2016 diversity and inclusion summit program book

2016 DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION SUMMIT 6th ANNUAL

Diversity in the 21st Century, An Integrated Approach

“When attempting to build an atmosphere of inclusive excellence An Integrative Approach is vital in today’s society.

Once we know, we must act in ways that will promote civility, bridge disparities, strengthen our classrooms, strengthen our society and make the universe a better place to be.” - Estee

augusta.edu/diversity/summit

DIVERSITY IN THE 21 CENTURY

8-9 a.m. Registration - Hosted by Augusta University’s Division of Professional and Community Education

Oglethorpe Ballroom

OPENING CEREMONIES 9-9:45 a.m.

9-9:05 a.m. Welcome to the 6th Annual Diversity & Inclusion Summit The Importance of Diversity & Inclusivity at Augusta University Dr. Lindsey West, Deputy Chief Diversity Officer

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9:15-9:25 a.m. The Importance of Diversity and Inclusivity to Our Community Diversity and Inclusion Day Proclamation The Honorable Hardie Davis Jr., Mayor of Augusta, Georgia

9:35-9:45 a.m. The Values of Augusta University Dr. Gretchen B. Caughman, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Provost, Augusta University INTRODUCTION OF THEME AND PLENARY SPEAKER 9:45-11 a.m.

9:45-10:15 a.m. Diversity in the 21st Century, An Integrated Approach Dr. Quincy J. Byrdsong, Vice President of Academic Planning and Strategic Initiatives Chief Diversity Officer, Augusta University 10:15-11 a.m. Opening Plenary: The Isms of Diversity: Fighting the Disease, Finding a Cure Yewande Austin, Award-Winning Lecturer, Activist and Honorary U.S. Cultural Ambassador BREAK - BUFFET LINES OPEN 11-11:15 a.m.

AWARDS LUNCHEON & KEYNOTE ADDRESS 11:30 a.m-1 p.m.

Presentation of Diversity and Inclusion Awards

Noon-1 p.m. Beyond Diversity: Steps for Uprooting Racism, Privilege and Institutional Inequity Tim Wise, Keynote Speaker, Antiracist, Essayist and Author BREAK 1-1:15 p.m.

CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS 1:15-3:15 p.m.

1:15-1:55 p.m. Dr. Darla Linville & Kathryn DelGenio, Augusta University Strategies for Respecting LGBTQ+ Diversity in the Workplace or Classroom

Oglethorpe A

1:15-1:55 p.m. Col. Kim Elle, President/CEO, Augusta Warrior Project Improving the Lives of Warriors: Assisting Veterans in Transition

Lamar A

1:15-1:55 p.m. Yulanda L. McCarty-Harris, JD Understanding Affirmative Action: A Foundation to Strategic Diversity

Walsh

1:15-1:55 p.m. Yewande Austin- Lecturer, Activist Diversity In Action: Finding a Cure

Lamar C

BREAK 1:55-2 p.m.

CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS 2-2:40 p.m.

2-2:40 p.m. Dr. Darla Linville & Kathryn DelGenio , Augusta University Strategies for Respecting LGBTQ+ Diversity in the Workplace or Classroom

Oglethorpe A

2-2:40 p.m. Col. Kim Elle, President/CEO, Augusta Warrior Project Improving the Lives of Warriors: Assisting Veterans in Transition

Lamar A

2-2:40 p.m. Yulanda L. McCarty-Harris, JD Understanding Affirmative Action: A Foundation to Strategic Diversity

Walsh

2-2:40 p.m. Yewande Austin- Lecturer, Activist Diversity In Action: Finding a Cure

Lamar C

BREAK 2:40-2:45 p.m.

CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS 2:45-3:25 p.m.

