About the Event
The WTIA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Summit convened investors; executive leaders; and diversity, human resources, product development, communications, and community engagement leaders in the technology industry to share best practices and lessons learned in advancing diversity goals and objectives. During a time of increased awareness and accountability for racial justice, the event focused on intentional and deliberate efforts to eradicate systems of inequities in the technology workplace.
The work of WTIA in DEI is strengthened by the commitment of 70+ companies that signed the Anti-Racism in Tech Pact, a bold vision for dismantling systemic racism in the technology industry. The WTIA DEI Center of Excellence exists to support the Pact, as well as organizations at all stages of their DEI journey.
Watch the full DEI Summit video below
View individual sessions here
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leaders
Diversity leaders started off the day’s learnings with a panel discussion on “Focusing on Equity in DEI: Best practices, lessons learned and continuing challenges.” Panelists discussed challenges and opportunities in creating an inclusive and equitable workplace for people from all backgrounds and identities. Panelists included:
- Belinda Nieves, WTIA Vice President of Human Resources
- Marcus Carter, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging, First Tech Credit Union
- Katie Donnelly, PHR, Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager, Verizon
- Denita Price, SPHR, Head of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice & Accessibility, Pioneer Human Services
- Lila Williams, Chief Impact Officer, Evia Events
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Keynote Speaker
Keynote
Kwame Christian
Kwame Christian, Esq., MA, founder, and CEO of the American Negotiation Institute (ANI) and author of the [best-selling?] book, “How to Have Difficult Conversations About Race,” delivered the keynote address. He gave a compelling presentation highlighting the challenges and opportunities accompanying sensitive conversations about race in the workplace. With a mix of humor and compassion, Kwame offered practical, real-world applications and advice to help HR leaders and teams achieve common ground and understanding in the workplace, including viewing conflict as an opportunity for progress, cultivating a culture of respect despite differences, understanding strategies for addressing conflict, embracing compassionate curiosity, and more.
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Best Practices
Focus on Disability Inclusion
Increasingly, companies are being intentional about expanding their diversity and equity initiatives. With 1 in 4 adults in the US living with a disability, it’s vital we challenge the stigma associated with disability and actively seek ways to incorporate accessibility.
In this training, Emma MacLean (Accessible Apprenticeship Program Manager) and Marie Trudelle (Accessibility Specialist) walked attendees through an introduction to disability frameworks as well as etiquette and best practices for creating an inclusive workplace. In the follow-up Q&A session, Emma and Marie shared methods for encouraging employees with disabilities to self-identify at your organization.
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Emma MacLean
Accessible Apprenticeship Program Manager, Apprenti
Emma MacLean is an educator and disability advocate. Her path to accessible work has included being a paraprofessional at a school for children with disabilities, being a steering committee member of the Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium, and being a teaching artist with a theatre group in Chicago called A.B.L.E. (Artists Breaking Limits and Expectations) where she works with actors with developmental and intellectual disabilities. She is currently the Accessible Apprenticeship Program Manager at Apprenti where she works with apprentices, training providers, employers, and community partners to ensure accessibility and inclusion.
Marie Trudelle
Operations Manager, Apprenti
Marie Trudelle is an accessibility specialist and inclusive designer. She started her career as an educator at California School for the Blind and shifted to focus on the intersection of technology and disability empowerment in the San Francisco Bay Area, Lebanon, and Turkey. Marie’s experience teaching Design Thinking to educators and corporate leaders help her identify and creatively approach barriers to access. At Apprenti, she works alongside Emma Maclean to build, sustain, and expand accessible apprenticeship programs.
Focus on Diversifying the C-Suite
During her presentation, Dr. Adrienne S. Lawson shared poignant, personal stories about her life and career journey. Using her own experiences and relationships, she developed relevant strategies for recruiting and retaining top diverse talent at the highest levels of any organization. She explored the applicability of these strategies in today’s workplace and offered guidance for company leaders struggling to build diverse, inclusive cultures.
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Adrienne Lawson, Ed.D.
Senior Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, PRIDE Industries
Dr. Lawson is a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Practitioner, and educator with more than 30 years of experience working in academic environments. She joined PRIDE Industries in October 2020 as Senior Director of DEI, the Program Manager for ERGs; and oversees the Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity compliance programs. Before her tenure, she served six years as Senior Director for Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at UC Davis Health in Sacramento, CA. Dr. Lawson’s professional career has centered on recruitment and retention of best practices, creating inclusive spaces, and restorative justice practices, and advocating for equitable opportunities for those underserved and most vulnerable. She has been a keynote speaker and presented at several conferences locally, regionally, and nationally. She is a member of several organizations, including 2nd Vice President for Blacks in Government, Sacramento Chapter, the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. (NCBW), Sacramento Chapter, the Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice (NACRJ); Sacramento State Educational Doctorate Advisory Board, and Saving Our Legacy: African Americans for Smoke-Free Safe Places Advisory Board.
Focus on LGBTQIA+ Inclusion
Kai Horton and Sam Choi from Seattle’s LGBTQ+ Center hosted a session that explored how to integrate queer and trans affirmative practices at an institutional level. They shared best practices to create safe(r) spaces for LGBTQIA2S+ community members in the workplace, explore basic queer and trans competencies, and more.
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Sam 정우 (Jungwoo) Choi
Lead Trainer, Gay City: Seattle’s LGBTQ Center
Sam (he/him) is a queer, trans, first-generation Korean immigrant and artist. He believes in creating intentional spaces to center marginalized voices & creativity to move toward liberation for all. sam is an uninvited settler on unceded Duwamish land, currently working as the training and technical assistance coordinator at Seattle’s LGBTQ+ Center.
Kai Horton
Executive Director, Gay City: Seattle’s LGBTQ Center
Kai (they/them/theirs) is a non-binary, transmasculine, queer, mixed-race, child of immigrant parents poet, and queer joy advocate. They are the Co-Executive Director – Programs at Seattle’s LGBTQ+ Center where they oversee the internal programs from youth advocacy to health services and program innovation for the future. They have a background in equity-centered, anti-oppressive leadership and have spent much of their career working as a DEIA consultant. They believe that rest, healing, embodiment, and deep relational tending are vital to the well-being of their teams and community. They are devoted to cultivating spaces of joy and liberation for the LGBTQIA+ community and, most specifically, QTBIPOC folx.
Talkback Panel
Brook Riggio (CodeFellows), and Ekundayo Ojumu (First Tech Credit Union) shared their perspectives and takeaways from Kwame’s keynote address on navigating challenging conversations about race in the workplace. The discussion was moderated by Gregory Glover (WTIA). Brook and Ekundayo offered up notes, ideas, and actionable applications that they planned to implement as they continue to do the work to cultivate sustainable DEI strategies in their own companies.
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