The inaugural DE&I Forum will kick off with a welcome reception on Wednesday, November 15th. Meet other DE&I-passionate colleagues, exchange ideas, and chat about which session you’re most looking forward to.

Enjoy the evening working on your swing and chatting with colleagues – no golfing experience or hand-eye coordination required! The indoor, luxury, high-tech golf game will encourage attendees to get out of the hotel, relax, and socialize with your colleagues. Separate registration is required, limited space available. 

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We will set the stage for our time together and provide context to the scope of the inaugural DE&I Forum that is action focused – for participants, their companies, and for the industry.

The DE&I Maturity Model Workshop is designed for executives interested in enhancing their organization’s DE&I strategy, regardless of where they are on their DE&I journey. This interactive presentation and thought-provoking discussion will provide participants with a better understanding of the DE&I maturity model and how to apply it to their organization. We will explore the four stages of the DE&I maturity model, identify the level at which participants’ organizations currently operate, and provide actionable strategies for improving DE&I across all levels of the organization. By the end of the DE&I Maturity Model Workshop, participants will have the insight, tools, and confidence required to advance diversity and inclusion in their workplace.

Global investment for DE&I-related efforts is projected to be $15.4 billion by 2026, more than double comparable investments made in 2020.  Accordingly, greater clarity on what works—and what does not—can help leaders maximize the return on their effort and investments. McKinsey’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lighthouses 2023 Report identified five success factors common across the DEI initiatives that yielded the most significant, scalable, quantifiable, and sustained impact for underrepresented groups. Join the session to learn more about these factors. The McKinsey team will also bring learnings from world-class organizations outside the energy sector to inspire thinking and facilitate interactive exercises to start architecting a plan to get started.

The DE&I landscape continues to evolve, especially in the wake of a chain of summer actions that have inappropriately politicized foundational principles and tenants on the importance of DE&I. The business case for DE&I remains strong and considering that, energy companies have reaffirmed a commitment to their DE&I agenda, and in some instances, doubled down on their efforts to assure their stakeholders their commitment to DE&I is not performative. During this session, participants will engage in conversations addressing 1) the importance of continuing to prioritize DE&I work and avoid backslides adversely impacting employees; 2) ways to manage risk and leverage data, particularly in light of the expected SEC rules on human capital; 3) proactive management of community messaging for external stakeholders; 4) managing resistance; and 5) appropriate allocation of financial resources for DE&I programming. We will also delve into tactical discussions such as how companies are continuing HET and HiPo programs in light of recent SCOTUS actions. The program will be guided by legal experts and DE&I advocates, and will feature a mix of presentations, peer sharing, and an open forum for questions. The session can also be looked at as a renewed call to action as we push forward for positive change.

UnidosUS transforms the workforce ecosystem to ensure Latino workers have access to quality jobs and clear pathways to prosperity.  Situated at the intersection of learning and work, the Burning Glass Institute advances data-driven research and insights to enable effective interventions deployed through partners to support underserved communities and stakeholders across the nation. This session will share the power of strategic partnerships, key stakeholders needed, and actions that can be taken, to effectively deploy inclusive talent management systems – behaviors, policies and practices – that support workers, employers and communities throughout the energy sector. As part of this discussion, the speakers will share key insights and take-aways from the Burning Glass Institute’s American Opportunity Index and UnidosUS’ programmatic efforts.

This session will begin with the data – looking at how diverse the industry’s leadership currently is and how it has been trending. We will then hear from three executives, CEOs and CDOs, who will provide perspectives on ways they have unequivocally and unapologetically removed barriers that have expanded the diversity of their leadership teams, and what lessons they can offer from their actions. Participants will then spend time in small group conversations, addressing tangible actions to take back to their organizations on how the industry can collaborate to move the needle forward. This session will close out with advice and encouragement to empower you to use session takeaways to activate strategy plans developed in small groups, ideas (and motivation) to turn your ideas that resonated with you into agenda of change to strengthen the diversity of your leadership team.

The DE&I Roadmap for Industry Change reports that 88% of energy professionals surveyed indicated leaders are critical to advancing DE&I within their companies, yet there is a recognition that while many executives want to advance action, some are continuously challenged by the most effective ways to do so. Typical questions surface on how to connect DE&I goals with compensation and performance objectives; how to show up when it matters most (and in a meaningful way); how to learn from others in safe spaces, and how to drive transformative change. This session will guide attendees through the “why and how” for energy leaders to advance DE&I actions within their companies. We will also discuss whether there is interest in creating 1) industry-led groups to support senior leaders on their DE&I journey; 2) establishing a CEO forum to create brave spaces for industry leaders to share stories, best practices, challenges, and solutions; and 3) creating an industry-led group to engage dominant group members as equity partners in industry DE&I efforts, across levels and organizations.

We will conclude the first day of the Forum with a look at key take-aways and “a ha moments” from the group.

Join us for an informal recap of day one discussions or bring your own areas of interest into this morning networking session.

There is a strong push throughout the industry to increase diversity in skilled trades. There are a host of programs focused on attracting more women, people of color, those with differing abilities, people from the LGBTQ community and others who are under-represented in union positions in energy. While there are lot of actions taking place, it’s time to share examples of what’s working best so we can emulate success across the sector. This session will begin with a look at company and labor partnerships that are yielding dividends in ensuring DE&I is a shared priority and delivering results, not just in recruiting, but with inclusive workplace cultures as well. We will then turn to facilitated dialogues to explore industry action – that is, how can companies and union partners work together across the industry to diversify the labor talent pool and communicate that shared commitment to DE&I practices to potential employees.

Institutional culture is the collective values, beliefs, aspirations, and behavioral norms of an organization. This interactive workshop leverages the key takeaways from the different Forum sessions over the two days. An innovation expert will facilitate discussions to identify barriers to culture change in the front-line worker levels, draw from the represented brain trust to generate solutions and wrap up with participants creating a custom culture blueprint for their organizations.

The Department of Energy has a host of offices that are working to increase diversity within the energy workforce and have a host of resources available to help energy companies that share that common objective. Learn how to engage with the offices supporting initiatives like increasing exposure to energy careers in tribal communities, providing education on hiring from the re-entry population, those who can support economic impact serving programs, and more. Many DE&I leaders are not familiar with these offices and the breadth of resources they have available.

Employee Engagement is the secret sauce to driving business outcomes in the utility sector. Yet Alignment Strategies utility data confirms Gallup’s national engagement data that only 32% of employees are fully engaged, which is defined as providing, “discretionary effort.” This session focuses on how utilities can enhance their employee engagement, which shows up in improved safety, operational effectiveness, and the customer experience. 

The session will showcase how DEI can be leveraged to drive more employee engagement and improved business results. Utilizing an Engagement Case Study the audience will see the creation of a sustained engagement culture in Utilities, owned by the mid-level manager down through their frontline employee. It demonstrates how DEI goals can be exceeded by creating highly engaged teams and crews, who solve problems that matter.

This facilitated session will document the take-aways from the Forum for individuals, for companies, and for the industry. The group will discuss how CEWD and its partner organizations can support identified actions and next steps of progress for the DE&I Roadmap for Change. We will conclude with a discussion about continued connections to support accountability of actions.