Network and Affinity Leadership Congress 2009 (NALC)
Event Home
February 25-26, 2009
New York, NY
Sheraton Hotel & Towers
The ONLY event of its kind, NALC provides powerful training to leaders who are responsible for developing, reinvigorating, and sustaining their network and affinity, employee and business resource groups.
NALC 2009 looked at the topics of Power Through Organizational Development and Power Through Integrated Communications with reference to how ERGs can add value to their businesses.
Interactive workshops followed four conference tracks:
• New Leaders/New Groups Track
• ERG Program Manager Track
• Experienced Leaders Track
• Specialty Issues Track
Workshop topics included “Using Affinity Groups and ERGs as Business Partners and Communications Networks,” ”Challenges of Global Expansion: Using ERGs to Educate and Integrate,” and “Social Networking for Business: Virtual Expansion of the ERG model.”
Agenda
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
7:30-8:45 Breakfast/Registration/Exhibit Hall
8:45-9:00 Welcome Remarks
Carol Evans, CEO, Diversity Best Practices
9:00-9:30 Keynote—You are a GEM!
You are a ruby, emerald, sapphire, or diamond—individual, valuable and brilliant. The setting you are in can increase your brilliance, your uniqueness and enhance your assets and those of your fellow ERG members. You are a GEM with three unique roles—coveted employee, leader in a diverse world and representative of your organization. This laugh with gusto, passion filled, thought provoking keynote will literally have you connect with other GEMs, walk away inspired, ready to take action and prepared to engage your ERG towards the prosperity,productivity and employee engagement your organization deserves!
Pegine Echevarria, President, Team Pegine
9:30-10:00 New NALC Research Findings
Prior to this event, each attendee will receive an “Affinity Group Maturity Quiz.” An Executive Summary based on the results of the findings from this quiz will be shared with the group. These findings will provide a basis
for creating focused action plans that help groups align with business goals.
Vanessa Weaver–Coleman, Ph.D.,
CEO/Founder, Alignment Strategies, Inc.
10:00-10:15 Networking Break
10:15-11:30 Round I - Power Through Organizational Development
A. New Leaders/New Groups Track
From Planning to Charter: Establishing an ERG, Gathering Support, and Making It Work
This two-part workshop will offer expert advice—tips, tricks, and tools—for establishing an ERG and building the necessary support to make it successful. In Part 1, diversity and human resource professionals and affinity group leaders will discuss the importance of a solid ERG structure, how to write a charter, and objectives, how to recruit members, how to enlist executive sponsors, and define plans that support corporate success.
Linda Jimenez, Staff VP, Workforce Diversity, WellPoint, Inc.
Gloria McDonald, Director, Diversity, Prudential
Practicum Participant, Part 2: Monica Frias, Diversity Program Manager, Wellpoint, Inc.
B. ERG Program Manager Track
Selecting an ERG Model: Making it Relevant and Measuring Outcomes
As employee groups proliferate, the types continue to morph and mutate wildly, offering an endless variety of choices. When the time comes to establish employee resources groups within your company, take some time to learn about the options from the leaders who have been in the trenches and can offer tales of success, tips about the “watch outs,” tools for getting the job done, how executive sponsors are linked to their organizations and how the group’s performance is measured.
Evelyn Montalvo, Director, Diversity Partnerships, ARAMARK
Paula Jones, Principal Diversity Consultant, Genentech, Inc.
Practicum Participant, Part 2: Amy Titus, Managing Director, Global HR, BearingPoint, Inc.
C. Experienced Leaders Track
Writing an ERG Business Plan: Integrating HR, Marketing, Community Relations, Defining Success and Measuring Outcomes
Employee resource groups were created to help corporations reach their diversity objectives. But too easily they become silo-ed, focusing on insular activities that serve the group and not the corporation. ERGs have a bigger responsibility than their own education and amusement. In Part 1, the panel will discuss how vision is translated to priorities through a process that aligns to the objectives of the corporation and other divisions (human resources, multicultural marketing and community relations) and creates leverage that multiples the efforts of all.
Lora Yates, Director, Worldwide Operations, Therakos, Johnson &Johnson
Faye Keller, Senior Manager, Internal Diversity, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Practicum Participant, Part 2: Chris Crespo, Inclusiveness Consultant, LGBTA, Ernst & Young
D. Specialty Issues Track
Corporate Consolidation: ERGs as Buffer Against Job Loss, Resource Reduction, Cultural Score-Keeping
Mergers, acquisitions and spin-offs create confusion, competition, and concern. But is a culture clash the inevitable outcome of corporate consolidation when every employee is working toward the same goal: a productive, cooperative, competitive organization? The panel will discuss situations where ERGs have helped overcome the barriers to deep corporate culture changes, which sometimes include job loss, elimination of affinity groups, and reduced budgets.
