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We are a leading non-profit (501c3) dedicated to advancing the diversity, equity, and inclusion goals of our corporate, nonprofit and government members by providing high quality professional training programs and networking at competitive membership rates.
See our upcoming year's 2024 Calendar below!
Please reach us at ExecDirectorWDN@gmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Write to the Executive Director, Dr. D'Arcangelo at ExecDirectorWDN@gmail.com, and ask to be invoiced. You may also call the office at 585-734-6495.
Upon confirmation of an organization's interest to join, an invoice will be forwarded to
the appropriate representative. Payment can be made by check or credit card
(Visa, Mastercard, or American Express).
Payment information will be listed on the invoice, including the phone number to call with credit card information, or the street address to which the check can be mailed.
Key Performance Indicators (weighted average scores) regarding WDN training from emerging evaluation form data from the Fall Season:
Impact on my ability to advance DEI initiatives at my organization. 4.1
Learning objectives were clear. 4.7
Program content was organized and well-planned. 4.8
Ratings were completed on a scale of 5-1:
5 = Excellent
4 = Very Good
3 = Satisfactory
2 = Fair
1 = Poor
"I really enjoy the presentations at WDN. They bring in DEI practitioners that are doing the work and share best practices that we can take back to our organization. By learning and sharing it allows me to adopt some of the practices to create a more inclusive, diverse and equitable workplace where everyone can thrive! "
Ebony Burgess
Deputy Director, Monroe County Department of Diversity; County of Monroe
Comments made from other anonymous evaluations during the Fall 2023 season:
"I loved the fact that we had case studies and was able to work together to resolve some of the challenges."
"Hearing about community initiatives; discussion about relevance to workforce."
"I want to implement this training in our leadership program so that employees can be trained that they have the power to interrupt inappropriate conversations."
"The practical application of the concepts taught."
"The fact that [there were] shared resources and showed us how we could do the same training in our workplace."
WDN’s eleven (monthly) professional development and networking meetings are open to specialists and professionals in the fields of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Human Resources - whether full-time staff, Employee Resource group members, organizational champions, or stakeholders from each member organization.
Sponsored in part by:
Wegmans
and Regional Transit Service
For Membership Inquiries,
Contact: ExecDirectorWDN@gmail.com
Or
Call : 585-734-6495
Spring Season
(January - June 2024)
January 18
Effective DEI Goal-Setting: Plan with the End in Mind
Location: Regional Transit Service; 1372 East Main Street, NY 14609
Panel:
Pamela Ayers; Sr. Director; Grants Management; Empreinte Consulting LLC
Marrlee Burgess; Higher Education Consultant
Dr. Laurie Clayton; Higher Education Assessment Consultant
Gregory T. French; Learning and Development Consultant
Description: Providing credibility in the working world of DEI is often challenged with the difficulty of demonstrating positive impact. This program is focused on (1) (re-)introducing simple and basic concepts that help professionals exhibit significant impact, and (2) examining ways to communicate it effectively. The panel of experts in assessment and program review will help participants envision at least one goal that they wish to both accomplish and demonstrate in the new year, and help them develop plans to define/ demonstrate impact in the upcoming year, 2024.
**Members are asked to bring 1-2 goals or outcomes for which they would like to demonstrate impact during their 2024 calendar year, and invite 1-2 stakeholders or champions from their organization.
February 15
Investing in Internships: Your organization and the
DEI profession
Location: The United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes; 75 College Ave, Rochester, NY 14607 (The Rochester Room)
Panel:
Kathleen Cramer, Career Development and Internship Specialist; SUNY Brockport
Dale Leyburn, Director of Internships; Nazareth University
Maria Richart, Director of Career Services and Cooperative Education; RIT
Karlee Robb, former intern; currently enrolled at Nazareth University
Description: Exploring the implementation and usefulness of internships in their workplace has been identified as an interest of WDN members -one that is admirable to not only provide work support, but to mentor a new generation of DEI and Human Resource professionals. However, starting an intern process is not always easy to implement. The panel of internship professionals from local university - and past interns - will help participants (1) identify the critical factors that suggest a viable internship experience; (2) operational aspects (pitfalls and strategic advantages) of implementing the internship; (3) methods of enhancing the learning outcomes for both the organization and the intern’s professional development.
