Are you struggling to bring your organization along to achieve diversity goals and hiring needs or facing challenges with enhancing mobility? You will discover how to use data to address these critical areas. Half of the American workforce—70 million workers—are STARs, skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor’s degree. They are a vast, diverse, skilled, yet overlooked group of workers including the majority of Black, Hispanic, Native American, rural, older, and veteran workers.

In today’s labor market, the demand for bachelor’s degrees exceeds the supply of degreed workers available to fill those roles. During this session, we will share new research on STARs in the energy sector conducted in collaboration with Climate United. We aim to equip you with the tools necessary to understand the STARs talent pool, identify skills-based pathways, and ‘tear the paper ceiling’ by adopting a skills-first approach to hiring and talent management.
Facilitated by:
Audrey Mickahail (Senior Vice President, Opportunity @ Work)
Delia Troy (Director Industry Expansion, Opportunity @ Work)
Radhika Krishnaswamy (Director, Opportunity @ Work)
Caitlin Rosser (Director Impact Management, Climate United)

Join us for some lightly structured networking through conversational lunch topics including:

• Hiring from the Re-Entry Community
• Crash Course in Community Benefits Plans
• Engaging Pre-Retirement Age Workforce
• Empowering Company-wide DE&I Ambassadors
• Self-care for DE&I Leaders
• Leveraging Justice 40
• Leading from the Top: Increasing Representation in the C-Suite
• One New Thing We Are Doing Is….
• Building your Ecosystem of Personal & Professional Support
• Leveraging Generational Diversity
• Accessibility Challenges

Welcome & Opening Remarks by Cornell Johnson (CEWD) and Silas Dulan (Black & Veatch)

Joelle Emerson will kick us off by sharing an opening commentary examining the existential threat to industry DE&I commitments. Joelle is the Co-Founder and CEO of Paradigm, which provides a suite of software and consulting services to design organizations where people from all backgrounds can do their best work and thrive. Before founding Paradigm Joelle was a civil rights attorney whose legal background highlighted the consequences that can result from companies failing to build diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces. In her opening address, Joelle will discuss the biggest headwinds that threaten to derail DE&I progress and how we got here. She’ll share data and insights from Paradigm’s work with over 1000 companies, provide candid reflections on how executive teams across industries are navigating this moment, and leave us with guidance on the path forward.
Speaker: Joelle Emerson

DE&I is both a people and financial enabler, but what are the true financial indicators and implications of DE&I and how do we measure them? We’ve seen the goal line of success relative to DE&I constantly moving, without a true barometer with widely accepted metrics and benchmarks being established specific to the energy sector. What qualitative and quantitative data should we be tracking relative to diversity and equity as an industry that will sustainably guide organizational strategy for years to come? A common criticism and downfall of DEI initiatives is the balance of both quantitative and qualitative measures that point to bottom-line financial success. During this session, we will provide impactful solutions to consider when determining what to measure and how to tie them to organizational success.
Moderator: Silas Dulan (Associate Vice President Global Vice President Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Black & Veatch)
Laurie Dowling (Executive Director, NUDC)
Courtney Moore (Director DE&I & Supplier Diversity, Southwest Gas)
LaTanya Flix (Senior Vice President Inclusive Leadership & Opportunity, Greater Houston Partnerships)
Laron Evans (Director T&D Business Diversity, Burns & McDonnell)

Almost any DE&I practitioner will tell you that the true lynchpin of this work is rooted in the pillar of equity. But what does true equity in energy look like? How do we measure it? How do we advise our operational and people leaders on being an equity centric organization? Examine key processes that determine professionals’ career outcomes: on-ramps, performance evaluations, on the job training, promotions, etc. Uncover the practices that promote fairness among employees of diverse backgrounds and provide actionable solutions for energy companies and their leaders to create equitable access to energy. Join us for sector specific policy ideas that center diverse cross-sections of people throughout every step, from research and analysis to dissemination and implementation as we take a humanity-first, community-driven approach to equity ranging from infrastructure and community equity to workplace equity.
Fireside Chat With:
Moderator: Angela Thompkins (Vice President Chief Diversity Officer, Consumers Energy)
Kenneth L. Walker (Executive Vice President DEIB & Special Advisor to the CEO, Per Scholas)
Naomi Baum (Chief Operating Officer, ACEEE – American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy)
Dr. Giovanna Brasfield (CEO, Brasfield & Assoc., LLC and RAND Foundation’s Steering Committee Chair for the Center to Advance Equity and Racial Policy (CAREP))

