Creating a Workforce Culture of Inclusion: Strategies for Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Your organization's culture is the key to DEI success, and your role is a change agent to create that culture. But building culture that is inclusive and welcoming to all is challenging. Our panelists explore practical strategies for creating a workforce culture that values and actively promotes DEI. We will examine the role of leadership, communication, and training in creating a culture of inclusion, and discuss best practices in hiring, development, and retention practices.

Kevin Custer, VP, Lead Diversity & Inclusion Strategist, Wells Fargo & Company

Melissa Andrieux, Chief Diversity Officer / Chief Client Relations Officer, Dorf & Nelson

Louis Chesney, Neurodiversity Product Manager, RethinkCare

Mark Crawford, SVP - Legal, People, Culture and US General Counsel, SVP Diversity & Inclusion, BP America, Inc.

Jenny Kim Park, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Bank of America

Lori Trawinski, Ph.D., Age Diversity Thought Leader, AARP Public Policy Institute

10:40 AM - 10:55 AM ET

Networking Break

10:55 AM - 11:25 AM ET

Real-World Insights on Leveraging Diversity Strengths

Join panelists to learn how top organizations are leaning in to their DEI efforts and building stronger, more sustainable organizations. You′ll gain insight into how they are powering growth and innovation through their diverse and inclusive approaches.

Tiffane Davis, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Michelin North America

Rachel Kim Tschida, Director, Inclusion & Diversity Business Strategy & Operations, Starbucks Corporation

May Snowden, Senior Fellow, Human Capital and Program Director, The Conference Board

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM ET

Engaging Employees With Digital DEI Learning in a Hybrid Environment

During an economic downturn, it is critical for organizations to continue keeping DEI efforts at the forefront and to find sustainable and strategic ways to prioritize DEI learning. Are you looking to revitalize your organization's DEI learner journey?

Join IBIS Consulting Group to learn more about how you can bring new and engaging digital solutions to help address the DEI needs of your organization. Hear directly from Gannett USA Today's LaToya Johnson about key learnings and important considerations for leaders expanding their DEI learner journeys.

LaToya Johnson, Senior Director, Global Inclusion Strategy & Employer Brand, Gannett | USA TODAY NETWORK

Shilpa Pherwani, CEO, IBIS Consulting Group Inc.

12:05 PM - 12:25 PM ET

No Blanks, No Pauses

Shelly McNamara writes and speaks on her life as an out lesbian and executive at one of the world’s largest corporations. She connects her personal stories and wisdom, with her vast knowledge of corporate culture and what it takes to create a thriving, inclusive workplace.

Shelly McNamara, Chief Equality & Inclusion Officer, Procter & Gamble Company

12:25 PM - 01:25 PM ET

Networking Lunch

01:25 PM - 01:55 PM ET

Creating Accountability for Diversity: Build a Model That Moves the Needle

Changing a corporate culture takes time and sustained effort. If you're wondering why your DEI program isn't yielding the desired results, take a hard look at accountability.

In this session, Jason R. Thompson will explore why companies must move away from one-time training to ongoing opportunities to learn, to practice, and to include. He'll cover the CAPE technique outlined in his book, Diversity and Inclusion Matters, and give leaders the tools to be successful and impact corporate change:

- Understand the fundamentals of the CAPE Method as the first step in meeting strategic DEI goals.

- Use the CAPE Method to maximize resources around the levers that actually impact diversity outcomes.

- Discover how to collect the right data, use the right benchmarks, set the right metrics, and hold leaders accountable to DEI goals.

Learn how to structure DEI training that actually works.

Jason Thompson, Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion, Western Governors University

01:25 PM - 01:55 PM ET

Case Study: Integrating DEI and ESG for Optimal Business Outcomes

In today's increasingly diverse and socially conscious business landscape, DEI and ESG practices are no longer optional for companies looking to attract and retain top talent and satisfy stakeholders. But how do these two sets of practices intersect and support one another? This case study will explore the intersection of DEI and ESG within a real-world company, examining the ways in which a focus on diversity and inclusion can drive positive environmental and social impact, and vice versa.

Angela Dixon, Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer, Berkshire Bank

Gary Levante, Senior Vice President, Corporate Responsibility & Culture, Berkshire Bank

01:25 PM - 01:55 PM ET

Menstruation to Menopause: Redefining Support for Women's Health at Work

Hot flashes. Painful cramps. Infertility. This is what women are facing due to menopause, endometriosis, and PCOS. But here's the shocking truth: these conditions are not just personal health matters, they are significant workplace issues, with 90% of women stating that menopause negatively impacts their work performance, with one in six individuals with endometriosis losing a job due to debilitating symptoms, and with the healthcare-related economic burden of PCOS estimated at $4.36 billion per year.

Employers can no longer afford to overlook women's health as a pressing workplace issue. It's time to reimagine the approach to supporting women's health support, to empowering employees, to maximizing productivity, and to nurturing an inclusive work environment. Join Peppy to learn:

- A comprehensive understanding of the impact of menopause, endometriosis, and PCOS on employees in the workplace.

- Innovative approaches that have been tried and tested by top employers to redefine and enhance workplace support for women's health conditions.

- Practical strategies to implement a gender-inclusive benefits strategy that supports female employees at every stage of their lives.

Barb Dehn, VP of Women's Health, Peppy

Bal Gill, Talent Director, Northern & Central Europe, Capgemini

Max Landry, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Peppy

02:00 PM - 02:30 PM ET

Nudge, Measure, Include: How to Operationalize Inclusion for Real Culture Change

Research has shown that inclusion is made - or broken - in ongoing, everyday workplace interactions. In this panel, we'll discuss best practices for converting your current resources, training, and tools into inclusion nudge format and why it's crucial you make that change if you're looking for real behavior change, ways to assess whether your current inclusion measurements are mirror (legacy) or windshield (predictive), and how to cross-functionally partner in order to embed inclusion in all people practices.