2:45-3:25 p.m. Dr. Darla Linville & Kathryn DelGenio , Augusta University Strategies for Respecting LGBTQ+ Diversity in the Workplace or Classroom

Oglethorpe A

2:45-3:25 p.m. Col. Kim Elle, President/CEO, Augusta Warrior Project Improving the Lives of Warriors: Assisting Veterans in Transition

Lamar A

2:45-3:25 p.m. Yulanda L. McCarty-Harris, JD Understanding Affirmative Action: A Foundation to Strategic Diversity

Walsh

2:45-3:25 p.m. Yewande Austin- Lecturer, Activist Diversity In Action: Finding a Cure

Lamar C

BREAK 3:25-3:30 p.m.

CLOSING CEREMONIES 3:30-4:30 p.m.

3:30-4 p.m. Yannik McKie, Founder of The McKie Foundation Author, Philanthropist & Vibrant Speaker Put Your Privilege to Work: Help Others Overcome Life’s Greatest Disappointments

Oglethorpe Ballroom

4-4:30 p.m. Augusta University Office of Diversity and Inclusion - Door Prizes, Closing Remarks & Evaluations

Oglethorpe Ballroom

BIOGRAPHIES

Tim Wise, KEYNOTE SPEAKER Tim Wise is among the most prominent antiracist writers and educators in the United States. He has spent the past 20 years speaking to audiences in all 50 states, on over 1,000 college and high school campuses, at hundreds of professional and academic conferences, and to community groups across the country.

He has also lectured internationally, in Canada and Bermuda, and has trained corporate, government, entertainment, media, law enforcement, military, and medical industry professionals on methods for dismantling racism in their institutions.

Wise has provided antiracism training to educators and administrators nationwide.

Named one of “25 Visionaries Who are Changing Your World,” by Utne Reader, Wise has contributed chapters or essays to over 25 additional books, and his writings are taught in colleges and universities across the nation. His essays have appeared on AlterNet, Salon, Huffington Post, CounterPunch, The Root, Black Commentator, BK Nation and Z Magazine among other popular, professional and scholarly journals.

From 1999-2003, Wise was an advisor to the Fisk University Race Relations Institute, in Nashville, and in the early ’90s, he was youth coordinator and associate director of the Louisiana Coalition Against Racism and Nazism: the largest of the many groups organized for the purpose of defeating neo-Nazi political candidate David Duke.

Wise is the author of seven books, including his latest, Under the Affluence: Shaming the Poor, Praising the Rich and Sacrificing the Future of America (City Lights Books). Other books include Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority (City Lights Books); his highly acclaimed memoir, White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son (recently updated and rereleased by Soft Skull Press); Affirmative Action: Racial Preference in Black and White; Speaking Treason Fluently: Antiracist Reflections From an Angry White Male; Between Barack and a Hard Place: Racism and White Denial in the Age of Obama; and Colorblind: The Rise of Post-Racial Politics and the Retreat from Racial Equity. timwise.org

Yewande Austin, OPENING PLENARY From MTV and BET to the historic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Yewande Austin’s socially charged music has taken center stage with the likes of the Black Eyed Peas, Maroon 5, Sean Paul and India Arie, but it is her work as an award-winning lecturer, activist and honorary U.S. Cultural Ambassador that has become perhaps her greatest achievement. This 2015 TED speaker, 2014 and 2013 CNN Hero Award nominee has dedicated most of her life to confronting some of the world’s greatest socioeconomic challenges. Since 2004, her capacity building company, the Global Institute for Diversity and Change (globalinstituteforchange.com) has trained college students and academic professionals alike how to create inclusive communities that are free of conflict, fear or shame. When she isn’t lecturing on college campuses, Austin produces humanitarian initiatives committed to restoring the voices of thousands who have been silenced by poverty and oppression.

Through a combination of music, education and sustainable skills, her humanitarian organization (changerocksfoundation.com) has empowered over 250,000 vulnerable youth, trafficking survivors and advocates with critical life skills in 12 countries from Europe to Africa and the Americas.

