Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Excellence Conference 2023 Highlights
Download our 2024 DEI magazine to read highlights, insights, and more from our last DEI conference.
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For Learning, Talent and HR Professionals
Most organizations understand that DE&I is not just an initiative or program but a strategic endeavor involving cultural change. Yet, 57% of organizations with a strategic plan have had it for two years or less, meaning that for many employers, the shift from programs, initiatives and tactics to strategy is still in its infancy.
This conference will help Learning, Talent, and HR professionals create strategies to better support today’s workforces.
It’s More Than A
Conference
Our speakers are not only industry leaders but also Brandon Hall Group Excellence Award winners that have a proven track record of success. We position our sessions and workshops to be interactive and actionable so you can leverage and implement the takeaways in a practical way when you return to your organization.
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If you are interested in sponsoring this event, we have limited packages available.
Please reach out to us at deiconference@brandonhall.com to secure your spot today!
Speakers
June 28
8am - 9am
Breakfast and Event Check-in Opens
9am - 10:30am
Keynote by Rachel Cooke on DEI Strategy with a workshop on how to Develop DEI Strategic Plan for today’s workforce. A strategic plan for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) is the blueprint for a comprehensive approach toward becoming a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organization. Rachel will go over the key components of a DEI strategic plan and Brandon Hall Group’s DEI framework. The workshop will help you gain buy-in for DEI across the organization.
11am - 11:45am
Any program or initiative involving change, while guided by values and principles, must include strong, inclusive governance that sets goals, measures progress, and mobilizes resources. With diversity, equity and inclusion, a DE&I council is a common form of governance and can be extremely effective if it is well-conceived, organized and executed.
In the spirit of advocating a best-practice approach, we will discuss the council in terms of building one from scratch. The information can also be used to improve or enhance councils that are already up and running.
11am - 11:45am
Women continue to be severely underrepresented in leadership roles at most employers, according to Brandon Hall Group’s study, What’s Changing for Women in the Workplace? Though 75% of organizations say women are included among their top internal succession candidates for CEO and C-suite roles, only 17% of organizations have women CEOs. That number is about the same as Brandon Hall Group we first asked that research question in 2015.
12pm - 1pm
Lunch
1:15pm - 2pm
Organizations cannot build and sustain a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion without fair hiring and advancement practices that are accepted at all levels of the organization and demonstrated and advocated by leaders at all levels.
The goal is to base employment and advancement decisions on core values and behaviors needed for a role, regardless of a person’s gender, race, age or other identifying factors. For this to occur, everyone involved in the hiring and promotion processes must be trained and supportive of making decisions based on those values and behaviors.
1:15pm - 1:45pm
2:15pm - 3pm
You can’t have a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace without pay and benefits equity. While there are many reasons people accept employment, compensation remains an important motive for most. Lack of pay and benefits equity negates other types of equity and inclusion.
Pay and benefit equity is highly important, according to a survey of professionals active in DE&I initiatives for their organizations. But less than half believe DE&I efforts actually improved pay and benefits equity.
2:15pm - 3pm
Understanding the influencers, conditions and boundaries of one’s community is essential to fostering an inclusive environment. Understanding the subtle and not- so-subtle ways things happen at work, key influencers, motivations, consensus-building, decision-making and knowing innate biases inherent to the culture and its leaders, is essential. Recognizing opportunities, challenges and limitations of the culture when considering new ways of thinking and acting.
3:15pm - 4:15pm
Despite the best intentions of employers, the business impact of DE&I remains modest. Only one in four organizations has metrics established for understanding the impact of DE&I. The lack of measurement — including 43% of organizations that do not measure inclusion in any manner — indicates the messaging and rhetoric around DE&I has not yet fully translated into a business priority.
4:30pm - 6pm
Welcome Reception
June 29
8am - 9am
Breakfast and Event Check-in Opens
9am - 10:30am
Sponsorship, mentorship and allyship are all about being an advocate and reliable colleague, assisting in their efforts to develop. It is true that we need to be one-for-all and all-for-one to promote a feeling of inclusion and belonging with our teammates. We all want to be on a great team and enjoy the camaraderie that comes with it. But that also means we need to be great teammates ourselves. To be a great teammate is to put others before you; to believe the team is more important than any one person. We need to sell out to the idea that being inclusive is blending our individuality into the culture of the team for the sake of the team.
