Join us for our 5th Annual Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Symposium, a day dedicated to exploring the strategies and tactics needed to fully integrate diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging into your organization and team. The day will include panels, breakouts, and general sessions throughout that provide the guidance and thought leadership needed to craft your organization's plan, with sensitivity to the current work environment.

NEHRA Members:
Early-Bird - $299 (ends Tuesday 11/16)
Regular - $399 (11/17-on)

Non-Members: $399
Early-Bird - $399 (ends Tuesday 11/16)
Regular - $499 (11/17-on)

*Sleeping rooms available at the Four Points by Sheraton at a discounted rate of $145/night. Call 781-769-7900 and use code NEHRA when booking. 

NEHRA Registration Cancellation Policy:
Cancellations must be received in writing by Friday December, 3rd, and will be charged a $100 cancellation fee.

SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE

8:30 - 9:00am: Registration, Breakfast, & Networking

9:00 - 10:15am: Welcome Remarks & Opening Session - Addressing Power, Privilege, and Racial Equity in Your Organization

10:15 - 10:45am: Break

10:45am - 12:00pm: Breakouts ( choice of 3 )
1 - Empathetic Leadership Through a Diverse Lens
2 - Inclusive Strategies to Engage and Support Employees with Diverse Abilities
3 - Uplift & Empower Women to Avoid the Great Resignation

12:00 - 1:15pm: Lunch & Networking Activity: Sharing Stories and Building Connections 

1:15 - 2:30pm: Breakouts ( choice of 3 )
1- The Development of Racial & Social Justice Work at BAMSI (Brockton Area Multi-Services, Inc): A Case Study
2 - Intersectional Identities: Adding Mental Health to DE&I Initiatives at Work
3 - Hot Off the Press! Greater Boston 2021 Gender and Racial Wage Gap Measurement Results from the BWWC

2:30 - 3:00pm: Break

3:00 - 4:00pm: Closing Keynote: Cultivating Joy: A Conversation with Thaddeus Miles

4:00 - 5:00pm: Networking Reception sponsored by: Professional Staffing Group (PSG)

AGENDA

8:30 - 9:00AM - REGISTRATION, BREAKFAST, & NETWORKING

9:00 - 10:15AM - WELCOME REMARKS & OPENING SESSION - Addressing Power, Privilege, and Racial Equity in Your Organization
Facilitator:  Marcia Kimm-Jackson, Facilitator, Trainer, & Coach, IBIS Consulting Group

Organizations are making racial equity a business priority to create a culture of belonging. This often requires leaders to engage in difficult conversations around power, privilege and now racial equity.

In this unique and dynamic session, the IBIS Consulting Group and their troupe of professional actors will perform a workplace scenario that will serve as starting points for discussion on inclusive leadership and allies in the workplace. This real-life scenario will illustrate role of leaders on mitigating bias and addressing systemic disparities.

10:45AM - 12:00PM: BREAKOUT SESSIONS (CHOICE OF 3) -

1 - Empathetic Leadership Through a Diverse Lens
Speakers:  Su Joun, Principal, Diversity@Workplace & Amanda Martinez, Senior Consultant, Diversity@Workplace

Many believe that empathy is a good leadership skill to have, but why is it extra critical for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in this current environment? This session will cover what exactly empathy is, how it is different from sympathy, how it can be learned and developed, and how best to utilize it to advance DEI as an individual and in an organization. 

2 - Inclusive Strategies to Engage and Support Employees with Diverse Abilities
Speaker: Lisa Drennan, Founder, MERGE Diverse Abilities Inclusion Consulting

If your business or organization has committed to hiring a diverse workforce, this session is for you. Inclusion is not about proximity, or simply providing a work opportunity for someone with a disability. Inclusion is the intentional work we do to ensure that everyone is welcomed, engaged and supported to be successful in their roles. Here we will explore together the top inclusion strategies that will give your team the tools and confidence to create a culture of inclusion ensuring that persons with diverse abilities are valued (and equal) members of your team. 

In this interactive training, attendees will learn about disability etiquette, suggested terminology and best practice around inclusion strategies. End the session reviewing inclusion scenarios in small groups and apply the strategies learned to solve them. You’ll leave knowing that Inclusion means FOR ALL and is achieved when there is organizational commitment.

