Monday keynote

BRAVE BOLD STEPS TOWARDS DIVERSITY TO KICK OFF YOUR DIVERSITY INITIATIVE

Cecilia Stanton Adams, Co-founder and Board Chair, Stanton Adams Malissa Adams, Co-founder and President, Stanton Adams

Mystic Showroom | 10:15–11:15 AM

Diversity and equity experts, Cecilia Stanton Adams and Malissa Adams, present the case for brave, bold action.

Drawing from their unique experiences working within corporate and nonprofit settings, Cecilia and Malissa will share best practice research and stimulate thoughtful conversation on the roles we each play within our communities and organizations. Participants will leave the keynote with practical approaches to increase diversity.

With humor and an ability to make even the toughest issues accessible, Cecilia and Malissa move audiences to delve deeper into the biases that shape our lives, outlooks, and daily interactions and create a plan for change.

This dynamic keynote will help you: • understand the importance of historical context in building trust with communities of color; • recognize how unconscious bias interrupts our ability to connect; and • learn how to leverage key insights from today’s best practice research.

Sponsored by Lotus Pharmacy

About Cecilia Stanton Adams

Cecilia is a sociologist and entrepreneur who is committed to creating innovative approaches to strengthening leadership development and diversity eff orts. She is most noted for her ability to foster paradigm shift s, change behavior, and empower individuals, teams, and communities. She is an award-winning trainer and was recognized for outstanding research on unconscious bias by the American Psychological Association.

Cecilia is a visionary leader with more than 15 years of experience as a strategic diversity expert. She has worked with educational institutions, non-profits, government agencies, and corporations in developing and executing strategic diversity initiatives.

About Malissa Adams

Malissa is a racial equity expert with a passion for coaching leaders. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, where she was inspired by her parents to pursue a career in the nonprofit industry. Through coaching and training, she has made a positive impact in the Twin Cities community. She is most noted for implementing collaborative, community-designed solutions for housing homeless Minnesotans.

With over 15 years of experience in operations management and organizational development in the public and private sectors, Malissa understands how to motivate others and act as an eff ective liaison between organizations and members of under-served communities.