10:15am - 11:15am
working to support it, must actively model inclusive behaviors and reinforce their importance to team members. This is important to create a climate in which respect, equity and positive recognition of differences are cultivated. Building an inclusive work culture helps create an environment of psychological safety, which is critical for employees to navigate change and take any necessary risks to learn and grow and help the organization evolve and thrive.
10:15am - 11:15am
To be an authentic person is to speak and act in a genuine manner. Others look for genuineness in a person as a way of gaining comfort with the person. Genuineness is a reflection of a person’s character and maturity and a high degree of genuineness allows others to feel confident and trustful that the words and actions coming from the person are not motivated by a hidden agenda. As the saying goes, “seek first to understand” is an important aspect of being an empathetic person. We must be able to practice patience and spend time understanding where another person is coming from before we begin talking about ourselves. This requires taking a step back and giving others your undivided attention — being present and in-the-moment with them.
11:15am - 12:00pm
The goal is to base advancement decisions on core values and behaviors needed for a role, regardless of a person’s gender, race, age or other identifying factors. For this to occur, everyone involved in the promotion processes must be trained and supportive of making decisions based on those values and behaviors. In advancement practices, women, people of color and other diverse groups traditionally lacked the same development opportunities as men. The targeted development opportunities are an effort, not to favor those people for promotion, but put them on a level playing field so they can be evaluated based on similar training and experience, as well as performance.
11:15am - 12:00pm
Self-awareness is the cornerstone to others viewing you as an inclusive person. Self-awareness is the ability to be present and understand how you are coming across to others. This can be very challenging to do. We are often moving at a very quick pace and under the pressure of deadlines, commitments and other stressors, which can put us in a position to be not as self-aware as we should be. We must make a concerted effort every day to raise our level of self-awareness. To do this, we must understand what makes up a good sense of self-awareness.
Understanding how we communicate with others is the first step in improving our self- awareness. Our communication approach and style impacts people’s perceptions of how self- aware we are. The first element of communicating with others is how we translate our views and how we feel about the world. The second element of our communication conveys how we feel about the people receiving them. In our busy world, we often forget or don’t spend enough attention on the second element of communicating.
12:00pm - 1:30pm
Lunch
1:30pm - 2:15pm
Description coming soon.
1:30pm - 2:15pm
Description coming soon.
2:30pm - 3:15pm
Improving diversity, equity and inclusion is a business driver, but it is unique in that it is also a culture initiative. It cannot be successful unless the principles and values of DE&I are embedded at all levels of the organization.
Therefore, all leaders – from the front-line to the C-Suite – must help the people they manage understand the importance of DE&I and encourage them to do their part to demonstrate inclusion in everything they do.
2:30pm - 3:15pm
Creating and encouraging a variety of employees to participate in employee resource groups helps ensure diverse employees have a sense of belonging and a safe space to address issues and concerns that might not otherwise get a voice.
3:30pm - 4:30pm
Inclusive leadership is essential to a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. Leaders must demonstrate the values and behaviors they want everyone in the organization to adopt. For many organizations, becoming more inclusive requires significant change, which demands leaders who are agile, creative and emotionally centered.
