2:00-2:50 PM
Diversity Initiatives & Putting Your Company in the Most Defensible Position as Possible- Adriana Trevino, Counsel – Global Employment Law PepsiCo.
A lack of diversity creates barriers and can negatively impact an organization and its people. Therefore, it is in a company’s best interest to create platforms where individuals of diverse backgrounds can voice their opinions fearlessly. In addition to diversity and inclusions initiatives, organizations should make education on employee rights a top priority when it comes to training its managers and HR business partners. From roundtables to periodic workshops, arming the business with tools to understand employee rights and protected activity will help mitigate employment issues down the road.
Learning Objectives:
• Learn how to develop and implement diversity initiatives
• Discuss best practices and cutting-edge ideas to better train HR and the business
• Review recent legal settlements and key takeaways
2:50-4:30 PM
White Fragility and the Call for Anti-racism in the Workplace: Randy Mayeux
The modern workplace is not as inclusive as it needs to be. This lack of diversity contributes to a loss of creativity, resulting in a less-innovative workplace. In this session, Randy Mayeux will include material from four recent and best-selling books on racial issues in America. These four books are: Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi; White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo; The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein; and How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. (He will also refer to other best selling books on this issue, and provide an extensive reading list).
Learning Objectives:
• What do we mean by systemic racism? Systemic racism has been present in the US throughout our history, from the days of slavery, through the Jim Crow era, up through the present day.
• Why have many attempts at racial diversity in the workplace not been fully successful? This session will provide insight into why there has not been much success, or enough progress.
• What should be done? A proposed strategy for racial inclusion in the workplace -- to make better and sustained progress -- will be described as a way forward.
After he presents a combined synopsis of this material, Randy will lead a discussion of the implications for the modern workplace.
About the Speakers
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Adriana Trevino
Adriana serves as legal counsel in the employment law section at PepsiCo. In her role, Adriana partners with internal Human Resources clients to provide strategic advice and legal counsel on employment law matters arising in the field. In addition to counseling her clients, Adriana works on Company restructures and collaborates with the litigation team. Prior to joining PepsiCo, Adriana worked as a news anchor, associate producer for major TV networks, and as the Marketing Director of the McAllen, TX Economic Development Corporation and Foreign Trade Zone. Adriana graduated from the University of Texas Pan American with a B.A. in Mass Communication and M.A. in Communication Studies. She also holds an M.P.A. from the University of Missouri and a J.D. from UNT Dallas College of Law. Adriana has two Australian Shepherds (Barca and Saigey) and enjoys traveling, cooking, and running.
Randy Mayeux
After an early start with a deep love for comic books, especially Marvel Comics (he once owned the first edition Spiderman; alas…long gone), Randy graduated to The Hardy Boys, and then to Nero Wolfe mysteries, and finally to the world of nonfiction books. In other words, Randy Mayeux has always loved reading books. And now, for over 22 years, Randy has presented synopses of business books at the First Friday Book Synopsis in Dallas. In addition to his love of books, he is an official multi-natural-disaster survivor, having experienced a Hurricane, a California earthquake, and now a tornado. He has no plans to move to the coast, knowing that he would simply attract a tsunami. Randy graduated from Abilene Christian University, where he lettered four years in Tennis; and then earned a Masters Degree from Pepperdine University, and completed classwork for a PhD from the University of Southern California.