The Evolving Landscape of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Where Are We Going?
Date/Time
Date(s) - September 24, 2024
8:00 am - 9:30 am
Location
University Tower
1034 S. Brentwood Blvd., 17th Floor
St. Louis, MO 63117
Registration for this event is now closed. If you need to make changes to an existing reservation, please contact Becky Rasmussen at beckyr@focus-stl.org.
In today’s rapidly changing world, the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion have never been more critical. As organizations across sectors strive to adapt to new societal expectations, the landscape of DEI is evolving. In this forum, we’ll explore the current state of DEI, examining both progress made and the challenges ahead. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion as we hear from leading experts and explore actionable strategies to advance DEI initiatives and best practices within your organization. All are welcome to attend, whether you’re a seasoned DEI professional or new to the conversation.
Our panel will feature:
- Moderator: FOCUS Board Member Dr. Alisa Warren (Leadership St. Louis 2017), Executive Director & CEO, Missouri Commission on Human Rights
- Rachel D’Souza (Leadership St. Louis 2015), Founder + Principal, Gladiator Consulting
- Dawn Higgins (Women In Leadership 2022), Director, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Nestlé Purina PetCare
- Damion Jones, Ph.D., Senior Consultant, CMA
- Claire Schell, Founder & Consultant, Claire Schell Consulting
This session is free and open to all.
Location & Parking
This event will take place on the 17th floor of University Tower, located at 1034 S. Brentwood Blvd. across from the Galleria in Richmond Heights.Free parking is available in the garage or surface lot. To use the garage, pull up to the building and turn right to enter the connected South Garage. Feel free to park in any space that is not denoted as reserved. Once parked, follow the signage to the back lobby entrance on Level 1. The MetroLink’s Richmond Heights Station is also located within walking distance.
ABOUT OUR PANELISTS
Dr. Alisa Warren holds the position of Executive Director at the Missouri Commission on Human Rights, a state agency dedicated to preventing and eradicating discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. She is the national President of the International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies, a professional body comprising state and local human rights government agencies. She is recognized as an expert in human rights, making appearances on television, radio, and as a keynote speaker. She frequently lectures at universities and provides training for government bodies, organizations, communities, and businesses. She actively advocates for international human rights treaty compliance and has presented arguments before the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland.
Dr. Warren holds positions on the Board of Directors for FOCUS St. Louis and the Gateway Equity Institute. She is appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court Commission on Race and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts, as well as the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Joint Standing Committee. Dr. Warren earned her Ph.D. in Community Development and Social Disparities from the University of Missouri.
Rachel D’Souza is the founder of Gladiator Consulting, a boutique firm serving nonprofits across the country. Through Gladiator, Rachel has served as an innovator and pioneer in the Community-Centric Fundraising (CCF) movement, a global initiative to reimagine the nonprofit sector through a lens of radical collaboration, racial equity, social justice, and decolonization, and is a member of the CCF Global Council. Additionally, Rachel is currently the president for the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater St. Louis Regional Chapter and has been an active supporter of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network and EPIP -Emerging Professionals in Philanthropy.
Her thought leadership has appeared in Blackbaud Institute’s 2021 npExperts publication The Great Reset, NeonOne’s 2022 report, Donors: Understanding The Future of Individual Giving, and on the Season 4 premiere of the Ethical Rainmaker podcast. Currently, she is pursuing her second Master’s Degree at the Washington University School of Law.
Dawn Higgins, PHR, SHRM-CP, serves as Director of Diversity, Equity, tasked with implementing strategies to foster a culture of respect, equity, inclusion, and belonging. With over 25 years in HR, her career includes roles at Purina, May Merchandising Company, and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
She holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Central Missouri State and an M.A. in Human Resources Management from Webster University. Dawn is certified in human resources and actively participates in various community leadership roles. A graduate of multiple leadership programs, she also served as an Adjunct Instructor at Lindenwood University and is a co-author of a best-selling book.
Damion Jones, Ph.D., has spent over 17 years in corporate American working on both national and global culture and process transformations. He specializes in the institutionalization of global diversity, equity inclusion strategies and execution. From the start of his career, Damion has worked directly with HR leadership teams and the C-Suite to manage their executive talent review and succession planning process. He’s managed U.S. compliance efforts, worked in HR analytics and led the creation and administration of employee resource groups, executive I&D councils, mentoring and sponsorship programs. To drive inclusion and belonging, he’s done training and development on DEI topics for thousands of leaders around the world, integrated ERGs across continents and within the leadership pipelining efforts, facilitated the creation of global gender pay equity analysis and has won awards for these efforts regarding overall DEI progress within an organization, metrics and ERG engagement.
Damion received a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Morris Brown College in Atlanta, GA. He double specialized and received a master’s degree and Ph.D. in both Social and Organizational Psychology from Saint Louis University.
Claire Schell is a capacity-building and strategy consultant, focused on cultivating workplaces where everyone is able to thrive. She brings more than 12 years of experience to her DEIB and organizational development practice, and launched Claire Schell Consulting in 2023 to provide strategic consultation, coaching and skill-building to cross-sector leaders and organizations around culture, DEIB and team health. Before launching her practice, she led the Employee Experience and DEI team at US Bancorp Impact Finance for 8 years, overseeing DEI strategy, employee engagement, and talent management initiatives. Prior to that she developed the Education & Training platform at Diversity Awareness Partnership, where she led training and consultation for organizations throughout the St. Louis region. She serves on the board of Forward Through Ferguson. She received her M.A. at the University of Chicago and a B.A. from Wellesley College in Sociology and Religion.