Pushing Beyond Diversity: Fostering Inclusive Environments

This past year brought a renewed attention to and interest in organizations’ diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. To date, the majority of attention within DEI initiatives has been placed on diversity, particularly when it comes to recruiting diverse candidates, board members, leaders, and more to push forward an organization’s work. But how can nonprofits move from recruiting diverse board members to building inclusive environments in which everyone can thrive? This keynote will dig into this topic, examining the strategies that organizations can employ to ensure that they intentionally foster environments that fully maximize and elevate diverse perspectives.

Speakers

Pavita Cooper

Founder, More Difference

Pavita Cooper is the founder of More Difference, where she works with boards and executive teams to build culture and inclusion across their organisations. Cooper is recognized as a leading culture and diversity expert and has more than 30 years experience as an executive talent leader across a range of multi-sector global blue-chip organizations. Having led in-house board level appointments and promotion processes, she understands that organizations need commitment at all levels to create inclusive workplaces. She is a passionate advocate of greater diversity across the C-Suite and is committed to accelerating the progression of “hidden” talent: women, ethnic minorities, and leaders from less traditional backgrounds. Cooper mentors young people from ethnically diverse and socially disadvantaged backgrounds and regularly speaks at inner city schools through Speakers for Schools. Cooper serves on the steering committee of the 30 Percent Club, is a commissioner to the Board of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the lead NED to an agency of the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, and a trustee of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) where she chairs CMI Race. Cooper was awarded Woman of the Year at the Asian Business Awards in 2017.

Caroline Grossman, MBA ’03 - Moderator

Executive Director, Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation

Caroline Grossman, ’03, is the executive director of the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation, the destination at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business for people committed to helping solve complex social and environmental problems. In her five years at the Rustandy Center, Grossman has led efforts to pursue research partnerships worldwide, driven student and alumni engagement across the University of Chicago, and developed strong relationships across Booth, the university, the social sector ecosystem in Chicago and beyond. Most recently, she led the center’s suite of programming to foster opportunities for students and alumni to channel a business toolkit for social impact through nonprofit board service, social entrepreneurship, and co-curricular experiential learning.