Diversity Experts To Meet In Chicago June 4-6, 2002.

Diversity experts and other business leaders from top companies will meet in Chicago in June to address diversity in the context of the marketplace, talent and organizational effectiveness. The Conference Board’s 2002 Annual Diversity Conference — “Diversity Leadership: Setting Standards for the Marketplace, Talent and Organizational Effectiveness” — will be held June 4-6 at the Hilton Chicago & Towers.

The Honorable Cari M. Dominguez, Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, will deliver the opening keynote address on “The Freedom to Compete.” A pre-conference workshop on “Managing Cultural Diversity: A 21st Century Approach” will be presented by Mark Williams, Founder and CEO of The Diversity Channel and best-selling author of “THE 10 LENSES: Your Guide to Living and Working in a Multicultural World.”

Media are invited to attend this conference without charge and can register by calling (212) 339-0231.

“The conference program is built upon research based on the recent work of The Conference Board’s 70 members of its two diversity councils which represent Fortune 100 companies as well as government and not-for-profit,” says Michael Wheeler, Conference Program Director. “We will investigate the issues, challenges, opportunities, priorities and outlook on diversity and the critical factors for success in creating an inclusive, high-performance workplace.” A copy of The Conference Board’s 2002 Council Report “The Diversity Executive: Tasks, Competences and Strategies for Success will be available at the conference.”

J.T. Childs, Jr., Vice President, Workforce Diversity, IBM will address “The Marketplace: Trends, Issues, Challenges and Opportunities.”

“Making Marketing Your Business Partner: Strategies for Market Expansion” will be examined by Miriam Mulex, Director, Marketing and Sales to Women, General Motors, and Janice Fenn, President, Professional Resources Organization.

“Your Diverse Markets: Who They Are; What They Want” will be explored by Julia Huang, CEO, InterTrend Communications, Inc., and Jim Lowry, Vice President, Boston Consulting Group, and Cindy Laughlin, Manager Talent Strategy, Deluxe.

“Vendors & Suppliers: Building Your Competitive Strength with Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises” will be addressed by Henry Hernandez, Executive Director, Global Diversity, Pitney Bowes, and Susan Bari, President, Women’s Business Enterprise, National Council.

“The Middle East and Muslims in America and Abroad” will be presented by Lee Ali, Executive Director, Islamic Speakers Bureau of New York, and Indira Ahluwalia, Vice President, South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow (SAALT) and Vice President, Kaur Group.

“Talent: Getting, Keeping and Developing the Best” will be addressed by Jose Berrios, Vice President, Staffing and Diversity, Gannett Company, Inc.

“The Talent Pipeline: Investing in Tomorrow’s Workforce Today” will be discussed by Nicole M. Chestang, Executive Chief Operating Officer and Secretary, Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), Bernie Milano, President, KPMG Foundation and Administrator, The PhD Project, and Deborah Brown, The Empowerment Loop.

“Making a Real and Visible Difference in the Executive Suite” will be addressed by Judith L. Turnock, President, Hunter Management Group and co-author of “Cracking the Corporate Code,” Price Cobbs, President, Pacific Management Systems and co-author of “Cracking the Corporate Code,” and Gilroye A. Griffin, Jr., Managing Director, Korn/Ferry International.

“Retention: What Employees Really Want” will be discussed by Cheryl Roberts, Managing Director, Human Resources, UBS Warburg, and Nelvia Brady, Vice President, Carrington & Carrington, Ltd.

“Affinity and Networking Groups: What Really Works?” will be addressed by Janet Winters-Smith, Corporate Diversity Manager, ChevronTexaco, Daisy Wood, Director, Workforce Inclusion, Delta Technology, and Dan McCartney, Manager, Multicultural Initiatives, IBM.

“Career Diversity Management: What Does the Future Hold?” will be examined by Margaret A. Regan, Principal and Global Diversity Practice Leader, Towers Perrin.

“Organization Effectiveness and Environment: Raising the Bar on Creating a Culture of Inclusion and Performance” will be explored by Karon R. Moore, Assistant Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion, The Hartford Financial Services Group, and Judith Katz, Executive Vice President, The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group.

“Leveraging Diversity for Innovation, Productivity, and Organizational Effectiveness” will be presented by Linda Strauss-Jones, Human Resources Business Partner, Eastman Kodak, and Mary-Frances Winters, President, The Winters Group.

“Inserting Diversity Education into Your Organization’s Day-to-Day Life” will be addressed by Mark Williams, Founder and CEO, The Diversity Channel.

“Effective Diversity Leadership” will be examined by Frank J. McCloskey, Vice President, Georgia Power, and James O. Rodgers, President, J.O. Rodgers & Associates, Inc., and Cecilia McKenney, Vice President, Headquarters Human Resources, the Pepsi Bottling Group.

“Assessing and Driving Change for a Culture of Inclusion” will be addressed by Ronald E. Frieson, Chief Diversity Officer, BellSouth Corporation, and Ronald Harrison, Vice President, PepsiCo.

This meeting is sponsored by: The Diversity Channel, UBS, IBM, The Pepsi Bottling Group, Pitney Bowes, Towers Perrin and Carrington & Carrington, LTD.

Media are invited to attend this conference free of charge and can register by calling Frank Tortorici at (212) 339-0231 or Carol Courter at (212) 339-0232. A copy of the program is available on The Conference Board’s website at http://www.tcb.org.