March 21
Circle Up: A Restorative Approach to Diversity and
Inclusion in the Workplace
Location: Regional Transit Service: 1372 E Main St, Rochester, NY 14609
Presenter:
Jazzmyn Ivery-Robinson, Assistant Director, Community & Belonging; RIT
Description: Conflict is a natural occurrence in interpersonal relationships and individuals differ in how they solve problems and manage conflicts. With their versatility and flexibility, circles can be customized to address the communication issues within your organization. This program will:
April 18
‘Returnship’ Programs for Women
Location: The United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes; 75 College Ave, Rochester, NY 14607 (The Rochester Room)
Presenter:
Malar Hirudayaraj, Director of AdvanceRIT and Associate Professor; Management, Saunders College of Business; RIT
Description: At a time when businesses and organizations struggle to attract and retain employees, one of the major untapped pools of candidates includes women who are ready and willing to return to the workforce. Leaders and mangers can often harness this talent pool with simple and effective reshaping of the organization’s culture, services, and structure so as to accommodate not only women’s successful transition, but their potential for advancement to the benefit of the organization and its effectiveness.
This program will help participants begin to: (1) think outside of the box - to explore recruitment of women who wish to return to the workforce; (2) consider equitable adaptations to the workplace and job descriptions; and (3) consider ways to help retain women for consistency and leadership development.
May 16
Invisible Disabilities: The Challenges You Can’t Always See
Location: Regional Transit Service: 1372 E Main St, Rochester, NY 14609
Presenters:
Ebony Burgess, Deputy Director, Monroe County Department of Diversity; County of Monroe
Jennifer Geiger, Business Relations Representative at the ACCES-VR Rochester District Office; NYS Education Department
Description: This program is designed to educate and raise awareness about the various types of disabilities that are not immediately apparent to others. This includes conditions such as chronic pain, anxiety, depression, ADHD, and more. Through this program, participants will learn about the challenges and barriers that individuals with invisible disabilities face in their daily lives.
The training will cover topics such as understanding invisible disabilities, recognizing and supporting individuals with these conditions, promoting inclusivity and accessibility, and creating a supportive environment for those with invisible disabilities. Participants will also learn practical strategies for accommodating individuals with invisible disabilities in various settings, including the workplace, schools, and public spaces.
June 20
Part 1 of a two-part series:
Simple Designs for Diversity Dialogue in the Workplace: From Books to Videos
Location: The United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes; 75 College Ave, Rochester, NY 14607 (The Rochester Room).
Co-Presenter/Facilitator:
Jonathan Ntheketha, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Director/Title IX Coordinator; The Harley School
How can we encourage safe places and constructive DEI experiences in the workplace? Fostering meaningful and safe dialogue is a critical component to help develop both knowledge and empathy, and can be even more so in the workplace. This program will explore the logistical and educational values of creating dialogue programs within organizations focusing on book reading opportunities and/or video/film series in the workplace
June 27
Dialogues in Diversity
**WDN's Networking Program for Fall of 2024
Dialogues in Diversity will provide members and other vested DEI members within their organization to engage in a diversity dialogue program with WDN. The program will (1) create an opportunity for WDN members to associate and learn from each other outside meetings regarding a variety of diversity factors; (2) experience the dynamics of such a program as they consider beginning a diversity dialogue program in their workplace.
Fall Season Highlights
(August - December 2024)
August 15
Part 2 of a two-part series:
Simple Designs for Diversity Dialogue in the Workplace: Partner Dialogue Programs in the Workplace
Location: The United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes; 75 College Ave, Rochester, NY 14607 (The Rochester Room)
Presenters:
Sandra Whitmore; SHRM-SCP. Executive Director for Marketing and Operations at RIT; Division of Diversity Equity and Inclusion and A Co-Creator of Person2Person; Membership Director, New York State Council – SHRM
Dr. Michael D’Arcangelo; Executive Director for WDN; A Co-Creator of Person2Person; Former Director of Diversity Education at RIT
Description: How can we encourage safe places and constructive DEI experiences in the workplace? Fostering meaningful and safe dialogue is a critical component to help develop both knowledge and empathy, and can be even more so in the workplace. This program will explore the logistical and educational values of creating dialogue programs within organizations, based on the presenters’ joint experiences in overseeing two programs designed to foster meaning dialogue: the past Partnerships in Pluralism program at RIT; and the past initial prototype for the Person2Person program at the YWCA. These kinds of programs help to inform co-workers about sensitive DEI issues in the respective lives and careers of co-workers, as they travel their personal career journeys.