Maureen Berkner Boyt, Founder & CEO, The Moxie Exchange

Dawn Higgins, Director Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Nestle Purina PetCare Company

Shannon Simon, AVP, Learning & Development, Arch Insurance

02:00 PM - 02:30 PM ET

Case Study: From Performative to Transformative: How DEI Data Analytics and Insights Tied to the Bottom Line Can Transform Your DEI Strategies

Jessie will walk you through several examples of effective DEI reporting and insights and how to leverage the Good Job Institute′s free tools to tie people investments to improvements in P&L. You′ll come away learning how to use data to address “broken rungs“ throughout the employee journey, how to demonstrate people investments are key drivers of revenue uplift, cost mitigation, and labor productivity gains, and how to drive accountability through data.

Jessie Spellman, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Walmart

02:00 PM - 02:30 PM ET

Accessibility: The Key to Unlocking A Resilient Workforce

Unlocking the working potential of millions of individuals with disabilities is imperative in creating a stronger workforce that allows all to participate and thrive in. Drawing from her personal experience as a Hard of Hearing individual, Alita Fabiano will delve into the importance of accessible environments, as well as how employers can begin to build a workforce as resilient as the people behind it.

Alita Fabiano, Director of Communications & DEI, LRO Staffing

02:35 PM - 03:05 PM ET

Case Study: Embedding DEI Into Organizational Culture

Embedding DEI into an organizational culture is a complex undertaking and requires activation of multiple levers to successfully drive change, foster positive employee experiences and achieve a high level of business performance. The first and most critical step is to ensure leader commitment and accountability to driving a strategic plan that will achieve desired outcomes. Two factors will determine success: is the strategic plan realistic and actionable and have you considered potential barriers to achieving intended results and are prepared to pivot to stay on track?

Join our case study discussion on the learnings and adjustments made to a global organization’s journey implementing a strategic DEI plan and the ongoing focus to drive leader commitment and accountability to engage, motivate and inspire their organizations to embrace DEI practices and behaviors.

Janet Rizzuto, Director-DEI, The Americas, Warner Music Group, Inc.

02:35 PM - 03:05 PM ET

Ageism: You're Too Young, You're Too Old

A diverse workforce contains people of multiple generations. Yet ageism - prejudice and discrimination based on age- is prevalent in many workplaces. It can affect workers of all ages, with older workers often facing discrimination in hiring, promotion, and job retention and younger workers being perceived as too inexperienced to lead. Here, we′ll explore the ways in which ageism impacts the workforce and discuss strategies for combating it.

Kishima Garcia, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, MacDill Airforce Base

Lori Trawinski, Ph.D., Age Diversity Thought Leader, AARP Public Policy Institute

03:05 PM - 03:20 PM ET

Networking Break

03:20 PM - 03:50 PM ET

Equipping ERG Success Post-Pandemic Monique

2020 was an unprecedented time in our nation's history. With a global pandemic on the rise, businesses were forced to act quickly, with many pivoting their workforces to a remote-only culture model while simultaneously answering difficult questions regarding their responses to social unrest. Fast forward to 2023 in which many organizations have pledged to cultivate more culturally inclusive workplaces by expanding their DEI efforts and strengthening their employee resource groups. What's next? How do we equip our ERGs to be sustainable leading voices for the diverse communities they serve over the long term? UnitedHealth Group's Monique McWilliams will join the conversation to share her perspective.

monique McWilliams, VP, DEI, UnitedHealth Group Inc.

May Snowden, Senior Fellow, Human Capital and Program Director, The Conference Board

03:55 PM - 04:35 PM ET

Panel: Managing DEI Fatigue

Several years on from George Floyd, a global pandemic and on the heels of a possible recession, DEI fatigue is pummeling both practitioners, and across the workforce. Panelists explore the causes and consequences of DEI fatigue in both practitioners and across the workforce and offer strategies for mitigating and managing it. Plus, we'll address the common challenges that DEI practitioners face in their organizations, including resistance to change and pushback from colleagues.

Juliette Austin, Head of Equity & Belonging, Zillow

Crysta Dungee, Head of US DEI, Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.

Sumita Shetty,

KimArie Yowell, VP of Talent Development, Quicken Loans, Inc.

04:40 PM - 04:55 PM ET

Reflect & Share

Welcome to our Audience Feedback Session! This is an opportunity for attendees to share their insights and experiences from the afternoon's discussions.

During this session, we will open the floor for attendees to share their thoughts, perspectives, and questions about the DEI topics covered throughout the conference. This is a chance for attendees to reflect on what they have learned and to share their own experiences and insights with their fellow attendees.

We encourage attendees to be respectful and open-minded as we strive for a safe and inclusive environment for all. This session is meant to be a space for attendees to engage in meaningful and constructive dialogue, and we hope that everyone will feel comfortable participating.

We hope that this session will provide attendees with the opportunity to further their understanding of DEI and to learn from one another's experiences and insights. Thank you for your participation and we look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Lori Trawinski, Ph.D., Age Diversity Thought Leader, AARP Public Policy Institute

04:55 PM - 05:00 PM ET

Day One Closing Remarks

Lori Trawinski, Ph.D., Age Diversity Thought Leader, AARP Public Policy Institute

05:00 PM - 06:00 PM ET

Reception