The GilDeane Group Inc presents
the 9th Annual NW Diversity Learning Series:
Life Theater About Inclusion and Engagement:
Challenging and Expanding My Diversity Competency: Moving Beyond My Comfort Zone

The Series Metaphor: Life Theater!

Effective theatre is all about inclusion and engagement. Read more.

What is this Series about?

The 2007 Series theme asserts that Inclusion and Engagement of all employees do not just happen automatically; they require "diversity competent effort."

Diversity competent effort is required on two levels: personal awareness of the issues that people experience, and eliminating systemic barriers in the organization.

The first session in the Series will explore our own discomfort about Inclusion, why it doesn't happen, and how our organizational systems create barriers.

Each of the following sessions will address the diversity competency for Including and Engaging one of five different population groups: people with disabilities, people from different socioeconomic levels, people with body modifications, people who are transgender and bisexual, and women of color.

If you find some of these topics challenge your comfort zone, we invite you to "lean into" your discomfort - learn, stretch, and expand your diversity competency!

Series Sessions

In keeping with our Series metaphor of the Theater, we will refer to each session as a Scene!

Scene One: Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Leaning into our discomfort about inclusion
Presenters: Patti Digh and David Robinson, The Circle Project

Scene Two: Friday, March 23, 2007

Including and Engaging people with disabilities: Don't "dis" abilities! Engage employees and their expertise
Presenters: Barbara Ceconi, President, and Kurt Kuss, Associate, Access Umbrella, Inc., Brookline, MA

Scene Three: Thursday, May 10, 2007

Including and Engaging people of all socio-economic levels: Working with the unmentionable difference - Class
Presenters: Evangelina Holvino, President, Chaos Management, Ltd, Brattleboro, VT, and Maureen Scully, Professor of Management, University of Massachusetts, Boston. Dr. Holvino is Senior Research Faculty, and Dr. Scully is Faculty Affiliate, at the Center for Gender in Organizations, Simmons College School of Management, Boston, MA

Scene Four: Thursday, July 12 2007

Including and Engaging people who are transgender and bisexual
Presenters: Jillian Weiss, Ph.D., J.D., Professor of Law and Society, Ramapo College of New Jersey, Mahwah, NJ, and Robyn Ochs, Ed.M., a professional speaker on bisexual identity and editor of Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World

Scene Five: Thursday, September 27, 2007

Including and Engaging people with body modifications
Presenter: Donna Stringer, President, Executive Diversity Services, Seattle, WA and co-presenter.

Scene Six: Friday, November 9, 2007

Including and Engaging women of color
Presenters: Deepali Bagati and Anika K. Warren, Directors, Catalyst Inc., New York, NY. Both are members of the Women of Color Issue Specialty Team at Catalyst