WFU to host conference for diversity & inclusion professionals

On Nov. 21, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion will serve as host to the North Carolina Diversity and Inclusion Partners (NCDIP) Annual Fall Conference. Convened by Assistant Provost Barbee Oakes, this year’s conference will explore the meanings and manifestations of implicit bias in everyday professional life.

NCDIP is a consortium of diversity and inclusion, equity, human resources and multicultural affairs professionals from public and private institutions of higher education across the state. Member institutions include Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, North Carolina State, East Carolina, UNC Charlotte, UNC Wilmington and Craven Community College.

“We are experiencing profound demographic transformations in our educational institutions and as a global community that have oft contributed to tense cultural climates,” Oakes said. “The work of NCDIP and their mission to strengthen our capabilities to communicate across differences will be an important part of the solution to foster inclusive and engaging campuses.”

Nearly 200 participants will engage in sessions exploring the impact of bias on teamwork and collaboration; employment transactions and search committees; and crisis management. Howard Ross, founder and chief learning officer at Cook Ross Consulting and author of “ReInventing Diversity: Transforming Organizational Community to Strengthen People, Purpose, and Performance,” and “Everyday Bias: Identifying and Navigating Unconscious Judgments in Our Daily Lives” will share his insights as the keynote speaker.

To register or to learn more about this year’s conference, visit http://ncdip.org.