June 27
4pm - 5:30pm
Registration
11:15am - 12:00pm
Leadership Development for Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Speaker
Rachel Cooke, Chief Operating Officer and Principal Analyst
Ronda Moore, Impactful Talent & Inclusion Executive
Carolina Cardoso, North America I&D Relationship Management, Accenture
11:15am - 12:00pm
Leadership Development for Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Speaker
Rachel Cooke, Chief Operating Officer and Principal Analyst
Ronda Moore, Impactful Talent & Inclusion Executive
Carolina Cardoso, North America I&D Relationship Management, Accenture
12:00pm - 1:30pm
Lunch
1:30pm - 2:15pm
ERG to address DEI / Foster/Expand/Improve ERG’s
Speaker
Rachel Cooke, Chief Operating Officer and Principal Analyst
Ronda Moore, Impactful Talent & Inclusion Executive
Carolina Cardoso, North America I&D Relationship Management, Accenture
1:30pm - 2:15pm
Being Authentic, Building Trust, and Being Empathetic
Speaker
Rachel Cooke, Chief Operating Officer and Principal Analyst
Ronda Moore, Impactful Talent & Inclusion Executive
Carolina Cardoso, North America I&D Relationship Management, Accenture
2:30pm - 3:15pm
Corporate Outreach to Promote DEI in Communities
Speaker
Rachel Cooke, Chief Operating Officer and Principal Analyst
Ronda Moore, Impactful Talent & Inclusion Executive
Carolina Cardoso, North America I&D Relationship Management, Accenture
2:30pm - 3:15pm
Speaker
Rachel Cooke, Chief Operating Officer and Principal Analyst
Ronda Moore, Impactful Talent & Inclusion Executive
Carolina Cardoso, North America I&D Relationship Management, Accenture
3:30pm - 4:30pm
General Session: Measuring DEI
Speaker
Rachel Cooke, Chief Operating Officer and Principal Analyst
Ronda Moore, Impactful Talent & Inclusion Executive
Carolina Cardoso, North America I&D Relationship Management, Accenture
4:30pm
Inclusive leadership
June 28, 2023
6:30am - 7:15am
Beach Walk
7:30am - 8:45am
Breakfast:
Ocean Ballroom and Terrace
Registration and Breakfast
8:45am - 9:30am
Speaker
Rachel Cooke, Chief Operating Officer and Principal Analyst
Ronda Moore, Impactful Talent & Inclusion Executive
Carolina Cardoso, North America I&D Relationship Management, Accenture
9:30am -9:45am
Break
9:45am-11:15am
Speaker
Michael Rochelle, Chief Strategy Officer and Principal HCM Analyst, Brandon Hall
Laura Sehres, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at PSCU and Chair of the PSCU DEI Steering Committee
Allie Braswell, Senior Vice President of Culture and Belonging for VyStar Credit Union
11:15am - 12:15pm
Lunch
12:15pm - 1:00pm
Speaker
Carolina Cardoso, North America I&D Relationship Management, Accenture
1:00pm -1:15pm
Break
1:15pm - 1:45pm
Traditional women’s leadership development programs have long been criticized for their design flaws, including assumptions, motivations, and mindsets that often hinder women’s progression into leadership roles. Explore how personalized leadership coaching helps overcome these barriers, supports women leaders, builds a diverse leadership bench, and promotes a culture of inclusion and equity.
Speaker
Lori Mazan, President and Chief Coaching Officer, Sounding Board
1:45pm- 2:00pm
Break
2:00pm- 3:00pm
After the team builds the strategy, how do we execute it? This session will cover the framework of an execution plan for a DEI strategy to include:
- Developing DE&I Council and Governance
- The role of ERGs and measurable benefits through their activities and creating positive change
- Ensuring Equity of Compensation and Benefits
- Learn how to be Action-Oriented and a Change-Agent for DEI
Speaker
Rachel Cooke, Chief Operating Officer and Principal Analyst, Brandon Hall Group
Adonica Black Director of Global Talent Development and Inclusion LexisNexis Legal and Professional
Claire Herring, Chief Learning Officer, Blue Ocean Brain
Tamisha Roundtree, certified Senior Human Resources Professional
3:00pm - 3:15pm
Break
3:15pm - 4:15pm
- Racial/ Ethnic Minorities
- Women
- LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning, intersex,, asexual/aromantic/agender)
- Accessibility
Speaker
Melissa Benavides, Director of Operations, Brandon Hall Group
Franklin Reed, Global Inclusion, Diversity & Equity, TEKsystems
Dominique Bolden, Senior Manager of Inclusive Leadership if Global Learning and Diversity, The Kraft Heinz Company
4:15pm - 4:30pm
Break
4:30pm- 5:30pm
