Keynote Speakers
Unleash Your Greatness
In this inspirational presentation Buhle helps you to unleash your greatness by focusing on what sets you apart in a crowded marketplace. It will help you to discover how to stand out and reach your full potential as an individual, team or an organization. The first key to unleashing your greatness is to Be Who You Be – identifying and embracing your distinction. Greatness lies in understanding what differentiates you. The other keys to unleashing your greatness are: Pursuing Excellence, Living Your Values, Winning Attitude and Creating Your Own Future. Greatness is not only the reserve of a few individuals, and teams who focus on these keys can unleash their greatness. This is an entertaining and inspirational talk that will leave you completely motivated while giving you practical tools to be great!
About The Speaker: Buhle Dlamini is an award-winning entrepreneur and author of 6 books. He helps his clients leverage the benefits of diversity and shows leaders and teams how to create the most productive and effective organizational cultures. Buhle has received a Nation-Building award from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, has worked with leaders around the world including Nelson Mandela, and is an associate of the Cultural Intelligence Centre in Michigan.
Wanna Get Real? Get Rid of the BS!
Bias is a threat to humanity and your inner badass. There is power in being the real you; the authentic you. But, most of us walk around with unconscious biases that make us afraid of what other people think of us. Let’s get rid of all that BS. When people feel empowered to radically accept themselves they stop hiding their innovation, creativity, and unique abilities. They are able to build authentic relationships. Bias and belonging are in opposition to one another. Let’s foster a sense of belonging by getting rid of all the BS. So permission granted to get rid of the BS… Permission granted to be the real you… Permission granted to build genuine relationships… Permission granted to belong!
About The Speaker: Risha Grant is diversity personified. From her race, gender and lifestyle choices, to being a young, small business owner and tackling economic issues, every area of her life intersects diversity. She is the founder & CEO of Risha Grant LLC, an award-winning diversity consulting & communications firm, and she created DiversityConneX.com, a highly successful online recruitment tool to connect diverse professionals with careers, internships, and non-profit and corporate board positions.
That’s the official part, but who is she really?
Risha Grant is one of Tulsa’s leading voices and authorities on inclusion; as a black female who grew up in a 97% white community she was inside “playing” school – or more accurately – learning to count, read and write, just in case her darker skin tone cheated her out of an equal education. Experiences like this and many more from friends and families as we grow up are what feed into our biases and with that realization, Risha planned to change the world, starting with one of the reddest states in the nation.
Dancing around a topic is not her forte, she is authentic and real about jumping into the issues, and she will cut right into the BS to help your clients reach their goals as quickly as possible.
Breakout Sessions
Get Used to It
As “The First Woman of Hockey,” Manon Rhéaume is sharing her story of the risks she took and barriers that were broken to become a pioneer in a male-dominated industry. Rhéaume brings audiences essential tools on how to overcome obstacles in your own career, engage men as allies, and step out of your comfort zone to succeed. Having been told to “get used to it” over and over again, Rhéaume had the odds stacked against her. This never stopped her from following her dreams and now she encourages you to do the same in both business and in life!
About The Speaker: Manon Rhéaume, “The First Woman of Hockey,” was the first and only female to play in an NHL game with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1992. She was also the first female to sign a contract to play professional hockey which lead to a six-year professional career in the minor leagues.
As a member of Team Canada, Manon helped lead her team to a silver medal at the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. This was the first time in Olympic history where women’s hockey was an official event. Aside from the Olympics, as Team Canada’s goaltender, Manon won Gold Medals at the 1992 and 1994 World Hockey Championships. In both of these events she was named the “best goaltender.”
How to Practice Emotional First Aid
We sustain emotional wounds in life just as often as we do physical ones. But while we know how to identify and treat common physical wounds, we don’t know how to treat psychological ones. Recognizing the impact of common experiences such as failure, rejection or loneliness and knowing how to apply emotional self-care can help us get past our stuck points, improve our productivity, and enhance likelihood of success. In this breakout session, Guy Winch offers science based, practical techniques for improving emotional health, reducing our stress levels, empowering our motivation and improving our quality of life.
