Opening Session

“Diverse-by-Design Teams, a Winning Approach to Driving Business Outcomes“
Fred Keeton, Vice President of Finance, External Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer, Harrah’s Entertainment.
Learn from one of the premier leaders in diversity and inclusion, Mr. Keeton of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (the largest casino entertainment company in the world) as he presents how Harrah's utilizes diverse-by-design teams to resolve their hardest problems and take advantage of its most complex opportunities. Learn how this approach can be applied universally to drive business outcomes and create unforgettable customer experiences.

"When Leaders Resist Diversity: Challenges and Solutions"
Dr. Johnson A. Edosomwan, Chairman and CEO, JJA Consultants, Inc.
Based on research and best practices from over 300 organizations, this presentation focuses on the key challenges and proven solutions for organizations whose leaders are entrenched in traditional business practices that result in passive and aggressive resistance to diversity and inclusion.

Concurrent Sessions

"The New Global Mindset" Billie Williamson, Partner and Americas Inclusiveness Officer, Ernst & Young, LLP (EY). The ability to understand and implement diversity and inclusion beyond race and gender is a requirement for leaders of tomorrow. EY will share data from a study that reveals cultural diversity as the solution to the flexibility and creativity we need to recreate the global economy for the 21st century.

“Retention of the Best and Brightest at ADP” Tara Amaral, Chief Diversity Officer/VP, Staffing, ADP. ADP has re-invented their diversity approach using innovative strategies that are an essential part of their business practices. Learn how ADP re-recruits its associates, deploys reverse mentoring techniques, and positions its Associate Resource Groups to ensure that they keep a workforce that can execute on their mission.

Concurrent Sessions

“Recruiting and Retaining Diverse STEM Employees” Myrick Bismarck, Director, Office of Civil Rights, US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). PTO has discovered an innovative approach for recruiting, developing, and retaining minorities with science, technology, engineering and math backgrounds using voluntary employee organizations and chapters of professional societies. Listen as PTO shares their most promising practices including how to implement a peer-run mentoring program.

“The Forgotten Talent: How to Reach, Recruit, Hire, and Retain Persons With Disabilities” Jody M. Wildy, Outreach Program Manager, Department of Health and Human Services. Learn how to develop partnerships with disability organizations, use existing resources to communicate, attract, and recruit persons with disabilities, and retain this population once they are in your organization.

Concurrent Sessions

“The Diversity Performance Factor” James Norman, Vice President of Diversity, Kraft Foods. This session will present Kraft Food's three award-winning diversity and inclusion strategies and highlight how the company was able to establish a clear link between executive compensation and improved diversity representation in its worldwide workforce.

"Diversity Strength Through Diverse Leadership" Percil Stanford, Chief Diversity Officer, AARP. AARP's leadership is poised to provide 360? life cycle services to a diverse base of baby boomers. Learn about how their 23-member board, which includes three Blacks, three Asians, two Latinos, and eight women has refocused the strategic mission, vision, and agenda of AARP.

“Total Workforce Commitment to Diversity Leadership”
Ms. Terri Dickerson, Director, Civil Rights Directorate, US Coast Guard.
Hear the top 5 best and promising practices utilized by the USGO to operationalize diversity and inclusion. Learn about their Diversity Summit, their Command Checklist, their SES seminars, and much more.

“The Power of 300,000 Diversity Ambassadors”
Belinda Grant-Anderson, Vice President Workforce Development & Diversity, AT&T.
For 134 years, AT&T has understood and been committed to diversity and inclusion in all facets of its business. Despite many of the last century’s disruptive changes, this commitment to celebrating and leveraging the values of diversity and inclusion has not waned; it has only grown stronger. Learn how AT&T's leadership team and frontline employees are bringing new ideas and energy to the company's diversity and inclusion programs as they “Rethink the Possibilities” around several diversity best practices.

Closing Session

"Diversity Best Practices at American Airlines"
Michael Collins, Managing Director, Diversity Strategies and Human Resources, American Airlines (AA).
AA, one of the world's largest airlines, is also becoming known for its approach to diversity, including its use of segment marketing, supplier diversity, and employee and community relations programs. Learn AA's secrets to excellence in diversity.

Panel Discussion: Diversity Questions and Answers
Debbie Smith Rayford, Vice President, Diversity, Discovery Communications, LLC
will facilitate a diverse panel of leaders from world-class organizations as they discuss and answer audience questions on some of the most promising practices in diversity and inclusion for the next decade.