Momentum for increased attention to DEI is often rooted in high-profile and specific incidents of societal (e.g., the murder of George Floyd) or organizational (e.g., harassment reporting) injustice. The seriousness of these issues, rightly so, brings calls for strong leadership, and expedient organizational action. Often, however, these initial calls and immediate responses yield frustratingly little meaningful change and sustained impact. This session will explore ways in which leaders can sustain engaged and impactful DEI work, with particular attention to executing DEI change in mature organizational and professional contexts in which change to ingrained systems and processes can be more difficult to come by.

Learning Ojectives:

• Understand the unique challenges of DEI change management
• Improve ability to identify opportunities for DEI leadership in mature organizational and professional contexts
• Understand how to integrate empathy and grit to effectively lead and execute DEI change management