DE&I and its Importance in the Workplace
AIS organized panel on April 26 at 6 – 7:30 pm
Panelists:
Amtul Sufi (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leader at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)
Elvita Quiñones (Director of Employee Advocacy and Belonging at Salesforce)
Shenelle Brooks ( DEI Manager at Aramark)
Josh Odam (Chief of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Defender Association of Philadelphia),
Josie Pickens (Chief Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer at Mayor’s Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion)
These panelists gave their insights on the current DEI landscape in the industry and how their organizations have maintained Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Having consistent dialogue and creating safe spaces to make sure employees feel seen and free to provide feedback in the workplace is critical for employee satisfaction and retention.
As an MIS major, we are preparing ourselves to be apart of the ever-changing technological industry and it will be important know how to create an inclusive workplace at our future organizations. Elvita Quiñones emphasized that at Salesforce, consistent communication to employees and solid data like annual reports allow people to know what is going on. As a company, it should be transparent on its values and consistently hold themselves accountable in order to be successful. This webinar was very insightful and it was a pleasure to hear from all the panelists from different companies on what their experiences on DEI have been like.