"A lot of excellent efforts in the DEI space. It prompted many ideas that I can use within my own organization"

"Great authentic conversation - did not sugar coat how hard this is and how much of a leadership commitment is required."

"Great content, I couldn't take notes fast enough." 

 These are just some of the hundreds of comments from the over 1,000 DEI leaders who attended our 2020 DEI conference in November.   

This event served as a platform for exceptional practitioners to share their work and further discuss race, social justice, neurodiversity, women's health, disability, allyship, and others. The Conference Board, its partners, and the leaders who shared their stories can all justifiably be proud of contributing to creating more inclusive workplaces across North America.  

We invite you to join us on the essential journey to create workplaces committed to inclusion, equity, and belonging as we build on the momentum of this great event and design an all-new agenda for May. DEI professionals' work is never-ending, and we join with the community to create an event that addresses their most current challenges and celebrate their achievements.  

We'll be posting a draft agenda soon. In the meantime, here are some of the topics currently under consideration: 

• Intersectionality 
• Building the Foundation for Success: How to Get Started and Build Momentum in your DEI Function 
• Microaggressions 
• What Does it Mean to be an Ally 
• How Employers Can Effectively Engage with Social Justice Issues 
• Creating a Psychologically Safe Workplace 
•  Self Care for DEI Professionals 
• How to Effectively Implement Anti-Racism Training 
• DEI and Analytics 
• Maintaining Momentum 
• Restorative Justice – What Role can this play in your DEI initiative? 
• Recognizing and Addressing Privilege 
• Communicating Across the Partisan Divide

Get Involved

If you would like to get involved in this year’s conference, please contact us.

• Speaking Opportunities: john.brewer@conference-board.org
• Sponsorship Opportunities: michael.felden@conference-board.org
• Marketing Partnerships: allison.nilsen@conference-board.org
• Group Registrations: ulei.kou@conference-board.org 

Register Now

This event is Complimentary for The Conference Board members and $495 for non-members. Register now to join us live or to watch later on-demand.

DAY ONE | Monday, May 24, 2021

10:00 – 10:15 am

Welcome and Opening Remarks

John Brewer, Program Director, DEI Conference, The Conference Board

10:15 – 11:00 am

Panel Discussion: Where Are You From – Exploring Intersectionality and Identity

Many conversations begin with the conventional enquiry “where are you from?” Seen by many as a polite icebreaker, even this simple traditional question is not devoid of bias and even prejudice. Many feel that this question challenges their legitimacy and their status as an equal member of a community.

This opening conversation will reclaim this simple question and use it as a starting point for an exploration of identity. Our panelists will discuss their origins and their experience of identity and what this means to them revealing the shortcomings of many categories in D&I – presenting a more complex notion of the point where we all begin our D&I journey.

Panelists:

Peter McBride, Director, The Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies, Keene State College

Sofia Bonnet, Chief Director, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, GitHub

11:00 – 11:10 am     Break

11:10 am - 12:30 pm

Exploring Race, Power & Privilege Through Drama and Discussion

Using real life scenarios, IBIS Consulting Group’s troupe of professional actors illustrate the role of leaders mitigating bias, addressing systemic disparities, and the impact of microaggressions.

Shilpa Pherwani, Principal/CEO, IBIS Consulting Group

12:30 – 12:45 pm     Break

12:45 – 1:25 pm

Panel: Passion Is Not Enough – Discussion on the Skills You Need to Successfully Lead DEI

Most people enter the DEI field because it is their passion, recognizing the moral and business imperative for change and drawing on their own experiences to make a difference for greater equity and inclusion within their organization.

DEI leader Rohini Ananad will lead a conversation with three CDO’s sharing lessons learned during their careers and what it takes to succeed as DEI becomes a top priority for employers.

Moderator:

Rohini Anand, Senior Fellow, The Conference Board

12:45 – 1:25 pm

Getting Started with DEI – Lessons from Organizations Early in the Journey

This session, features employers in the early stages of developing and executing a D&I strategy. Hear firsthand some of the early challenges in making progress at this critical juncture.

1:25 – 1:35 pm     Break

1:35 – 2:20 pm

Psychological Safety & Belonging

Employers are recognizing the importance of creating psychological safe workplaces – where people feel free to express who they are, what they believe, and how they feel. This is a necessary condition to creating the sense of belonging that is at the core of DEI progress.

Panelists:

Natalie Edwards, Chief Diversity Officer, National Grid

Stephanie Redivo, EDI Program Lead, TransLink

Moderator: 

Dr. Tom C. Hogan, Professor of Practice in Human Resource Management, School of Labor and Employment Relations, The Pennsylvania State University

2:20 – 3:00 pm

Who’s Really In with the In Crowd? Understanding and Addressing Privilege

The subject of privilege has become increasingly central to DEI and to issues such as equity, the practice of allyship, and the creation of psychological safety.

Sofia Bonnet will examine privilege through her own biography and career progression, share how associating with others’ privilege helped her advance the challenge of being an immigrant and adjusting to the norms and expectations of the dominant culture and the need for those who succeed and help others.

Sofia Bonnet, Chief Director, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, GitHub

3:00 – 3:10 pm     Closing Remarks

3:20 – 4:00 pm     DEI OVERTIME

DAY TWO | Tuesday, May 25, 2021

10:00 – 10:15 am

Welcome and Opening Remarks

John Brewer, Program Director, DEI Conference, The Conference Board

10:15 – 11:00 am

Allyship as Action – The Microsoft Story

Widely recognized as one of the best examples of culture change in recent years, Microsoft recently introduced a global allyship program for all employees.

