April 22, 2022

8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. 

Westchase Marriott

 

 

7:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.    Conference Registration

** 6 SHRM continuing education credits is available for attending the conference

 

9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.    Corporate Exhibits and Coach's Corner

Professional coaches from International Coach Federation - Houston will be offering complimentary career coaching sessions. Sign-up at the Registration Desk to take advantage of this exciting opportunity!

 

8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.     Pre-Opening Session

“Gender and Sexual Diversity and Its Implications in Texas”

- Dr. Maria C. Gonzalez, University of Houston

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This presentation includes a brief overview of a few important cases that ground the current legal definitions of gender and sexuality in the state of Texas.  Concrete examples and understanding of current gender and sexuality terms are also presented.  Finally, a discussion of the current arguments around state policies and mandates concerning gender and sexuality with a focus on how they affect public accommodations, housing, and employment.  Opportunities for questions, clarifications, concerns, and discussions represent the overall plan for the presentation.

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9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.    Welcome Remarks  

 

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.    Plenary Session 

Building Mental Fitness: Strengthening Your Capacity for Empathy, Respect and Inclusion

- Amy Yip, Amy Yip Coaching

 

The more mentally fit you are, the more you’ll be able to handle the stress, anxiety and frustrations that might come from work and personal life challenges. This includes relationships and how you engage with others like your colleagues, partner, children.  Mental Fitness is the X-Factor to transform a workplace culture to one that is thriving: anchored in deep empathy, mutual respect and inclusion. And it starts with us as individuals.

The good news: just like physical fitness, you can boost your Mental Fitness with practice. During this interactive workshop, we will unpack

• How you tend to self-sabotage with Saboteurs like the Judge, the Hyper-Rational, the Controller, the Hyper-Achiever, the Pleaser and 5 others

• The ore muscles at the root of mental fitness

• Practices to build your mental muscles including how to show up with greater empathy towards others

Format/Exercises:

Highly interactive workshop with reflections, audience engagement and live practices together that can be 'taken home' to do

• We will do a visualization practice which entails tapping into the empathy muscles

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10:30 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.    Networking Break

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11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.        Concurrent Sessions

 

A. Metrics and How They Can Help or Hinder s DEI Program 

- Amanda Scott, Enbridge

 

Enbridge uses its Informed Insights to drive their journey toward an Inclusive workplace. The core piece of the initiative is comprehensive data analysis and transparency.  Sharing comprehensive data with employees requires the keen understanding that we all need to know where we are starting from in order to define where we want to go as an organization. It is not always an easy road!  This session will dive into some of ways your data can help you along the inclusion journey and the many potholes to avoid along the way.

 

B. Win-Win Strategies in Creating a Diverse Workforce 

- Jeronimo Cortina, PhD, University of Houston

 

When the word 'diversity' comes up in relation to the hiring, retention and training of Latinos and other underrepresented groups, companies often approach it as something they have to make room for outside of their core business due to external pressure from shareholders, analysts and the media. This thinking is upside down. In Spanish there is a saying: 'contra corriente' - thinking which goes against the prevailing tide of public opinion. In this vein, Dr. Cortina will share how diversity is a win for companies, their customers and to their communities as a whole. Dr. Cortina will share the numbers, and highlight the wins companies can score when they listen to, hire and retain the diverse talent we have in abundance in Houston and in Texas.

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C. How to Navigate Predominately White Spaces to Grow and Thrive in Your Career 

- DeAnnah Stinson Reese - Award Nominated Corporate Racial EQUITY Strategist

 

1. Audience: Racially Marginalized Groups

2. Description: Members of racially marginalized groups experience discrimination, bias, prejudice, and many other forms of sabotage and injustice in the workplace. This topic unpacks the nuances of breaking past levels within a system designed against you to still grow and thrive within your career. 

3. Takeaways: Participants will learn tangible strategies for positioning themselves for promotions and leadership positions within organizations

 

12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.        Luncheon

 

Luncheon Speaker 

Dignity and Data: How the Numbers Reveal the Path Forward for Employers

•  Ashton Holt – AON Consulting

 

Ashton Holt has been collecting data from clients for over 20 years, in industries from energy to tech to finance. His benchmarking of the ‘before’ and ‘after’ Covid data reveals what workers are saying about what they now require from employers to feel respected and connected. Pay equity and workplace flexibility alone will not address the cultural issues that are causing employees to leave in droves to places of work seen as more progressive and forward-thinking. He shares that the ‘Covid era’ will have far-reaching consequences for employers, as employees of color in particular have more options and will no longer accept the former status quo. Learn what your company can do to retain top talent before it’s too late

 

Diversity Champion Recognition

Corporate:       Annie Lidge, Supply Diversity Manager, Fluor

Community:    David Leebron, President, Rice University

Team:              Digital and Information Technology STEM Team, HCC

 

1:50 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.        Concurrent Sessions

 

A. Diversity in Higher Education 

- Donna Davis, Houston Community College

- Richard Anthony Baker, PhD. Rice University

- Mahnaz Kolaini, PsyD, Houston community College

- Nicole Arleane Roberson, PhD, Texas A&M University System (TAMUS)

 

This interactive workshop will provide a comprehensive overview of diversity in higher education from DEI practitioners and executive leaders. The facilitators will discuss how diversity impacts key stakeholders (students, staff, and faculty) within an institution's structure, recruitment, retention, and inclusivity.

 

The engaging session will provide participants with the tools and awareness necessary to improve their understanding across differences provided through a diversity lens. Targeted activities are designed to explore specific diversity concepts including unconscious bias, microaggressions, gender, privilege, sexual orientation, generational differences, and religion. Participants will leave equipped with tangible tools to positively impact the diversity initiatives and strategic plan of their organizations. 

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B.  Connecting Resilience, Belonging, and Success

- Chris Pitre – VP Softway / WSJ Bestselling Book Author

 

Do you have stakeholders who say they want more DEI but prioritize over it? Learn how leaders and teams within companies like Google, Groupon, The Obama Foundation, and others are connecting inclusion and diversity organically to create cultures where belonging thrives in congruence with business results. Walk away with tactics and tools that connect culture to business outcomes, allowing for executives to understand how DEIB is integral to achieving go

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2:50 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.        Network Reception & Door Prizes Drawing

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