Rosanna Durruthy, Chief Talent Strategist, Aequus Group, LLC
Paul Graves, Chief Diversity Officer, Schering-Plough Corporation
Michele Golden, VP, Talent Management/Diversity, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
E. One-on-One Consultation Sessions – By appointment only
Your group will meet with a consultant to discuss your affinity groups maturity model assessment results and next steps.
Linda Strange, Lead Business Partner, Senior Organizational Development Consultant, Alignment Strategies, Inc.
Brenda Bryant, Senior Consultant, Alignment Strategies, Inc.
11:30-11:45 Networking Break
11:45-1:00 Round I Repeated
Tracks A, B, and C repeat with practicum; D and E, Repeat Session
1:00-2:30 “Great Ideas” Luncheon
Sponsored by Google
This is a unique opportunity for Affinity Group Leaders just like you from a wide variety of companies to meet and network. Join Rosalyn Taylor O’Neale in a conversation about how executive sponsors can be of great value to your group and organization.
Rosalyn Taylor O’Neale, Vice President and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Campbell Soup Company
Nancy Newman, Chief of Staff, Music & Logo Group, MTV Networks
2:30-3:45 Round II - Power Through Integrated Communications
A. New Leaders/New Groups Track
Branding Your ERG Inside and Out: Aligning Marketing, Communications, and Community
You want your company and your constituency to understand your network and its potential value. Successful ERGs understand that their group has to build its own brand so that it has an identity, has values that are aligned to the corporate mission, and is recognizable among all the other internal groups that are vying for management’s attention. Once your ERG is becoming known internally, the time comes to communicate externally in support of recruitment and marketing.
Claire Tse, Principal, Tse Solutions LLC
Erby L. Foster, Jr., Director, Diversity & Inclusion, The Clorox Company
Practicum Partcipant, Part 2: Aida Sabo, Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion, Cardinal Health
B. ERG Program Manager Track
Social Networking for Business: Virtual Expansion of the ERG Model
Social networking has invaded the workplace, bringing with it the power of digital communications and unanticipated challenges. Exciting business possibilities come with social networking, but corporations have discovered a downside to these technology-assisted opportunities. Time-management issues, cross-generational resistances to technology, and performance differentials all come into play. In Part 1, you will have the opportunity to see a demonstration of NALCnet, the new tool developed by Diversity Best Practices, for diversity professionals and ERG members. You will hear the experts discuss how technology can be made to work and obstacles it introduces.
Barbara Jackson, President, Leading Directories
Shari Slate, Director, Inclusion Strategies, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
C. Experienced Leaders Track
Challenges of Global Expansion: Using ERGs to Educate and Integrate
Globalization is a reality. As geography and time zones become less and less significant, ERGs must overcome the temptation to think only within a particular region where values are understood and language is standardized. Enthusiasm and interest may diminish with distance from headquarters, especially in regions where identity is not based on demographic differences. Some affinity groups (AGs)—particularly those for women and LGBTs—may face cultural barriers. In Part 1, the panel will look at situations—and in some cases, conflicts—that demanded and produced change.
John Kirksey, CEO, TKG Global Engagement
Rachel C. Cheeks-Givan, Senior Manager, Global Diversity and Inclusion, PepsiCo
Kim Hibler, Vice President, Global Sales, Dell, Inc.
D. Specialty Issues Track
Innovating in a Downturn: Using Affinity Groups and ERGs as Business Partners and Communications Networks
The glory days are over…again. The market is down…again. The rules about how to succeed are evolving rapidly. Diversity and inclusion must remain a priority regardless of what is happening in the marketplace, because it reflects the reality of the marketplace. When management calls on you for creative solutions, do you call on ERGs and AGs to be innovators, offering ideas for cost-savings, productivity improvements and increased profitability? This workshop will provide a framework for creativity and help diversity professionals get ahead of management’s request for creative thinking.
Tim Wikstrom, Senior Consultant, Jennifer Brown Consulting LLC
Cheryl L. Orange, Manager, FedEx Services
Carin Taylor, Sr. Manager, Global Inclusion & Diversity, Cisco Systems, Inc.
Randall Lane, Senior Leader, Global Inclusion & Diversity, Cisco Systems, Inc.
E. One-on-One Consultation Sessions – By appointment only
Your group will meet with a consultant to discuss your affinity groups maturity model assessment results and next steps.
Linda Strange, Lead Business Partner, Senior Organizational Development
Consultant, Alignment Strategies, Inc.
Brenda Bryant, Senior Consultant, Alignment Strategies, Inc.
3:45-4:15 Networking Break
4:15-5:30 Round II Repeated
Repeat Track A, B, C and D Practicums
5:30-7:30 Above and Beyond Awards Reception
A company is only as diverse as its people and employee networks are a vital tool for strengthening a corporation’s diversity commitment. The 2009 Above-and-Beyond Award recognize best-in-class network and affinity group leadership, and the individuals and executive sponsors whose grit and determination have led to the creation, success and/or turn-around of their network and affinity group.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
7:30-9:00 Breakfast/Exhibit Hall
9:00-9:15 Opening Remarks
Carol Evans, CEO, Diversity Best Practices
9:15-10:30 Affinity Group Roundtables Workshop
Attendees will meet with like-affinity group leaders in a facilitated workshop aimed at identifying Top Challenges, and developing an action plan that leverages information and input from this event.
