All diversity and inclusion practitioners from any industry sector are invited to join in this series of virtual roundtables to share best practices and discuss challenges.

Most businesses understand that diversity creates value in the workplace, builds stronger, more innovative teams, and will be critical to addressing future workforce shortfalls. However, implementation often falls to the wayside as the day-to-day objectives of running a business take priority. You are invited to join others in the diversity and inclusion space to create a network that helps scale solutions across the U.S.

Hosted by the MTWC, this initiative will be facilitated by Tremaine Maebry, a Chicago-based lawyer and diversity and inclusion advocate.

Through this initiative, MTWC hopes to provide an information exchange platform that makes space for diversity practitioners, advocates and champions from various industry backgrounds to have a dialogue on diversity and inclusion initiatives. Through a series of interactive, multi-layered discussions, the community will explore best practices, questions, resources, information, concerns, suggestions, recommendations and challenges of making a diverse and inclusive workplace with the intent of transforming that information into sustainable, workable, initiatives.

For more information, or if you have any questions, please contact Maria Hart at maria.hart@wisc.edu.

Summer Series

Tapping into the Power of Difference

Thursday, August 31 at 1:00 p.m. Central Time

What does working for an organization that provides tools to help people build financial security tell us about the power of Diversity and Inclusion programs? From developing better products and services to building a strong workforce and even improving the community, Angela Russell, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at CUNA Mutual Group, joins Tremaine Maebry to discuss what happens when businesses tap their greatest resource, their people.

“Growing up, I remember telling my parents I would never join the corporate sector. I wanted to create social and economic solutions to improve our communities, particularly for people of color,” said Angela. Yet, she accepted her position at an insurance company in 2015 and began working to help the organization better meet the needs of customers given the changing demographic of the community it serves.

In this roundtable, Angela covered:

  • Strategies and best practices
  • The idea of diversity without inclusion
  • The importance of commitment from senior leadership
  • Creating sustainable D&I programs

List of Resources

Speakers

Tremaine Maebry, MBA, JD

Tremaine Maebry, MBA, JD

(Facilitator)

Tremaine is a native of New Haven, Connecticut and has served the last 10 years as a labor and employment attorney holding a number of senior legal consultant positions in both the public and private sectors. Tremaine holds a Juris Doctor degree and a Masters in Business Administration from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts and is admitted to practice law before the states of Illinois and Maryland. He currently holds the position of Manager in the Office of Diversity and Civil Rights with Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (“Metra”) in downtown Chicago.

Angela Russell

Angela Russell

Director, Diversity & Inclusion at CUNA Mutual Group

In her role at CUNA Mutual Group, Angela is responsible for leading the development. direction and implementation of short and long-term strategies and programs that support diversity, equity, and inclusion; leading the Diversity & Inclusion Strategy Team and Diversity & Inclusion Council; championing changing and providing guidance, coaching and leadership in the development of a culture that celebrates, values and recognizes diversity and inclusiveness; researching and sharing emerging trends, legislative developments and leading edge initiatives; and building and maintaining internal and community relationships that support diversity. equity and inclusion. In addition. Angela provides training on diversity, equity and inclusion for CUNA Mutual Group.

Ms. Russell has more than 15 years of professional experience involving diversity and inclusion. external relations and outreach. communications. policy development. and research. She holds a Master of Science in Population Health from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Beloit College. Angela serves on the board of the Urban League of Greater Madison and Community Shares of Wisconsin.

Building Diversity and Inclusion from the Ground Up

Education, Training, Outreach, and Workforce Development as Seen through a D&I Lens

Tuesday, July 18, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. Central Time

In one world-class healthcare organization, attracting and retaining a diverse workforce and building an inclusive culture is being tackled through a concerted, multi-pronged approach—but it started from the ground up.