DEI initiatives are not for employees only. How we interact with candidates and potential employees requires the same level of attention and detail for a successful hiring process. This session will cover key considerations in recruitment, including:
- Fair and Equitable Recruiting and Hiring
- Setting Diversity Goals
Speaker
Wendy Gates Corbett, CPTD
Chantel Johnson, Head of Inclusion & Diversity, North America at Accenture
Jennifer Scandariato, DEI Lead for LoB for Citi at TTS for Women in Tech
6:00pm- 7:30pm
June 29, 2023
6:30am - 7:15am
Beach Walk
7:30am - 8:45am
Breakfast: Ocean Ballroom and Terrace
Breakfast
9:00 am - 9:20 am
Belonging is a feeling that is strengthened or depleted with every human interaction. Organizations with a strong sense of belonging buzz with energy and are more innovative, more productive, and more creative. What are the behaviors that strengthen belonging and what sabotages it? This session answers these questions and provides a research-based framework for identifying inclusive behaviors that create workplace communities where employees are:
- Connected to the people they work with, their leaders, and the organization
- Respected by the people they work with and their leaders
- Protected by the trusted work relationships
Speaker
Wendy Gates Corbett, CPTD
9:30am- 11:00am
We will also break into small groups to discuss common obstacles to inclusive leadership based on specific scenarios and collectively develop action steps for progress. The objective is to capture fresh insights and ideas to take back home to retain or regain momentum in building an inclusive culture through inclusive leadership across the enterprise.
Speaker
Claude Werder, Senior Vice President and Principal Analyst
Lacee Jacobs, Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at BTS
Sandy Johnson, Director of Diversity & Inclusion, Shaw Industries
Christopher Cardarelli, Executive Director, Human Resources, Global Diversity & Inclusion Center of Expertise, Merck
11:00am-11:15am
Break
11:15am -12:15pm
Speaker
Michael Rochelle, Chief Strategy Officer and Principal HCM Analyst, Brandon Hall Group
Verdell Osborne, Senior Manager, Learning & Development, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas
Theresa Zeller, Global Head of Integrated Learning Experiences, Global Learning and Development, Merck & Co., Inc.
Marie Barnes, Principal Analyst, Brandon Hall Group
12:15pm - 12:30pm
11:15am - 12:00pm
Leadership Development for Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Speaker
Rachel Cooke, Chief Operating Officer and Principal Analyst
Ronda Moore, Impactful Talent & Inclusion Executive
Carolina Cardoso, North America I&D Relationship Management, Accenture
11:15am - 12:00pm
Leadership Development for Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Speaker
Rachel Cooke, Chief Operating Officer and Principal Analyst
Ronda Moore, Impactful Talent & Inclusion Executive
Carolina Cardoso, North America I&D Relationship Management, Accenture
12:00pm - 1:30pm
Lunch
1:30pm - 2:15pm
ERG to address DEI / Foster/Expand/Improve ERG’s
Speaker
Rachel Cooke, Chief Operating Officer and Principal Analyst
Ronda Moore, Impactful Talent & Inclusion Executive
Carolina Cardoso, North America I&D Relationship Management, Accenture
1:30pm - 2:15pm
Being Authentic, Building Trust, and Being Empathetic
Speaker
Rachel Cooke, Chief Operating Officer and Principal Analyst
Ronda Moore, Impactful Talent & Inclusion Executive
Carolina Cardoso, North America I&D Relationship Management, Accenture
2:30pm - 3:15pm
Corporate Outreach to Promote DEI in Communities
Speaker
Rachel Cooke, Chief Operating Officer and Principal Analyst
Ronda Moore, Impactful Talent & Inclusion Executive
Carolina Cardoso, North America I&D Relationship Management, Accenture
2:30pm - 3:15pm
Speaker
Rachel Cooke, Chief Operating Officer and Principal Analyst
Ronda Moore, Impactful Talent & Inclusion Executive
Carolina Cardoso, North America I&D Relationship Management, Accenture
3:30pm - 4:30pm
General Session: Measuring DEI
Speaker
Rachel Cooke, Chief Operating Officer and Principal Analyst
Ronda Moore, Impactful Talent & Inclusion Executive
Carolina Cardoso, North America I&D Relationship Management, Accenture
4:30pm
Inclusive leadership
Pricing
Early Bird
Jan 31 - April 28
$695
Members
$945
General
Standard
April 28 - June 28
$945
Members
$1,195
General
Hotel
Eau Palm Beach Resort located at 100 South Ocean Blvd, Lantana, FL 33426.
