How to Start or Revitalize a Workforce Diversity Initiative
Presented by Jacqueline Hill, SPHR, Lower Colorado River Authority
Professional Development Session – 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

This session will be an interactive discussion covering the following points:

• Key Elements of Starting or Revitalizing a Diversity Initiative
• Examples of Linking Diversity Initiatives with Overall Business Strategies
• Dealing with Challenges
• How to Stay Personally Motivated

Jacqueline Hill has nearly twenty years of professional experience in human resources, equal employment opportunity, organizational consulting and diversity. She has held positions at Eastman Kodak Company and started the diversity initiative at Commonwealth Edison in Chicago.  She currently works at the Lower Colorado River Authority in Austin, Texas as Manager of Staffing, Diversity & Inclusion.  Her work involves human resources management, work force diversity and organizational consulting. She holds a Bachelor of Business administration degree from Western Michigan University and Master of Management in organization behavior and human resources management from Northwestern University.  In addition, she holds certifications in diversity management and organizational consulting.  She enjoys international travel and learning foreign languages through immersion programs in different countries.

Ten HR Challenges that Should Keep You Up at Night
Presented by Bob Carr, SHRM’s Chief Professional & Business Development Officer
Networking and Luncheon – 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

The United States is currently experiencing major shifts in its demographic landscape, its economic and political climate, and its business environment. These shifts bring new opportunities and new challenges, all of which will require HR and Diversity professionals to build stronger links between the business cases for diversity, innovative strategies that enable organizational success, and the accountability measures that demonstrate value and impact.

Participants will leave this session with new strategies and new ideas for engaging senior leadership and building a strategic business case for diversity and inclusion.  Other areas include establishing a pipeline of leadership capability, linking HR/Diversity and globalization strategies to business objectives, and addressing emerging issues such as healthcare, immigration, and religion/spirituality.

J. Robert Carr, an attorney and human resources professional, is Chief Professional & Business Development Officer for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in Alexandria, VA.  Carr formerly served as SHRM’s Chief Human Resource & Strategic Planning Officer.  He also led SHRM’s diversity initiative and served SHRM as its chief ethics officer. Prior to joining SHRM, Carr was principal of Carr & Associates, LLC, a law firm specializing in a broad spectrum of employment issues, including employee relations/EEO, executive compensation, mediation and arbitration, and diversity management.

From 1996 to 2002, Carr was with AARP where he served as director of the Human Resources Group.  While at AARP, he was the association’s chief human resource officer responsible for strategic oversight of all employee programs and strategies.  Serving in that function, Carr was strategic lead for all major organizational development activities, human resource management, diversity management and several volunteer programs. Prior to joining AARP, Carr was senior director of human resources and strategic planning for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (1991-1996).  He has also directed the human resources function for Howard University (1988- 1991) and Howard University Hospital and also served the university as its associate general counsel (1985-1988).  Carr has also served in government, first as deputy counsel to the Ethics Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives and later as deputy counsel in the Office of the Solicitor, U.S. Department of Labor.   Earlier in his career, Carr was engaged in the private practice of law as a litigation associate with the Atlanta, Georgia based law firm of Powell, Goldstein, Frazer & Murphy.  He received a B.A. in economics from Morehouse College, a J.D. from Columbia University Law School and a

LLM from Georgetown University Law Center.  Carr is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, the Bar Association of the District of Columbia, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of the United States of America. Carr is active in a number of legal and professional societies, including the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association and the American Society of Association Executives. He also recently served on the Conference Board Council of Human Resource Executives.  His civic activities included chairing the board of Young Audiences of the District of Columbia, which funds arts education programs in the City’s public schools. Carr has lectured and made numerous presentations on a wide range of labor and employment matters and is the recipient of several professional and civic awards.

Diversity Choice – The Strategy of Choice
Presented by Gigi Edwards Bryant, GMSA Management Services
Workshop – 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.  – Part I

The purpose of this forum is to increase the participant’s options in addressing diversity concerns in the workplace. The forum will introduce options for managing diversity by offering strategies for a company to identify and eliminate issues that inhibit building a diverse workplace through team engagement, open communications and active involvement.

Upon completion of this course, participants will have another tool to add to their diversity addressing options.  They will also have steps to take that support the process in developing their teams.  It’s an active engagement process that defines the team’s commitment to talking in an open forum.  The key is being open to recognizing barriers and influences through others experiences.   The engulfing outcome is being open to change and integrating diversity into strategies that are shared within the organizational values.

As the company understands that diversity requires demonstrated policy, processes, and standards that are ingrained in the company culture and shared with the team, the following will happen:

• Strengthen work relationships
• Avenues to address difficult issues
• Raise the levels of productivity and profitability

Gigi Edwards Bryant has built GMSA Management into one of Greater Austin’s cutting edge, minority-owned and operated consulting firms.  Ms. Bryant started GMSA Management Services in 1993 after 12.5 years in Information Systems as a programmer, analysis and project manager.  Her firm specializes in business development, community outreach/ involvement, leadership development and special events. GMSA has planned, developed, managed, marketed and delivered projects that are from 150 to 30,000 people throughout Central Texas for a variety of business and private clients.   