About The Speaker: Guy Winch, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist, author, and speaker, is a leading advocate for integrating the science of emotional health into our daily lives, workplaces, and education systems. His viral TED Talks, Why We All Need to Practice Emotional First Aid and How to Fix a Broken Heart have been viewed over 20 million times and his books have been translated into 26 languages. He writes the Squeaky Wheel Blog on PsychologyToday.com and Dear Guy, an advice column on ted.com. He received his doctorate in clinical psychology from New York University and is a member of the American Psychological Association.
Women Helping Women: Strengthening Our Sisterhood for Success!
During this interactive session participants will explore potential barriers which can stifle the creation of stronger bonds among women. How can women leverage sisterhood as a fundamental strategy for individual success and champion more collective achievement? What impediments are getting in our way to women helping women? In this session we’ll examine inherently feminine obstacles and envision new approaches for working together to inspire and encourage women’s unity, ambition, voice and accomplishments.
About The Speaker: Kimberly R. Houston has 35+ years leadership experience in business, philanthropy, and development. She is a 2012 Dow Corning retiree who led strategic corporate initiatives in her roles as Chief Diversity Officer, Global Community Relations Director and President, Dow Corning Foundation. Kimberly initiated her consultancy in 2013 with a mission to bring positive energy to making communities stronger. Kimberly is a change agent at heart who advocates passionately for exemplary leadership and the intentional development of an asset-based culture using the diverse talents, backgrounds, and experiences of all stakeholders. Kim is a CQ Certified Advanced Professional by the Cultural Intelligence Center, LLC. She is also a CCF Certified Coach Practitioner and supports the constructive growth and development of people and organizations, with a steadfast affinity for the advancement of women and people of color. She aspires daily to be a blessing and to live joyfully.
Working Through Adversity & Handling Uncomfortable Situations with Unshakeable Confidence
Are you ready to get scrappy and become your own best advocate? How to handle uncomfortable situations with unshakeable confidence. It starts with the conversation. According to workplace resource startup Bravely, 70 percent of employees are avoiding difficult conversation with their boss, colleagues, and direct reports.
This session will provide a framework for addressing and resolving difficult conversations in the workplace. Participants will learn how to:
- Build a growth mindset with a focus on proactive vs. reactive approaches
- Lead with clarification not confrontation
- Activate practical strategies for working through adversity
About The Speaker: Deborah T. Owens is the founder of the Corporate Alley Cat. Deborah is a seasoned executive and change agent with 20+ years of Fortune 100 business experience with companies such as Merck and Johnson & Johnson. She has held numerous leadership positions including Director of Training, Sr. Manager of Leadership Development and District Manager. She also chaired an African American Employee Resource Group and partnered with senior executives to develop and execute Diversity and Inclusion strategies. Her experiences in corporate America inspired her to create the Corporate Alley Cat, an organization committed to addressing the unique experiences and needs of people of color in corporate America. Deborah’s mission through the Corporate Alley Cat is to ensure that every person of color is fully supported and equipped for both the opportunities and challenges in the corporate arena.
PANEL: The Power of Being Real
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to bring your true self to work? Listen and learn from an amazing panel of individuals as they share their journey to authenticity and the life changing impact it had on their lives. Find out how they cultivated the courage to be true to themselves and the lessons they learned along the way. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn how bringing your true self to work can benefit your relationships, performance and feelings of personal worth.
Sonya Hughes
Sonya Hughes is an award-winning, nationally recognized expert in diversity, equity, and inclusion with 30+ years of experience. She is principal of Inclusive Outcomes LLC, established in 2018, offering customized training, program development and strategic solutions.
Milinda Ysasi
Milinda Ysasi is also the Executive Director of The SOURCE. She is a proud co-founder of the Latina Network of West Michigan.
Stella Michael
Stella leads a team of engineers that builds CRM applications at Spectrum Health. She has experience in Indian, Korean, Australian and American work cultures. She is an advocate for women at workplace and in technology; and is the Chair for Asian American Community Engagement at Spectrum Health, supporting inclusion and diversity initiatives in the community.
Dr. Candace Smith-King
Dr. Candace Smith-King is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, who completed her middle and high school years in Grand Rapids, Michigan, attended the University of Michigan receiving her Bachelors of Science Degree in Biology, went on to receive her medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and completed the Pediatric Residency program at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital/Spectrum Health/MSU CHM. She practiced in the Grand Rapids community as a general pediatrician for a few years before returning to the world of academia. Currently, Dr. Smith-King is the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Spectrum Health and works as a pediatrician at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital-Spectrum Health Medical Group.
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