$299
Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) is located 8 miles, 15 minutes from the
resort; Ft. Lauderdale International Airport (FLL) is 40 miles, 40 min. and Miami
International Airport (MIA) is 65 miles; 1 hour and 15 min.
Book your room by May 22nd
to secure availability and
receive Brandon Hall Group's discounted rate.
Otherwise,
pricing ranges from $700 plus during this time.
But Wait, There is More!
Attendees of the DEI Conference will also receive a 25% discount AND credit towards either one of our DEI Certification Programs. We have two running programs that you can enroll in at any time: Become a Certified Diversity Equity and Inclusion Leader (CDEIL) or a Become a Certified Diversity Equity and Inclusion Champion (CDEIC).
Both certification programs can be completed at your own individual pace or ask us about joining a cohort and completing the program with like-minded peers from other organizations. Both options are 100% virtual.
*Discount and credit only applicable to those who attend the DEI conference. The redemption code and access to the course will be made available once the DEI conference has concluded.
Download Our WIL Magazine
Snag a copy of our legacy Women In Leadership 2020 magazine. This magazine marks the turn of our newly widened “A Way Forward” movement – taking our WIL and looking to more inclusivity through a DEI lens.
About the WIL magazine: As a key component of our A Way Forward movement, the annual Women In Leadership Summit embodies our ongoing mission to make the world a better place by ensuring there is gender equity and inclusion throughout the workplace, especially among its leadership. In May, women from a variety of organizations from all over the world met at the annual Women In Leadership Summit for conversations, panels, presentations and networking to confront the Inclusion and Diversity issues we face every day in the workplace. I hope you will read about their stories here, join the WIL Network and plan to attend the next Summit. There’s so much we can do as individuals, as you will also read here, but together, along with our allies, we can be unstoppable.
Frequent Asked Questions
Conference registration includes access to General Sessions, Keynote, Breakout Sessions, Receptions, Meals and Expo Area throughout the 2-day event. Hotel accommodations are not included with your registration fee. To make your hotel reservations, please visit our hotel page.
As a special thank you for visiting us from LinkedIn, we’re offering an exclusive discount code just for you. Simply enter the code at checkout to receive your discount. Don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn for more special offers and updates!
CLOs, CTOs, CHROs, VPs/ Directors/Managers of Learning & Development, Talent Management, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Talent Acquisition, Workforce Management, Payroll, Benefits, Compensation, Current and Past HCM Excellence Award Winners, Brandon Hall Group member organizations.
All cancellations are subject to a $150 cancellation fee. You may cancel your registrations through May 28, 2023 for a refund (minus the cancellation fee). Any cancellations made on or after May 28, 2023 will not be refunded. You may transfer your registration to someone else without incurring any fees. You may also opt to receive a credit to apply towards future events, services, awards entries, etc. To cancel your registration, please reach out to us at deiconference@brandonhall.com.
Please contact us at deiconference@brandonhall.com to make arrangements.
Please contact us at deiconference@brandonhall.com for any questions regarding which registration type you should select.
Cancellation Policy:
Cancellations must be made on or before May 28, 2023 to receive a refund.
All cancellations will be subject to a $150 cancellation fee. Refunds will not be granted for cancellations received on or after May 28, 2023.
No-show registrations will not be refunded. To cancel your registration, please contact us
Covid-19 Policy:
- We are not requiring proof of vaccination.
- We are not requiring masks, unless mandated by local/state laws.
- We are recommending social distancing practices and have our meeting rooms set up with additional space between tables/seats.
- The meeting space is also equipped with hand sanitizing stations.
As a general rule, we are following our local/state mandates and guidelines. In the event that we are mandated to wear masks again, we would implement that within the event as well. Please let us know if you have any additional questions.
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specials during select months.