Bridgett Willey, Director of Allied Health Education and Career Pathways at UW Health shares successful strategies and lessons learned. These strategies include the design of education and training opportunities for youth and adults to create pathways to healthcare jobs and the development of a variety of partnerships across departments and with community organizations. Cultivating these partnerships support workforce and economic development in Madison, Wisconsin and support increasing diversity in the UW Health workforce.

Each roundtable discussion is limited to 50 participants. Participation is free. Registration is required. For more information, or if you have any questions, please contact Maria Hart at maria.hart@wisc.edu.

Speakers

Tremaine Maebry, MBA, JD

Tremaine Maebry, MBA, JD

(Facilitator)

Tremaine is a native of New Haven, Connecticut and has served the last 10 years as a labor and employment attorney holding a number of senior legal consultant positions in both the public and private sectors. Tremaine holds a Juris Doctor degree and a Masters in Business Administration from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts and is admitted to practice law before the states of Illinois and Maryland. He currently holds the position of Manager in the Office of Diversity and Civil Rights with Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (“Metra”) in downtown Chicago.

Bridgett Willey

Bridgett Willey

Director of Allied Health Education and Career Pathways at UW Health

Bridgett Willey is the Director of Allied Health Education and Career Pathways at UW Health and the founder of the Health Occupations and Professions Exploration (HOPE) program that serves underrepresented high school and college students in exploring and learning about careers in healthcare. The Allied Health Education and Career Pathways team is focused on building a diverse future healthcare workforce through designing and offering education and training opportunities for both youth and adults that promote finding careers and employment in healthcare. UW Health is an Employer Partner in the HIRE Initiative.

Earning a Seat at the Table

Thursday, June 8, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. Central Time

How can Diversity and Inclusion Managers earn a seat at the table?  This conversation will focus on how we can rebrand ourselves and refine our message so that our ideas will be heard and implemented. We’ll discuss learning to speak the CEO lingo and how D&I fits into the big picture for organizations.

We ask that everyone comes to the table ready and willing to contribute to the conversation. Please bring your burning questions and your D&I challenges along with any ideas, resources, or best practices that you may have to share.

Each roundtable discussion is limited to 50 participants. Participation is free. Registration is required. For more information, or if you have any questions, please contact Maria Hart at maria.hart@wisc.edu.

Speakers

Tremaine Maebry, MBA, JD

Tremaine Maebry, MBA, JD

(Facilitator)

Tremaine is a native of New Haven, Connecticut and has served the last 10 years as a labor and employment attorney holding a number of senior legal consultant positions in both the public and private sectors. Tremaine holds a Juris Doctor degree and a Masters in Business Administration from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts and is admitted to practice law before the states of Illinois and Maryland. He currently holds the position of Manager in the Office of Diversity and Civil Rights with Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (“Metra”) in downtown Chicago.

George W. Watts, PhD

George W. Watts, PhD

Chairman, Top Line Talent

Dr. George Watts is a nationally recognized author and behavioral scientist. His passion is inspiring people to unlock their highest potential. His message is simple and timeless — for optimum success, discover your natural strengths and find the right platform to leverage them. For years, he was on Chicago radio with his show, “The Business Doctor.” George has been a CEO of a mid-cap publicly traded company, and EVP of two, large service companies. He received his doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology from the College of William and Mary.

George and Laurie are authors of "Becoming a Strategic Leader," which introduces an innovative, science-based model for exploiting your natural personality to strategically transform your career.

Laurie Blazek, MBA

Laurie Blazek, MBA

President and CEO, Top Line Talent

Laurie Blazek is the co-creator of Top Line Talent, a program that combines intimate consulting with scalable on-line training in consultative selling skills. Laurie and Dr. George Watts have traveled globally to deliver leadership development and sales training workshops. Laurie has over 25 years of consultative selling experience in a wide variety of markets. She has held Managing and Executive Director positions for several large multinational banks including JP Morgan, Citigroup and Bank of America. Laurie received an MBA with a concentration in Finance from DePaul University in Chicago.