- Overview
- Speakers
Sustaining Inclusion and Belonging in Today's Shifting Political Climate (a Leadership Ecosystem Webinar)
Where: Webinar/Virtual
When: Thursday, February 15, 2024
12:00pm - 1:30pm EST
Note: Zoom login instructions will be sent the day prior. If you have not received login instructions by 4:00 pm the day before the webinar, please check your spam folder, if you still have not received the login details please email nercomp@nercomp.org.
Workshop Organizers:
Michael Cato, Senior VP & CIO Bowdoin College and member of the Leadership Ecosystem Working Group
Event Overview:
After a few years of intense focus and broad support, there is a movement to dismantle efforts that seek to increase representation and focus on inclusion. From the Supreme Court decision on Affirmative Action to states outright banning these efforts, to vocal celebrities, this resistance appears to be gaining traction in several areas, and many are finding themselves having to defend this work.
This session seeks to dialogue on these issues and explore strategies to sustain and advance inclusion and belonging initiatives, even in the face of growing resistance in the current political and cultural landscape. The session will be a conversation between inclusion and belonging professionals as well as leaders who have successfully navigated these challenges in various sectors. They will share their insights, experiences, and practical advice to help you and your organization stay committed to the critical work of fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.
Participants will:
- Understand the Resistance - consider the origins, motivations, and manifestations of this resistance.
- Learn best Practices for Advocacy – gain insights into successful tactics and approaches that can promote inclusion and belonging.
- Develop Communication Strategies - discover how to effectively communicate the value and importance of inclusion and belonging initiatives to diverse audiences, including those who may be skeptical or opposed.
- Build Alliances - learn the importance of building alliances across different sectors and communities to strengthen the impact of inclusion efforts.
- Learn Self-Care and Resilience - explore strategies for maintaining your own well-being and resilience while doing this challenging and often emotionally taxing work.
Panelists:
Michael Cato, Senior VP and CIO, Bowdoin College
Anita Davis, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Trinity College
Benje Douglas, Senior VP for Inclusion and Diversity, Bowdoin College
Registration Fee:
NERCOMP Member: Free
Non-Member: Free
This session will not be recorded.
This session is for individuals employed by higher education institutions only. No vendors, please.
Accessibility
NERCOMP strives to make its online offerings and In-person workshops accessible for all registrants. Please contact us should you have an accessibility need. We've worked to provide resources that are accessible to as many people as possible, and if you encounter any issues while attending our events, please contact us at accessibility@nercomp.org or at 860-345-2081 to request assistance.
Michael Cato (Moderator)
Michael leads Bowdoin College's Information Technology strategy and operations through the Information and Technology department and has spent well over 20 years in Higher Education IT. He is active in a number of professional organizations such as CAUDIT, EDUCAUSE, and NERCOMP, and the Next Leaders Fellowship, with an emphasis on leadership development, inclusive leadership, and the array of issues around diversity, equity, and inclusion. He is the 2022 Technology Executive of the Year – Education award winner from the IT Senior Management Forum (ITSMF), and the 2021 recipient of the EDUCAUSE DEI Leadership Award.
Michael holds a B.S. in Zoology from Andrews University and an M.B.A. from Wake Forest University. He loves to learn, read, eat, and occasionally cook and starts most days being humbled by CrossFit. Michael is raising an awesome son with his partner and wife Heather.
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Anita Davis
Anita Davis began serving as Trinity’s inaugural vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion in September 2018. In this role, she provides strategic leadership to advance institutional goals that promote and enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the community. Under her leadership, the Office of DEI is composed of four departments: Multicultural Affairs, the Queer Resource Center, the Women and Gender Resource Action Center, and Title IX. She co-directs the Office of Human Resources and serves as co-chair of the Task Force on Campus Climate and vice chair of the Campus Climate Incident Response Team. Davis is also the senior administrative liaison to the Board of Trustees DEI subcommittee, the Task Force on the Status of Women, and the Non-Exempt Staff Council.
Prior to coming to Trinity, Davis served as the director of diversity and inclusion at the Associated Colleges of the South, a consortium of 16 liberal arts colleges and universities, supporting member institutions in advancing their diversity and inclusion goals on campus and in their communities. Before that role, she served for five years as the inaugural director of what now is known as the Africana Studies Program at Rhodes College. In addition to being a tenured faculty member at Rhodes, she also served for seven years as the associate dean of academic affairs, with responsibilities including accreditation, curriculum and program assessment, faculty evaluation and mentoring, and supporting diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Davis has more than 20 years of experience helping institutions assess and build capacity to address social justice issues. As a clinical-community psychologist, she brings a strengths-based, collaborative, and action-oriented approach to her work. She is a member of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education and of the Executive Board of Liberal Arts Diversity Officers. Davis received an M.A. and a Ph.D. in clinical-community psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a B.A. from Rhodes College.