In listening sessions conducted by CEWD to learn about requirements for success with DE&I initiatives, middle managers were identified as one of the most influential communities to advance DE&I change; yet, this same group, often called culture catalysts, has also been identified as one of the most critical groups to actually impact systemic organizational change. This session will explore how companies are finding success in engaging middle managers to push through historical plateaus. We will learn from industry leaders as well as those outside the sector who have found success in middle managers driving DE&I impact.
Moderator: Barry Reaves (Vice President DEIJ & Workforce Development, Northeast Clean Energy Coalition)
Jonathan Njus (Expanding Equity Program Lead, W.K. Kellogg Foundation)
Kevin Killam (Operations Manager, Southwest Gas)
Andrés Tapia (Senior Partner & Global ESG/DEI Strategist, Korn Ferry)

Day 1 of the DE&I Forum will conclude with a reception sponsored by Southwest Gas. Getting out of the conference space and into a nearby art studio, hosted by Pepco Edison Place Gallery, 702 8th St NW, Washington, DC 20068

The dine-around dinners offer DE&I Forum attendees the chance to check out some of the area’s unique dining spots. They are perfect for those eager to expand their network and continue the day’s conversations. Individuals will be responsible for their own meal costs.

Date & Time: May 9th, 7:00 PM (following the DE&I Forum Reception) 

How to Sign Up: Please sign up for your preferred dine-around dinner slot HERE

Space is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot early! 

A fireside chat on the trends we see in DE&I and our predictions for where DE&I will evolve in the coming years. This discussion will cover sector-wide research and deep dive into a specific case study on how one company is advancing workforce development and DEI. We will celebrate the progress that has been made while setting our sights on how to continue advancing: bringing inclusion to the frontline, increasing accountability through data, and integrating DEI with broader strategic priorities. Practitioners will walk away with ideas for what to add to their strategies to prepare for potential headwinds.
Fireside Chat with:
Taiwan Brown (Vice President Diversity & Workforce Strategies, Entergy)
Holly Price (Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company)
Drew Marsh (Chairman & CEO, Entergy)

Anthony Pegues is Chief Diversity Officer at the Department of Energy. It is his job, more significantly, his passion to expand diversity within the energy industry, especially within the trades. This session will provide a platform for him to share what he wants all industry DE&I leaders to know and do. He will share perspectives on how companies must focus on Justice 40 initiatives and what businesses must be doing with newly required Community Benefits Plans and why energy justice must operate within DE&I practitioners’ portfolios. While he is eager to speak to participants, he also wants to hear from those in attendance to better understand challenging barriers, where help is needed, and how the Department can provide additional support.
Anthony Pegues, EJE-6 DEIA Deputy Director (Chief Diversity Officer, U.S. Dept of Energy)
Dr. Monika Roy (AAAS Energy Justice Fellow, U.S. Dept of Energy)
Samuel Herbert (U.S. Dept of Energy)

Energy companies continue to espouse the commitment to ensuring their workforce reflects the communities and customers they serve. While that may be the intent, traction can be tough to achieve if your company brand isn’t embraced as an employer of choice, especially by underrepresented communities. This session will explore how to understand what those underrepresented in your workforce think about working for your company. Do they feel a sense of trust and respect making employment consideration worth their time? Do they perceive they would be welcome? Do they believe DE&I commitments are sound or altruistic? Do they understand the way to navigate employment in the energy sector, especially in technical roles where they may not have friends of family members who can remove the mystery. Join us to learn how you can assess your current reputation and better demonstrate accountability for desired change.
Moderator: Missy Henriksen (Executive Director, Center for Energy Workforce Development)
Kayla Washington (Director Global Employer Branding & Recruitment Marketing, Gallagher)
Laticia Holbert (Workforce Development Manager, ComEd)
Mauricio Garcia (Senior Vice President Programs, UnidosUS)
Eric Goodie (Executive Vice President, Houston Area Urban League)

Opening Lunch Remarks by: McKinsey & Company and W.K. Kellog Foundation on Expanding Equity
Closing Lunch Remarks by: Jose Perez (President & CEO, Hispanics in Energy)

Labor partners have been identified as one of the most significant influences of DE&I impact. Many national labor organizations are doing some excellent work to attract underrepresented individuals to unions and ensuring cultures of respect, inclusion, and belonging, yet these national formulas don’t necessarily influence local strategies, complicating systemic and universal action. While there is an emphasis on recruiting and retaining more women and people of varying races and ethnicities into the trades, most employers wish more could be done. This session will highlight those who have successfully added diversity metrics into their collective bargaining agreements, obtained recognition for gender-neutral terminology in job titles, work being done to include supportive services including childcare in their negotiated offerings, and have changed testing requirements to remove barriers to employment.
Moderator: Jaime Parsons (Vice President Employee & Labor Relations, Constellation)
Allison Ziogas (Head of Labor Relations, Orsted)
Jennifer Gray (Director Civic and Community Engagement, IBEW)
Melissa Wells (Special Assistant to the President, NABTU)
James Slevin (President, UWUA)