VCU news

By Raina Fields
Division for Inclusive Excellence

Damon A. Williams, Ph.D., an expert in strategic diversity leadership, youth development and organizational change, will headline two conferences hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University on March 15.

Williams, former senior vice president and chief education officer at the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and former chief diversity officer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is the author of “Strategic Diversity Leadership: Activating Change and Transformation in Higher Education” and “The Chief Diversity Officer: Strategy, Structure, and Change Management.” Williams currently guides higher education institutions, government, Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit organizations in empowering a new generation of diverse leaders.

The first event, the fourth annual Diversity and Inclusion Symposium, “Beyond Diversity: What’s Next?” will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 15, at the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center, 2401 W. Leigh St.

The event, co-hosted by the Greater Richmond Society for Human Resource Management, brings together speakers from the private and public sectors to engage in a critical dialogue about diversity and inclusion. In addition to Williams, speakers include:

• Melody Barnes,co-founder and principal of MB² Solutions LLC
• David L. Robbins, novelist, playwright, educator and philanthropist
• Gail Greenfield, Ph.D.,principal, workforce strategy and analytics practice, Mercer
• Jonathan C. Zur, president and CEO, Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities

The second event, the fifth Interlink Alliance Faculty and Student Development Conference, “Cooperative Learning and Engagement in the Classroom and Beyond,” will be held March 15-17 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, 403 N. Third St.

The conference marks the 10th anniversary of the Interlink Alliance and features sessions from higher education thought leaders that emphasize the importance of faculty and student development. The event will also feature panelists and breakout sessions led by members of the VCU community. Speakers include:

•  Aashir Nasim, Ph.D., interim senior vice provost for faculty affairs and director of the Institute for Inclusion, Inquiry & Innovation (iCubed)
• Roderick J. McDavis, Ph.D., founder of the Interlink Alliance and former VCU provost and vice president for academic affairs
• Erin Burke Brown, Ph.D., director of VCU ASPiRE

The Interlink Alliance is a consortium of historically black colleges and universities and predominantly white institutions that share a longtime commitment to promoting access to higher education for students of African-American descent. Members of the alliance work together to promote faculty and student development, leadership development, research collaboration, faculty and student exchanges, and an African-American male initiative.

Both conferences are open to the public, but require paid registration. For more information on the Diversity and Inclusion Symposium, visit: https://richmondshrm.site-ym.com/?page=2018Symposium. For more information about the Interlink Alliance Conference, visit: http://www.interlinkallianceconference.org/.