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CNN’s Soledad O’Brien gives keynote at 3^rd Annual Philadelphia Diversity & Leadership Conference

By Christopher “Flood the Drummer®” Norris

10.18.12: Philadelphia -(Business/Nonprofit/Activism): Emmy Award Winner and Host of CNN’s “Starting Point” Soledad O’Brien was in town today to give the keynote address at the 3^rd Annual Philadelphia Diversity and Leadership Conference; a one day conference that gives participants an opportunity to share the tools necessary to build a diverse talent pool that can accomplish organizational goals. Sponsored by Lincoln Financial Group, this conference offered a variety of breakout session, including: ‘How to measure your Diversity Program Effectiveness’, ‘Disabilities in the Workplace’ and ‘Aligning Diversity & Inclusion with HR Strategies’; the latter being a session moderated by Gregory Walker, Managing Executive Director of The Brothers’ Network; winners of a 2012 Knight Arts Challenge Grant.

This year’s theme was “From Awareness to Action” and many participants had great ideas on how to take action to build a better and more diverse corporate culture.

“We need to make Diversity part of our performance appraisals,” stated Jeff Rowland, Manager of Staff and Labor Relations at University of Pennsylvania.

“Diversity isn’t one thing, it’s everything,” explains Nancy Rogers, Senior VP, Corporate Responsibility at Lincoln Financial Group. “There’s nothing more important than having a broad vision for Diversity. It’s not just about the workplace; it’s about the marketplace and the community. We don’t contribute to organizations without Diversity,” Rogers added.

“If open communication isn’t there, you’ll always have an unstable floor,” says Michelle Rovinsky-Mayer, Associate VP of Office Equality and Diversity, Drexel University. “Communication and Transparency, Conflict Resolution and Confidentiality are important in creating a culture of inclusion.” Michelle continues, “Inclusion leads to innovation.”

To view Soledad O’Brien’s full speech visit http://phillyinfocus.com and SEARCH “Philadelphia Diversity and Leadership Conference”

Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!

Source: TBO Inc®

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