Austin is currently a Diversity Lecturer-in-Residence at Virginia Commonwealth University (the first in the institution’s 177-year history), where she trains health sciences students how to become equitable health care practitioners. This past summer, she traveled across America and Nigeria to work with human trafficking survivors and Boko Haram conflict refugees. This inspiring work will be captured in a documentary called Amazing Grace: Freedom’s Song (directed by award-winning filmmakers the Horne Brothers). Six hundred and thirty-one days after extremist group Boko Haram kidnapped nearly 300 girls in Chibok, Nigeria, Amazing Grace will explore what has become known as the most notorious trafficking case in the world while lifting the veil on this $32 billion global industry. Can trafficking be eradicated in two countries bound by a 400-year history of slavery? She’s willing to risk it all to find out. It is this inspiring dedication to humanity that has sparked a movement heard across the globe. changerocksfoundation.com globalinstituteforchange.com

Yannik McKie, CLOSING PLENARY Overcoming adversity and turning obstacles into stepping stones is the expertise of author, motivational speaker and philanthropist Yannik McKie. At the age of 11, McKie suffered the heartbreak of his parents’ marriage splitting up, only to learn that both Mom and Dad were HIV positive. By the age of 16, he lost both of his parents to this deadly disease. Overcoming such adversity has earned his reputation as an expert on using your life’s challenges to maximize your God-given potential.

McKie’s amazing life story of turning adversity into purpose has been featured on numerous media outlets including The New York Daily News, Charisma Magazine, Good Day Atlanta, and the Huffington Post, and the feature-length documentary titled after McKie’s book Living in the Shadows will be completed and available for worldwide distribution very soon. McKie’s diverse life experiences make him a highly sought-after speaker for universities, businesses and nonprofit organizations. He is also the co-host for Shout 94.7’s Rated “R” Radio show (the “R” stands for Righteous) and the founder and executive director of the McKie Foundation through which he donates his time and resources to at-risk youth.

McKie has a degree in marketing from Georgia Southern University and is currently pursuing his Master’s in Christian Ministries at Liberty University. He is currently serving as the Youth & Young Adult Minister at Strong Tower Christian Fellowship and is the proud husband to his beautiful wife, Linda, and the loving father to Jahlyn & Elyse McKie. YannikMcKie.com

Session Speakers’ Biographies

Kathryn DelGenio Kathryn DelGenio is a senior sociology major at Augusta University. She is also the president of Lambda Alliance, which is an official student organization at Augusta University. The gay-straight alliance assists members of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community in creating an inclusive environment.

The organization also makes efforts to promote equality, increase gender/sexual minority awareness, and disperse information on LGBTQ+ issues that affect communities. In addition to advocacy, the organization spearheads several social events including an annual Equality Prom. As the student assistant for the Safe Zone program, DelGenio is instrumental in creating a safer, more inclusive environment for all sexual and gender identities.

Col. Kim Elle Col. Kim Elle is the president/CEO for the Augusta Warrior Project, leading the strategic vision of AWP’s dynamic team and working closely with Community Partners to ensure veterans, service members and their families are connected to the appropriate resources and benefits to lead a more fulfilling life. Elle is currently serving in the U.S. Air Force Reserve capacity at NSA Georgia at Fort Gordon. She is a career intelligence officer and has served in a variety of leadership positions at the tactical, operational and strategic levels for over 20 years — over the years, including supporting Operations Desert Shield/Storm, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, Deliberate Forge and Deliberate Guard.

Dr. Darla Linville Dr. Darla Linville is an assistant professor of educational foundations in the College of Education at Augusta University. Her research focuses on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and questioning youth in schools and school policies and practices around issues of sexuality and gender. She is a member of the Safe Zone Board at Augusta University and a Safe Zone trainer.