Microsoft made the course mandatory in response to the pandemic’s impact on the workplace, rising violence and hate towards those of Asian heritage, and increasing awareness of racism.

Aligning the idea of allyship and working with neuroscientists to create a culture that allows the free exchange of ideas. Employees learn, grow, make mistakes – and create deeper connections.

Lindsay-Rae McIntyre, Chief Diversity Officer, Microsoft

11:00 – 11:10 am     Break

11:10 am – 12:15 pm

Approaching DEI Through the Lens of Change Management

For the foreseeable future DEI will continue to be some of the most dominant and challenging issues  society faces.

So how can we nurture and maintain a Change Mindset to help address both?

How can a change management approach help in achieving the goal of a workplace that practices equity and belonging?

During this session we explore:

• What is a change mindset, and how can it help drive performance amid ambiguity?
• How do we use mindsets to drive inclusion and innovation?
• How can your organization develop change mindsets at scale and drive DEI across the organization?

Alan Morales, VP & Head of Transformative Change for the Future of Work, Prudential Financial

Marvin Mendoza, Global Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, PPG Industries

12:15 – 12:45 pm     Break

12:45 – 1:25 pm

Addressing Workplace Mental Health As Part of Your DEI Strategy

While lock downs due to the pandemic have been a widespread stressful and, in many cases, traumatic event, they have increased awareness among employers of the importance of the mental health of their people.

In addition, leaders gained a greater appreciation of the differing mental health impact on different communities and ensure that an organization’s mental health interventions account for diversity.

In this session, Spring Health will discuss workplace mental health from the perspective of DEI and explore how to combine humanity with technology and data to eliminate the barriers to care that prevent so many getting the help they need and help employees thrive.

12:45 – 1:25 pm

Building Bridges Not Walls: Restorative Justice, Community Trauma, and The Partisan Divide

It’s hard to escape the message nowadays that America is a country divided – most obviously in the political sphere where partisanship has in many ways replaced any semblance of a marketplace of ideas. The violent storming of the Capitol on Jan 6th was just the latest and most extreme example of the division that exists.

In addressing these issues, we must realize historic wrongs, current fears, and community trauma.

This conversation will explore these issues as the participants ask the question of how can we begin to heal?

Peter McBride, Director, The Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies, Keene State College

1:25 – 1:35 pm     Break

1:35 – 2:20 pm

Workplace Culture, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Harnessing the Power of Analytics and D&I to Transform the Future Workplace

Two of the defining characteristics of the future workplace will be a diverse workforce and increased use of analytics to make more evidence based human capital decisions.

This session will explore one organization’s diversity journey and how analytics has supported and informed D&I to identify areas for action, facilitate decision making and enhance the employee experience.

2:20 – 3:10 pm

Panel: Where are We Now?

From origins to identity to intersectionality – we move on to examine the current state of DEI as a function and explore how DEI professionals can work with other functions in the organization to spread their influence wider and create better, longer lasting results.

Panelists:

Sonja Wilkerson, EVP & Chief People Officer, Bloom Energy

Lee Jourdan, Chief Diversity Officer, Chevron

3:10 – 3:20 pm     Closing Remarks

3:20 – 4:00 pm     DEI OVERTIME II

DAY THREE | Wednesday, May 26, 2021

10:00 – 10:15 am

Welcome and Opening Remarks

John Brewer, Program Director, DEI Conference, The Conference Board

10:15 – 11:00 am

Panel: Disability in the Workplace

Diversity practitioners understand the business benefits of workplace and marketplace inclusion, but disability is often not included within this diversity dialogue. Times are changing!

Given the demand to recruit and retain diverse talent (from millennials to the aging workforce) and recent compliance revisions for government contractors, individuals with disabilities are coming into the spotlight. Moving beyond the interested-in but the actual “how-to” of creating a disability inclusion strategy is required. This session will provide practical tips and replicable best practices for a disability in the workplace strategy.

11:00 – 11:10 am    Break

11:10 am – 12:30 pm

Leading Diversity – What it Takes to Lead in a Diverse, Inclusive Organization

For many employers, the ability to lead a diverse team and foster belonging have become core requirements of leaders. But what does this mean in practice? And are you holding leaders accountable for their ability to manage inclusively?

This session is a deep dive into “what it takes”.

12:30 – 12:45 pm     Break

12:45 – 1:25 pm

Turning DEI from Aspiration to Everyday Practice

Without a doubt DEI requires that organizations transform themselves fundamentally, both in terms of their system and their culture – and we saw how one organization, Microsoft, is using allyship as a lever for very broad change.

But what about the everyday interactions that most define the employee experience?

How can you ensure that an appreciation of DEI permeates the day-to-day decisions and relationships that form the front line of your culture?

In this season, Maureen Berkner Boyt will take a more granular view of change and DEI in organizations and how you can translate your company’s commitment to DEI into concrete actions that will determine whether your DEI initiatives succeed.

Maureen Berkner Boyt, Founder and CEO, The Moxie Exchange

1:25 – 1:35 pm     Break

1:35 – 2:20 pm

Looking Outward as Well as Inward – D&I Engages with the Community

For many organizations D&I doesn’t end with the organization but rather extends outwards into the broader community. This is particularly the case in the aftermath of the events in 2020. Customers, employees, and investors expect organizations to better address the needs of all stakeholders and give back to the communities in which they operate including Corporate Social Responsibility activities.

This session will explore the opportunity and responsibility this represents to D&I leaders.

3:10– 3:20 pm     Closing Remarks

3:20 – 4:00 pm     DEI OVERTIME III