Presentation vs. representation: Things to acknowledge before undergoing a DEIB effort.
Have you ever considered undergoing a diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) effort? This presentation is for you.
Description goals:
This one-hour presentation and discussion is designed to create awareness of what should be considered and acknowledged before taking on the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiative or effort. While DEIB efforts are valued on the surface, understanding your current culture may be essential to growth, progress, and sustainability.
Learning objectives
By attending this presentation, participants will be able to
Identify at least two mistakes typically made when attempting to undergo DEIB initiatives
Summarize what acknowledgments must be made before undergoing a DEIB initiative.
List the unintended consequences of not being able to summarize the acknowledgments above.
About the presenters
Terry Lee Watson, founder of Strategies for Justice BWMP LLC, has provided workshops on racial and disability justice for over 20 years. Mr. Watson has presented at Universities, K-12, social justice organizations, and conferences. A true believer in having civil discourse, Mr. Watson constantly challenges perspectives leading to him writing this book, Welcome to the sick mind of a sane person, where he asks the question, how do we, as conscious black people participate in sustaining white supremacy?
As the Assistant Director of Student Disability Services for Penn State University World Campus, Mr. Watson works closely with faculty, designers, and student-facing units. In this capacity, he helps shape practices, procedures, and policies to include individuals with disabilities. Nationally, Mr. Watson's training workshop, Beyond Accommodations, examines pedagogy through the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) lens and provides insight into inclusive practices by addressing misconceptions and unique challenges.
Iris Richardson was born and raised in Philadelphia. She earned a bachelor’s degree in applied psychology at Penn State Berks and a master’s degree in counseling in higher education/student affairs from West Chester University. Richardson has worked at Penn State for the past 9 ½ years in various Residence Life/Student Affairs positions. In March, Richardson accepted a new position as Penn State University Police and Public Safety’s first diversity, equity, and inclusion director.
In this newly added position, Richardson will be committed to developing overall diversity, equity, and inclusion programming for UPPS while also serving the Penn State community, she will serve the department’s employees and the Penn State community at 22 campuses.
Leslie Marant was selected as the first Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for the Philadelphia Police Department in April 2022. She is the former Chief Counsel of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, the anti-discrimination law enforcement agency for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Before serving at the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, Leslie worked as a Staff Attorney in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. During her tenure in federal court, Leslie served on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania’s Diversity in Jury Selection Committee.
Ms. Marant is a Special Olympics Cities of Inclusion Executive Council member. She is also a community health activist who has partnered with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health for many years. This partnership assisted in developing strategies for equitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Ms. Marant is a frequent panelist on public health inequities and disparities. She created the annual Philadelphia Health Justice Summit. Leslie earned her Master of Law in Trial Advocacy, Juris Doctorate, and Bachelor of Science in Finance and Human Resources Administration degrees from Temple University.