Yulanda McCarty-Harris, JD Yulanda McCarty-Harris is a senior certified affirmative action professional (Sr. CAPP), and recently served as the director of the Office for Institutional Equity at Cleveland State University and also its Title IX Coordinator. In her role, she was responsible for the overall legal compliance of the institution as it relates to equal opportunity, affirmative action, as well as gender-based sexual discrimination claims.

She has now returned to Texas to work for her alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin, and will be serving as the director of equity and compliance. McCarty-Harris is also a licensed attorney in Ohio and Texas and received her juris doctorate from Southern Methodist University School of Law in Dallas, Texas.

Presenters: Kathryn DelGenio & Dr. Darla Linville Title: Strategies for Respecting LGBTQ+ Diversity in the Workplace or Classroom Description: This session will establish new knowledge or strengthen existing knowledge about how to create and maintain environments that acknowledge and uplift LGBTQ+ diversity.

Learning key terminology and vocabulary—and how to utilize that terminology in respectful, affirming ways—will serve as the foundation for this session. Once participants are familiar with core vocabulary, strategies for building professional and educational communities that value and affirm LGBTQ+ diversity will be shared. Barriers that many LGBTQ+ individuals may face in the workplace or classroom will be discussed, with a focus on how to navigate these barriers and ensure that LGBTQ+ individuals are at all times respected, valued and safe.

Presenter: Col. Kim Elle Title: Improving the Lives of Warriors: Assisting Veterans in Transition Description: During this session, the audience will be able to step into the lives of service members and their families in transition to the civilian world. There is a transition in lifestyle for those transitioning from active duty military to a life without the uniform, which makes this distinctive demographic one in which we owe it to our community to provide support and resources. As citizens, there is an opportunity to keenly understand this group of individuals who make our community diverse with their amazing storied background. It’s on us to make our environment inclusive for this group of citizens and others.

Presenter: Yulanda McCarty-Harris, JD Title: Understanding Affirmative Action: A Foundation to Strategic Diversity Description: During this session, attendees will have a stronger understanding of the elements of affirmative action. Including an understanding of how civil rights history shaped affirmative action. An understanding of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and its role in the enforcement of affirmative action and equal opportunity. As well as, an understanding of the importance of an affirmative action plan and how it can serve as a foundation to your strategic diversity efforts.

Session Descriptions

Presenter: Yewande Austin Title: Diversity in Action: Finding a Cure Description: Our world is built upon diversity. We learn from diversity. Historically, some of the greatest changes in our world have transpired through the exchange of diverse thoughts, ideas and experiences. So why do we struggle to embrace our inherent differences? Human beings possess a default mechanism that is programmed to protect. Sometimes the “unknown″ can be perceived as a threat instead of embracing it as an advantage. This interactive workshop will train participants how to find value in diversity, master unbiased communication, resolve conflict before it erupts and create inclusive environments from the classroom to professional workspaces.

OFFICE OF DIVERSITY & INCLUSION We all have a hero in our heart.

To learn more, contact Karen Mobley at 706-721-6890 or kmobley@augusta.edu.

Antiracist Essayist, Author and Educator

Join world-renowned author Tim Wise as he speaks on student activism. Wise has authored seven books, including his latest, Under the Affluence: Shaming the Poor, Praising the Rich and Sacrificing the Future of America, as well as his acclaimed memoir, White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son. His work has been featured in numerous publications, and he has shared his expertise on race relations on CNN, MSNBC and NPR.

Tim Wise

Humans and Heroes:

“The Importance of Student Activism” Maxwell Theatre Thursday, Sept. 8, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

FREE PROGRAM

Dress As a Hero or Shero for Contest

Lecturer, Activist, Honorary U.S. Cultural Ambassador

Yewande Austin

Do you dream of changing the world? In the past decade, a savvy new breed of social entrepreneurs has built global enterprises committed to affecting social change, and Yewande Austin is one of them. Her companies have produced socioeconomic empowerment programs for over 250,000 participants in 12 countries around the world. Join this compelling discussion about activism, high social impact careers and how you, too, can create innovative solutions to some of the world’s greatest socioeconomic problems.

