Diversity Focus Brings Internationally Renowned Speakers to Corridor
Diversity Focus announces the SHIFT* Speaker Series: Driving Diversity as a Vehicle for Success, coming to the Corridor throughout 2010. The series brings world-class speakers to the region and challenges attendees to discover what they know – and don’t know – about diversity and inclusion and discover how shifting their viewpoint will allow them to drive innovation and success in a global environment. Diversity and inclusion together are widely recognized by experts on regionalism as one of the five critical factors for successful regionalism and drive the interconnectedness of our differences and possibilities.
The SHIFT* Series begins April 8, 2010 with best-selling author of the book The Medici Effect, speaker and entrepreneur, Frans Johannson. Raised in Sweden, Johansson moved to the states and received a BS in environmental science at Brown University and an MBA at Harvard Business School. Johansson later founded a software company as well as a medical device company. Johannson is known not only for his ability to bring real life examples of diversity and inclusion to business people and communities, but also for the dynamic delivery of his message. Attendees will hear about groundbreaking examples of how diversity and inclusion drive innovation.
The second speaker, June 17, 2010, is Carlos Gutierrez. The son of Cuban immigrants, Gutierrez started his career in sales at Kellogg Company in Mexico City and eventually rose to the position of CEO by 1999 – the youngest CEO in Kellogg history at that time. In 2005, Gutierrez became the 35th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce for the Bush Administration and is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion. Attendees will hear his powerful message on the urgency and necessity for diversity and inclusion.
The third speaker, November 4, 2010, Bill Proudman, became an advocate for diversity after noticing how disengaged other white male leaders were from diversity efforts in the early 90’s. Proudman worked for Outward Bound for more than 30 years and became a Founding Partner and COO of White Men as Full Diversity Partners, a consulting company with a deliberately controversial name that has cracked the code to engaging senior leaders and white males in diversity and inclusion efforts. Attendees of Proudman’s lecture will come away with an understanding of the critical role of white men in successful diversity and inclusion efforts.
"Diversity Focus is thrilled to bring the rich experiences and incredible talents of these high-caliber speakers to the corridor," says Hazel Pegues, Executive Director of Diversity Focus. “I have personally attended lectures from all three speakers and believe that others will be inspired by the message and experience all three bring to the table. Diversity and inclusion will only become more important to the innovation and drive this region is known for.”
Each of the events, held at the Kirkwood Continuing Education Center, located near I380 in southern Cedar Rapids, will be an hour-and-a-half session, including lunch, from 11:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m. Attendance is $50 and requires a reservation which may be made online at www.diversityfocus.org/shift.
Diversity Focus was established in 2005 as a non-profit organization devoted to enhancing the diversity of the Cedar Rapids - Iowa City corridor. For more information about Diversity Focus or the SHIFT* Speaker Series: Driving Diversity as a Vehicle for Success, please visit www.diversityfocus.org.