A project manager with extensive experience, community outreach, business development and project management, Ms. Bryant has worked with all levels of management and staff in all phases of project development, implementation and delivery. She has implemented projects based on project management technologies and methodologies in multiple organizations.   Ms. Bryant is a democratic manager with a firm commitment to meeting deadlines and objectives on time and under budget.  GMSA Management Services clients include:  University of Texas, Applied Materials, City of Austin, TateAustin, Travis County, City of Austin, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, National Association

of Alternative Staffing, Comptroller of Public Accounts, Carter Burgess Engineers, Land Design Studio, Alice Glasco Consulting, Pepsi Cola Dallas, First State Bank, Katz’ Deli and Holiday Inn.

Our special projects include Central Texas Parade for the University of Texas Cotton Bowl Champions, sponsored by the City of Austin;  Community Outreach for Precinct 1, Travis County Metro Park Project (2 years);  Commuter Rail Community Forums for development and implementation;  5K Run and Festival for the Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts, (3 years).

Ms. Bryant is dedicated to her community and commits her time and talents through serving through appointments by Governor Bush/Perry – to several state boards, currently appointed to the Department for Family and Protective Services for Health and Human Services, Saint Edwards University New College, Advisory Board of Directors, Leadership Austin,  Downtown Rotary Club of Austin, Board of Governors 2006-2007, University of Texas Parents Association – Regional Director  1998 – 2003, The Ex Student Association University of Texas – Life Member and the, American Association of University Women – Education, Assistant League of Austin, Advisory Board, and the Mount Sinai Christian Academy, Advisory Board. 

Ms. Bryant is a graduate of University of Texas at Dallas with a MBA in Executive Global Leadership: 2002.  She also earned a bachelor’s in business management with a minor in computer science from Saint Edwards University in Austin, Texas: 1993.

The Impact of Social Media in the Multi-Generational Workplace
Presented by Doug Upchurch, Insights
Workshop – 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.  – Part II

In today’s multi-generational workplace, HR professionals are faced with the most diverse age groups of employees we’ve ever seen. At the same time, social media technologies like blogs, wikis, and tools like Facebook are growing in use within the workplace.  How do we, as HR professionals, ensure that these tools work and have the biggest benefit for all of our employees when we have generational differences in how we approach learning, technology, values and even our relationships? The ideas shared in this interactive session will support you in helping you and your colleagues get unplugged from our biases, perceptions, and differences and get reconnected to each other as well as to that which we have in common when it comes to using these new tools.

Doug Upchurch of Insights is currently the Head of Community Development. This learning and development team focuses on developing both our internal and external community’s knowledge, skills and abilities so that we can realize our strategy. Whether the focus is on helping to launch new products internally or ensuring our Insights Discovery Accredited Practitioners around the world have the skills they need to be effective facilitators, this team provides valuable resources to help the Insights Community be effective.

Doug joined Insights in 1999 when he started the first US office in Austin, TX. In 2003, he became CEO for North America looking after the US and Canada Regional Office Support. Following a reorganization in 2005, the new role of Community Development was created and Doug began his current role. Known as a passionate and interactive facilitator and speaker, Doug focuses on helping leaders and teams increase their effectiveness through self-discovery, authenticity, adapting and connecting. Doug is a Past-President for the Austin Chapter of ASTD. He is a Synchronicity Leader with Perfect Customers Unlimited and wrote a chapter in the book Attracting Perfect Customers by Jan Brogniez and Stacey Hall. He was also featured in Lance Secretan’s book Inspirational Leadership.

Prior to joining Insights, Doug spent 10 years in the IT training industry including two years as the Executive Director of the IT Training

Association, (ITTA). As a result of this experience, Doug is often called upon to manage IT projects for Insights.

Doug continues to speak extensively at conferences around the world. His presentations are filled with humor and interaction and yet they are designed to help each person in the audience see how the information connects with them on a personal level. His core values are authenticity and passion and he believes that there is a need for more of both in corporate leadership today. His presentations are examples of his strongly-held beliefs that a new vision of leadership is developing within organizations everywhere.

Doug currently resides in Austin, Texas, with his partner and their three toy fox terriers. He loves good food, good music and Apple anything – computers, not the fruit.

Building Support for Diversity Activities
Presented by Rich Burns, UT Austin
Workshop – 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.  – Part III

Building the case for diversity as a strategic imperative for the long term is a best practice of organizations with successful diversity programs.  We will discuss effective strategies for building support for diversity programs. 

Rich Burns is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and received an MBA from Auburn University. He flew fighter aircraft as a career Naval Officer and was a Squadron Commander. He then served as Base Commander of the Pensacola Naval Air Station and is the winner of several Navy awards for leadership. After the Navy, Rich joined the Human Resources staff at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and became director of Human Resources Information Systems. While at Blue Cross, he was HR Leader of the year.  He joined UT Austin two years ago as Assistant Director, HRS, Recruiting and Staffing. He has been recognized at UT Austin for innovation  and was part of a team that gained national recognition by the College and University Professional Association for best practices in human resources. Rich is currently serving as the Interim Associate Vice President for Human Resource Services.

Thank you to our meeting sponsors!