Equity, Diversity & Inclusion — Hilda Fankah-Arthur

WODIL 2022

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Conference with Hilda Fankah-Arthur

riginally from Ghana in West Africa, Hilda migrated to North America, specifically, California, USA, in 2008 to pursue a master’s program at Santa Clara University. Upon completion of the program, she moved to Canada in 2013 and started her doctoral program at the University of Alberta in 2016. During this time period, she developed an interest in understanding the educational structures and the experiences of marginalized students and people in North America. This in turn, guided her educational and professional pursuits. Hilda’s motivation to pursue a career in education and policy development was inspired by the need to address issues impacting the growth and advancement of marginalized people in North America. Because of her experiences in the United States and later Canada, she was exposed to some of the issues that affect marginalized people at different educational levels and the challenges they face as they navigate their career trajectories. The Centre for Intellectual Excellence (CeFIE) is a non-profit organization that seeks to create opportunities for diverse populations, particularly marginalized people, to reach their highest potential. CeFIE was established in response to inaccessible resources and the need to create equitable opportunities for the advancement of marginalized people. The individuals involved are accomplished and experienced professionals from marginalized communities who have overcome different challenges and barriers in their educational and professional journey. Unfortunately, most of these individuals are not known or readily accessible to others who are on similar journeys. The goal of CeFIE is to create a platform where resources and information will be made available and accessible to people and facilitate connections between professionals. The World Diversity in Leadership conference brings together senior officials, policy makers, researchers, community members and leaders from private corporations to share ideas, skills and strategies to address emerging issues within the Equity, Diversity and Inclusive (EDI) framework. There have been several discussions on issues related to EDI within a very broad spectrum but WODIL creates the avenue to highlight the benefits of applying these concepts to specific issues in various fields and specifications. This year’s World Diversity in Leadership Conference 2022 will be held

Oat the Edmonton Convention Centre from June 20 - 24th with its theme titled “Leveraging Diversity to Advance Innovation and Entrepreneurship.” Featured and keynote speakers included and confirmed are Hon. Julia Gillard, Dr. Cindy Blackstock, Dr. A. Louise Bonaparte, H.E. Dr. Jewel Taylor and H.R.M. Nana Odidwour Baah Kokroko III. The conference theme and topics are in recognition of the significant contribution of technology and innovation throughout these past years during the pandemic, as well as the growing need for entrepreneurship in economic recovery. Some of the topics that will be covered include innovation, law and technology, Indigenous women and entrepreneurship, diversity in sports, the impact of women entrepreneurship in STEM, raising equity consciousness. For other topics and more information, visit www.diversityconference.ca The program is open to anyone interested in participating.

The goal of CeFIE is to create a platform where resources and information will be made available and accessible to people and facilitate connections between professionals.