VCU hosts first Diversity & Inclusion Symposium

By Leila Ugincius

Virginia Commonwealth University and the Greater Richmond Society of Human Resource Management present the first of a series of planned conferences to strengthen the pillars of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and in communities.

“Community: Exploring the Power of Coming Together of Workforce, Employers, Communities, Our Future” will be held Friday, June 26, from 7:15 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the University Student Commons, 907 Floyd Ave., Commonwealth Ballrooms. The event brings together about 200 people — including human resource and higher education professionals, chief diversity officers, CEOs and area thought leaders.   

Keynote speakers are Freeman Hrabowski III, Ph.D., president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, who will present “Advancing Workforce Development Through Corporate & Community Engagement,” and Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour, president of VAI Consulting & Training and America’s first African-American female combat pilot, who will present “Who Needs a Runway? Take Off from Where You Are!”

The VCU Division of Inclusive Excellence and Greater Richmond Society for Human Resources are planning follow-up sessions such as webinars, workshops and brown bag lunches throughout the year.  The next step for the event sponsors is to establish a task force to engage in further planning that would yield a community-based diversity and inclusion plan for strategic actions.

Major community sponsors include Dominion and Altria.