Resilience Amidst the Backlash: Navigating Current Challenges Facing DEIA Initiatives

Date and Time

March 6, 2024
1:00 pm-2:00 pm EST

Location

Webinar

Topic

Closing the Gender Gap

Event Resources

Recording Presentation

In the aftermath of the recent Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action and a notable increase in legal actions against diversity programs, companies are encountering opposition to DEIA initiatives, making it more difficult to uphold their commitments to equitable and inclusive business practices.  

Join us for a webinar featuring insights from the leads of BSR’s Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (EIJ) team and business leaders. Gain a comprehensive understanding of the latest legal and legislative developments, insights into what might be coming next, and discover effective strategies for navigating these challenges.  

This event will explore how companies can harness the courage of professional and moral leadership. It will also examine the implications for professionals across various corporate functions that touch on equity issues. 

Scheduled Speakers

• Yusuf Zakir, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
• Alicin Reidy Williamson, Chief Diversity and Culture Officer, Yahoo!
• Laura Gitman, Chief Impact Officer, BSR
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Laura Gitman
Chief Impact Officer, BSR
New York
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Laura is a global expert on corporate sustainability, with two decades of experience in strategy consulting and has advised senior executives at global companies across a range of industry sectors and sustainability issues.
As Chief Impact Officer (CIO), the first in the organization’s 30-year history, Laura focuses on maximizing the impact of BSR’s work with its network of over 300 members, both through direct engagement on project work and as a mentor for teams throughout the organization. She also oversees BSR’s collaborative initiatives and the Center for Business and Social Justice, and a recognized thought leader and innovator in strategic business.
She has been an instrumental leader in BSR’s organizational growth and impact. She launched BSR’s financial services practice and New York office, and she served as Chief Operating Officer for five years, leveraging her strengths in strategy, organizational change, and people management. Laura works with leading global companies to develop and enhance their sustainability strategies to maximize value for business and society, and she is sought after to facilitate senior-level strategy workshops and multi-stakeholder collaborations.
She previously worked for Deloitte Consulting, where she acquired extensive strategy experience advising multinational financial services companies. She also worked on several community and economic development projects in Latin America.
Laura holds a MBA from Stanford University and a BS in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. She is an adjunct professor in the Bard MBA in Sustainability program, a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, and a member of the UN Global Compact Expert Network.
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• MaryAnne Howland, Director, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice, BSR
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MaryAnne Howland
Director, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice, BSR
New York
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MaryAnne is responsible for establishing equity, inclusion, and justice (EIJ) services at BSR as a leading business resource for value-based leadership. She provides insights, strategies, and resources to reimagine and institutionalize global EIJ using an issue-focused approach. She will lead BSR’s EIJ team to provide support to companies across industries through strategic consulting services, thought leadership, and research on issues including, but not exclusive to: economic, health, and racial equity and inclusion; women’s empowerment; PGLE; persons with disabilities, supply chains; board governance; and Indigenous and regional issues. 
MaryAnne is the founder of Ibis Communications and the Global Diversity Leadership Exchange, and she also co-founded J.E.D.I. Collaborative. She has extensive experience in working with leaders in corporate, governmental, and non-governmental organizations who are on the front lines of driving justice, equity, dignity, and inclusion (JEDI) at the intersection of sustainability in global markets.
MaryAnne holds a BS in Communications from Boston University.
 
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• Kurell Julien | Q, Associate Director, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice, BSR
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Kurell Julien | Q
Associate Director, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice, BSR
New York
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Kurell is the Associate Director for the EIJ AOE, responsible for co-developing the EIJ Team capacity and frameworks, to advance organizational change centering racial equity, accessibility, and social justice at BSR member companies. 
Prior to BSR, Kurell worked at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in critical roles, such as the Director for the Office of Access and Disability Justice, the Equity Officer for the agency’s citywide COVID-19 vaccine operations, and as the agency LGBTIQ+ ERG Chair. In these roles, he was responsible for addressing inequities in policies, practice, structure, and culture, while fostering inclusion related to race, gender, sexuality, religion, ability, immigrant status and other demographic identities. To honor his work, Kurell received multiple distinctions for social justice advocacy and distinguished service. He brings to BSR over 17 years of experience in supply chain management and 10+ years in social justice community involvement and advocacy. 
Kurell currently attends Morehouse College pursuing his BA in Business Management, and is a recent graduate of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) Diverse Executives Leading in Public Health (DELPH) and Institute for Nonprofit Practice (INP) Social Impact Management & Leadership fellowships. 
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