Vanessa Weaver-Coleman, Ph.D.,
CEO/Founder, Alignment Strategies, Inc.
10:30-10:45 Networking Break
10:45-12:00 Round III - Power Through Embracing Innovation
A. New Leaders/New Groups Track
I’m ______ and Proud: Why Should I Join an ERG? What’s In It For Me?
Organizing Affinity Groups based on identity doesn’t hold the same attraction it once did. As society has become more diversified and supportive of diversity, there is a tendency to assimilate that grows more attractive. Disappearing in the mainstream may seem like progress in a world of differences, but it can also mean employees are avoiding affinity groups because they believe the groups are irrelevant. Gen Y, in particular, doesn’t feel attached to the values that gave birth to affinity groups, and often older workers resent their reluctance to get involved. Relevance based on corporate objectives is critical to keeping membership strong. Through discussion with ERG leaders who span the diversity spectrum, attendees will hear and gain insights about building relevance based on corporate objectives, social objectives, community objectives and affinity objectives through goal setting, volunteer projects, evaluation, and reward.
Angela Jones, Vice President, Human Resources, ConAgra Foods
Damita Byrd, IT System Trainer, ConAgra Foods
Edith Zambrana Santos, Research Scientist, ConAgra Foods
Practicum Participant, Part 2: Elvia Novak, Director, Deloitte & Touche LLP
B. ERG Program Manager Track
ERGs in New Roles: Innovations in Recruitment, Retention and Engagement
Recruitment and retention are essential activities for any corporation, and ERGs are vital supporting players in these activities. Every company claims to value potential leaders and wants to retain them. With growing research about generational differences in world views and thinking, the challenge of identifying and developing new leaders is critical. In Part 1, the panelists will analyze the role of ERGs in leadership development and succession planning based on their own successes, their observations of internal promotion processes and their knowledge of the way others have succeeded.
Jonathan Kaufman, Founder/CEO, DisabilityWorks, Inc.
Edward (Ed) Bailey, Manager, Business Analytics, Google, Inc.
Isaias Zamarripa, Director of Talent Acquisition & Diversity, General Mills
C. Experienced Leaders Track
Cross-Generational Education: Overcoming Differences and Indifferences
It is proven that diverse teams produce more innovation than non-diverse teams, and the same is true for ERGs. Although these groups’ charters may be along gender, race, or sexual orientation lines, many of these same groups increasingly struggle with enlisting a true cross-section of generations from their respective workforces, and then creating opportunities for different generations to work cross-generationally. This session will explore innovative ways in which different ERGs have tackled gaining membership of emerging talent (Gen Y), as well as involving the different generations with each other in a way that builds engagement, and ultimately has business impact.
Jennifer Brown, President, Jennifer Brown Consulting LLC
Bridgette Porter, Senior HR Manager, NA Diversity, Procter & Gamble
Practicum Participant, Part 2: Paul Lanzi, IT Project Manager, Genentech, Inc.
D. Specialty Issues Track
Intersection of Identities: Sexual, Religious and Generational Diversity
Corporations have taken the lead among American institutions in fostering equality based on invisible dimensions of diversity such as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) identity. Religious identity now is becoming increasingly visible. Generational differences add another layer of complexity to diversity and inclusion efforts. Part 1 of this workshop will examine the distinct and overlapping experiences of employees in these groups, as well as current corporate positions on each as reflected through ERG/AGs.
Part 2 of the workshop will focus on developing action plans that enable participants to address the “intersection of identities” effectively in their ERGs and their workplaces. Participants should plan to attend both parts of this workshop to gain maximum benefit.
Susan Gore, Ph.D., Principal, The Mentor Group
Megan Smith, Vice President, Business Development, Google, Inc.
E. One-on-One Consultation Sessions—By appointment only
Your group will meet with consultants to discuss your affinity groups maturity model assessment results and next steps.
Linda Strange, Lead Business Partner, Senior Organizational Development Consultant, Alignment Strategies, Inc.
Brenda Bryant, Senior Consultant, Alignment Strategies, Inc.
12:00-1:00 Networking Luncheon
1:00-2:15 Round III Repeated
Repeat Track A, B, C and D Practicums
2:15-3:00 Open Mike Forum/Closing Remarks
In this Open Mike Forum, using Alignment Strategies’ ERG action planning tool, group leaders will share action plans for next steps to align with corporate goals. Don’t leave early—be here to find out how your colleagues will leverage this year’s learnings from NALC!
Vanessa Weaver-Coleman, Ph.D.,
CEO/Founder, Alignment Strategies, Inc.
Registration
Hotel & Travel
New York City