Sponsored by: First & Second Year Experience, Student Life & Engagement and The Crew

2016 Diversity and Inclusion Award Winner Lara M. Stepleman, PhD

Diversity and Inclusion Award

Congratulations to the 2016 Winner of the Augusta University Diversity and Inclusion Award

Dr. Lara M. Stepleman embodies a commitment to diversity and inclusion in everything she does at Augusta University. She is an associate professor and the Director of HIV and MS Psychological Services. She received her PhD in 2001 from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in counseling psychology.

Within the Psychology Residency, she is the director for the Medical Psychology-HIV emphasis track. She also teaches seminars in group therapy and behavioral medicine to psychiatry residents, offers an HIV psychology elective to advanced medical students. Her research interests relate to adaptation to chronic medical illness, especially mental health and sexual functioning concerns. Stepleman is a member of the American Psychological Association and serves as a reviewer for a number of peer-reviewed journals.

In addition, Stepleman volunteers as the director of psychological services at the Equality Clinic of Augusta, a free, student-run clinic serving the un- and under-insured members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer/ questioning and others (LGBTQ+) community. She also serves on the board of directors for the Equality Clinic and works tirelessly to ensure the clinic is meeting the needs of their diverse patients.

With the help of two public health interns, she spearheaded the CSRA’s first LGBTQ+ community health needs assessment – a survey designed to assess the health, behaviors and needs assessment. This was a survey designed to assess the health, behaviors and needs of LGBTQ+ people across the CSRA. The findings will prove to carry implications for more inclusive social policies and health care practices in our community.

Stepleman has been instrumental in motivating students across campus to follow their passions in numerous areas of diversity, as well as serving as a mentor for medical students doing summer research. Beyond her interest in serving students, Stepleman has served our community through a multitude of grants and continues to apply for others. She secured a $1.6 million federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for a program she launched called SHE PREVAILS (Supporting Health Engagement through Prevention, Recovery and Empowerment Via Access, Intervention, and Linkage Services). The goal of the program is to identify combinations of culturally responsive, effective interventions, and best practices that address mental health, trauma and substance use treatment. In achieving these combinations of effective care, SHE PREVAILS hopes to significantly reduce deleterious health disparities related to HIV, as experienced by AfricanAmerican women and their families, as well as other underserved communities.

In summary, Stepleman is an outstanding humanitarian and academic leader whose efforts will continue to have an impact on our university and throughout our community.

“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.”

—Mahatma Gandhi

Notes

Notes

Thank you to our 2016 Augusta University & City of Augusta Planning Committee Chair: Dr. Quincy J. Byrdsong, Vice President for Academic Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Chief Diversity Officer Chair: Karen A. Mobley , Director of Academic Diversity Initiatives, Office of Diversity and Inclusion Co-Chair: Dr. Lindsey West, Deputy Chief Diversity Officer, Office of Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Heather Abdelnur, Department of History Caro Cassels, Division of Continuing Education Debra Chambers, Division of Professional and Community Education Dr. Lorraine Evans, Academic Success Garrett Green, Student Life and Engagement Danielle Harris, Division of Communications and Marketing Jonathan Harwood, International and Postdoctoral Services Office Cedric Johnson, Community Affairs Beth Koons, International and Postdoctoral Services Office Lynthia Ross Owens, City of Augusta Tiffany Takahashi, International and Post Doctoral Services Office Ingrid Tutt, Office of Protocol and Special Events Sharmen Tutt, Academic Planning and Strategic Initiatives Regina White, Academic Planning and Strategic Initiatives Sherita Williams, Division of Communications and Marketing Winner of the 2016 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award and the 2016 Health Professions HEED Award.

Congratulations to Augusta University

The Heed Award Recognizes Colleges and Universities that Demonstrate an Outstanding Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion.