September 11-12, 2024ㅤ•ㅤChicago, IL
Leaders from 27 companies are here
AbbVie, ADM, Bread Financial, Caleres, CDW, Chick-fil-A, CoStar, Cushman & Wakefield, Diageo, Enterprise Mobility, Epiq Global, Equitable, IGT, ITW, JLL, Macy’s, Mars, McCain Foods, Moody’s, Northwestern Mutual, Progressive Insurance, Quest Diagnostics, Ralph Lauren, SAIA, Smithfield Foods, Staples, and Teck Resources.
Wednesday Schedule (9/11)
11:30 AM
Registration opens
12:00 PM
Lunch Discussions
Get here on time and grab a seat at the table. This sit-down lunch is your first opportunity to meet all of the great DEI leaders you’ll get to know at the Board Meeting.
12:40 PM
Break
12:50 PM
Welcome & Introduction
1:00 PM
Show & Tell: Productivity and wellness strategies for becoming a more impactful DEI leader
Nashunda Williams, JLL
Leading diversity and inclusion efforts at a billion-dollar organization requires advanced proficiency in organization, time management, productivity, and other skills. However, it is equally important to strike a balance between professional expectations and personal well-being. Nashunda Williams, Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at JLL, draws from two decades of experience working in a corporate environment to share strategies for managing stress and avoiding burnout, encompassing effective planning, systematization, and delegation to have more time for family, friends, and to explore personal passions.
1:30 PM
Break
1:45 PM
Show & Tell: The future of DEI: What history teaches us
Jeannette Robles, ADM
Companies are eliminating or significantly reducing budgets, roles, and opportunities and there is a doomsday message in the media around the future of DEI…is this narrative a reality or part of an ebb-and-flow cycle? Jeannette Robles, Global Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at ADM, will show us that if we look back in history to what DEI advocates have taught us, we find themes and key messages that help us sustain DEI work, demonstrate how to apply these lessons, and motivate us to stay the course and secure safe spaces of belonging for all.
2:15 PM
Break
2:30 PM
Show & Tell: DEI data: Let the numbers tell the story
Errin Braddock, Enterprise Mobility
When it comes to making a case for greater investment in DEI, data is your best friend and can help provide strategic direction. Retention and promotion data is important from a business perspective and breaking it down from an intersectional lens can help those operationally driven understand where there may be opportunities and where your strategy is having success. Errin Braddock, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at Enterprise Mobility, will guide us through how to ensure a consistent and equitable experience for employees across the organization, identify under (and over) indexing of certain demographics, and uncover opportunities for greater engagement and inclusion throughout the organization.
3:00 PM
Snack Break
3:30 PM
Show & Tell: Leveraging DEI incubators for values-driven systems and practices
Melenie Choto, Chick-fil-A
DEI is a capability, and by teaching teams how to wield it, you can embed DEI across the organization. But equipping and empowering others to take responsibility for DEI is challenging, time-intensive, and requires adaptability. In this discussion, Chick-fil-A Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Melenie Choto, PhD, will give a behind-the-scenes look at the organization’s DEI incubator program. She’ll share what pitfalls they encountered, how departments were engaged and trained, and how Chick-fil-A incorporated its innovation process along the way.
4:00 PM
Break
4:15 PM
Show & Tell: DEI scenario planning: Mitigating risk
Jermisha Pipkins Lynch, AbbVie
Successfully communicating about DEI requires relentless intentional planning, flexibility, attention to detail, and a deep understanding of the risks. How can you begin scenario planning to anticipate and alleviate risk? Jermisha Pipkins Lynch, Director of EEDI Enterprise Business Partnerships and Communities at AbbVie, will outline how they built a narrative around DEI, how they’ve evolved and adapted DEI communications, and the steps they’ve taken to prepare for every scenario.
4:45 PM
Adjourn
5:00 PM
Member Dinner
Following our afternoon of conversations and Show & Tell Talks, we’ll all go out for a fantastic dinner together. It’s a perfect opportunity to connect with your fellow members before a big day of brainstorming, discussion, and collaboration.
Thursday Schedule (9/12)
8:00 AM
Breakfast Discussions
The conversations over coffee and eggs at this event are often more lively than any other conference’s happy hour. You’ll want to be here bright and early (and on time).
8:50 AM
Break
9:00 AM
Welcome Back
9:05 AM
Member-Led Discussion: Creating trans-inclusive spaces in times of polarization
Dani Gomez-Ortega, McCain Foods
In these polarizing times, how are you ensuring that your trans associates and prospective employees feel like they belong and have a safe space to bring their authentic selves to work? In a socio-political climate that is divisive and with uncertainty about the future, Dani Gomez-Ortega, Senior Manager of Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at McCain Foods, will lead us in discussion about what it takes to create safe spaces for your trans employees, and foster an environment of inclusion and belonging for all.
9:35 AM
Break
9:45 AM
Member-Led Discussion: Optimizing DEI learning and development
Amy Hunter, Caleres
How do you equip employees to earn promotions and to excel in their new roles? Are you systematically focused on assessing and honing their skills or does development feel ad hoc? Which L&D practices are working for you and what could your organization be doing better? Join Amy Hunter, Vice President of Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion/Talent at Caleres, for an off-the-record conversation on what successful L&D practices can — and should — look like, and how to better utilize your resources to achieve your vision.
10:15 AM
Snack Break
10:35 AM
Member-Led Discussion: Future-proofing DEI: Designing a strategy for the future
Marisa Afzali, Progressive Insurance
If recent years have taught us anything, it’s that DEI strategies have to be resilient and sustainable in order to continue to move forward. In this discussion with Marisa Afzali, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Progressive Insurance, we’ll explore how to frame and build a DEI approach that can evolve to meet inevitable changes and challenges in society and/or within your organization.
11:05 AM
Break
11:20 AM
Member-Led Discussion: Engaging and retaining a diverse workforce
Renita Smith, Staples
What are successful strategies to increase engagement and retention of a diverse workforce? Engaging and retaining diverse talent remains a priority for organizations committed to fostering an inclusive workplace. Renita Smith, Senior Director of Human Resources at Staples, will lead this discussion on strategies and best practices to strengthen efforts to engage and retain talent as we continue to move the needle in this space.
11:50 PM
Lunch Discussions
12:50 PM
Break
1:00 PM
Unconference Round 1
EXAMPLE TOPICS:
- Affirmative Action: Corporate impact and reviewing existing programs/protocol
- Making the case for DEI statistical analysis with legal
- Engagement best practices: Disengaged, mid-level management, and hourly workforce
- Sustaining as a DEI practitioner: How do you prioritize mental health and well-being?
1:30 PM
Unconference Round 2
EXAMPLE TOPICS:
- Native American education for employees in the U.S.: Is there anything out there?
- DEI becoming political and a company necessity is to be risk adverse
- Psychological safety: Framework, programs, and communication
- DEI staff for global organizations: Resources, budgets, support
2:00 PM
Snack Break
2:20 PM
Unconference Round 3
EXAMPLE TOPICS:
- DEI metrics: setting goals and objectives and evaluating performance
- Biggest headwinds/barriers to advancing DEI and what are you doing about it
- Benchmarking realistic expectations on workforce representation goals: What should we expect every year?
- Passion for DEI with poor performance and driving the work in the business
2:50 PM
Unconference Round 4
EXAMPLE TOPICS:
- Leading DEI through recession, inflation, and layoffs
- Your DEI career trajectory: What’s next?
- External partnerships: Evaluating + communicating ROI
- Supplier diversity: Who’s responsible?
3:20 PM
Adjourn
Please note: This agenda is subject to change based on speaker availability and scheduling.
Wifi
Network
Board.org
Password
Chicago2024
Member Dinner
Location
Carnivale
702 W. Fulton Market Street, Chicago, IL 60661
312-850-5005
Directions
At 5 PM, hop on the DEI Board shuttle bus to the restaurant.