3 - Uplift & Empower Women to Avoid the Great Resignation
Speakers: Sarah MacConduibh, Aurora Guide Team Lead, reacHIRE & Addie Swartz, CEO, reacHIRE 

According to a new global study from Qualtrics, belonging is the top employee experience driver linked to engagement and well-being in 2021. When employees feel like they belong in an organization and see real evidence that they are valued, they perform better, are more engaged and are more likely to stay and thrive. When we focus on women and people who identify as female, a sense of belonging is especially critical as we emerge from a post-pandemic world and weather the aftershocks together.

In this presentation, attendees will learn about the business benefits of establishing small, scalable “community groups” for women within the parameters of the traditional workday to build belonging and shared experiences. We will also discuss how small group community for historically marginalized employees differs from ERGs and why it is especially critical for Women of Color, Women in STEM and new mothers, and non-binary team members.

Instead of helping women find belonging as they climb the corporate ladder alone, this presentati on will explore how we can turn the proverbial ladder into a community bridge that helps more women get to where they want to go, together.

12:00 - 1:15PM: LUNCH & NETWORKING ACTIVITY:
Sharing Stories and Building Connections
Facilitator:  Kari Heistad, CEO of Diversity Dashboard and DEIBoxx, and Advisory Board Member for the D&I Masters Program at Tufts University 

1:15 - 2:30PM: BREAKOUT SESSIONS (CHOICE OF 3) -
1 - The Development of Racial & Social Justice Work at BAMSI (Brockton Area Multi-Services, Inc.): A Case Study
Speakers: Sonia D'Alarcao, VP of Learning & Development, BAMSI, Peter Evers, CEO, BAMSI, Christiana Odunze, RN, Director of Healthcare Services, & Catherine Stewart, Program Director of the CSA, BAMSI

Recent events have sparked a renewed movement towards racial justice.  Organizations are looking within and making changes.  This session will present BAMSI as a case study in how an organization can begin or expand this work. 

A panel of BAMSI leaders will present this organization’s approach to racial and social justice work, including the following areas:

• ASSESS to identify challenges and ensure inclusivity
• ENGAGE employee voices and participation in programs and events
• ENHANCE processes and policies
• STRENGTHEN through advocacy, education and support
• INNOVATE to meet employee and agency needs
• CELEBRATE who we are and where we come from 

2 - Intersectional Identities: Adding Mental Health to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives at Work
Speaker: Kyrah Altman, CEO, LEAD, Inc.

Join us for this impactful session to discover how Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging initiatives fuel mental health and psychological safety in the workplace. We'll explore how intersectional identities influence one’s feelings of inclusion, belonging, and justice at work. Participants will also learn how to effectively apply proactive strategies to prevent burnout, maximize productivity, and foster psychological safety in the workplace, such as updating HR policies and leveraging "identity" and "mental health days."

3 - Hot Off the Press! Greater Boston 2021 Gender and Racial Wage Gap Measurement Results from the BWWC (Boston Women's Workforce Council)
Speakers:  Mim Minichiello, President, Employee Benefits, HUB International New England & Kimberly Borman, Executive Director, Boston Women’s Workforce Council

Disparity in pay? You don’t say! Results from the BWWC’s 2021 Wage Gap Report

Are we any closer to closing the gender & racial wage gap? That’s what the Boston Women’s Workforce Council has been studying for the past several years, and the Wage Gap Report has the answers. Join Executive Director Kim Borman to get a snapshot of the current landscape, progress that’s being made and best practices that BBWC’s Compact Signers are adopting to make their organizations more equitable. We’ll also discuss how you can become a Compact Signer and be the change you want to see for a better workplace.

3:00 - 4:00PM:  CLOSING KEYNOTE:
Cultivating Joy: A Conversation with Thaddeus Miles

Thaddeus Miles is the Director of Community Services at MassHousing, an internationally recognized and award- winning photographer, and the founder of the #BlackJoy project which sets out to highlight and celebrate joy. At MassHousing, Thaddeus is responsible for Housing Stability, Knowledge and Capacity Building, and Strengthening Families and Communities for over 500 Housing developments across the commonwealth. He has received several awards and recognitions for making positive impacts on the lives of some of the most vulnerable members of the population by raising awareness, fighting against social injustices and advocating for those who do not have a voice.

Thaddeus will sit down with Aaron Green, Founder of PSG and member of NEHRA's Diversity Steering Committee. They will discuss Thaddeus' steadfast commitment to ensuring genuine opportunities for success and achievement for underserved populations, as well as his inspiration for creating the Black Joy Project, and how it has already sparked resilience, empowerment, and happiness among the Black community and beyond.

4:00 - 5:00PM: NETWORKING RECEPTION
Sponsored by:  

Thank you to our Annual Partners and Symposium Sponsors!