September 19
Program co-sponsored with GVC SHRM
Location: Regional Transit Service: 1372 E Main St, Rochester, NY 14609
Topic and co-presenter/facilitator(s) to be announced.
October 17
Employee Resource Groups: Harnessing your Human Capital Within
Location: The United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes; 75 College Ave, Rochester, NY 14607 (The Rochester Room)
Presenters to be announced.
November 21
General Forum: Intentional Impact & Future Impacts
Location: Regional Transit Service: 1372 E Main St, Rochester, NY 14609
Co-presenters to be announced.
December 12
Building and Marketing Your Brand in the DEI Space: How to Design a Brand and Attract Diverse Candidates
Location: The United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes; 75 College Ave, Rochester, NY 14607 (The Rochester Room)
Co-presenters:
Sandra Whitmore; SHRM-SCP. Executive Director for Marketing and Operations at RIT; Division of Diversity Equity and Inclusion and A Co-Creator of Person2Person; Membership Director, New York State Council – SHRM
Devon Watters; Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications; RIT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 6, 2023
From the desk of Dr. Michael D'Arcangelo, Executive Director
Rochester, NY – The Workforce Diversity Network (WDN) is proud to announce that they have selected three non-profit organizations in the Rochester area to receive a financial incentive from funds that were initially generated from the International Underground Railroad Conference in 2007. The conference, which was an original collaboration between Dr. David Anderson and the WDN, raised the funds with the intention of providing more programming opportunities for Dr. Anderson. However, as the frequency of programming decreased over the years, the decision was made to share the available funds with other non-profits that share similar values and will continue to champion for racial equity in our area.
“It was natural to reach out to Dr. and Mrs. (Ruth) Anderson to help us figure out a way to distribute the funds,” says Dr. Michael D’Arcangelo, Executive Director of WDN, “We are forever grateful for their suggestions, and hope that the $12,000 that will be allocated between them will serve to better their mutual missions to advance the legacy of Frederick Douglass in today’s world.”
As Dr. Anderson is a renowned Frederick Douglass historian and the former chairman of the Rochester-Monroe County Freedom Trail Commission, it only makes sense that the non-profits that have been selected to receive these funds all have deep roots to Frederick Douglass and the Underground Railroad: AKWAABA: The Heritage Associates, the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives and the 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse Museum.
Recently the leaders of each organization, Mrs. Ruth Anderson (AKWAABA: The Heritage Associates), Ms. Erica Mock (FDFI), and Dr. Judith Wellman (1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse Museum), met to assess and agree on how the funds will be distributed.
“It was important to meet in a collaborative and progressive way so that we could assess each of our organizational needs, but also measure the racial diversity needs of Rochester,” says Mock, Executive Director of the Frederick Douglass Family Initiative, “Together, we’ve created a robust educational experience and curriculum for elementary students in the Rochester area that showcases some of the best work of each of our organizations.”
On Thursday, June 15, 2023, WDN will commemorate the fund distribution by hosting a panel discussion between the three directors and Dr. Rebekka Boysen-Taylor, the Director of Field Placement and a Sr. Instructor in the College of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Idaho. The program, titled “A New DEI Business Model: Where Collaboration & Community Surpass Propriety”, will take place at the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives office at 140 W. Main St, Rochester, NY 14614.
“We’re thrilled to be able to create an experience that truly values the beliefs of Frederick Douglass and is continuing to advance his legacy, ” says Anderson, Executive Director of Akwaaba Tours, Inc. “And of course we look forward to Dr. Boysen-Taylor’s perspective on the curriculum itself. It should be a great program.”
For over 25 years the Network has been the standard of excellence in the Rochester region in providing continuous support to its member organizations as they develop their diversity and inclusion initiatives. As a non-profit 501c3 corporation, we have organized some of the largest and most highly regarded conferences in the country focused on the importance of diversity, inclusion and equity as key elements of successful organizations.
For membership inquiries, contact
or click the button below.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Announcing the appointment of five new directors to the organization’s Board of Directors: Kimberly Braithwaite, Ebony Burgess, Ronieka Burns, Deanna Rose, and Terry Platt. They join WDN co-founders Mike Streeter and Clay Osbourne.
Dr. Michael D’Arcangelo will begin his role as the new Executive Director for WDN, effective May 1, 2022.
Workforce Diversity Network
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