Focus Group: What Makes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Hard? (Not Eligible for CEs)
Focus Groups (Not eligible for Continuing Education)
Gary A. Smith, Co-Founder and Senior Partner
Gary A. Smith is cofounder and Senior Partner of Ivy Planning Group (Ivy), a 28-year-old management consulting and training company that specializes in strategy, diversity, leadership and change management. Consulting Magazine honored Mr. Smith as one of the Top 25 Consultants of 2007. Profiles in Diversity Journal named him a Diversity Pioneer. Minority Business & Professionals Network, Inc. named Mr. Smith one of “Fifty Influential Minorities in Business”. He has over 25 years of strategy, technology, management consulting and executive coaching to large private sector and government organizations. He has led numerous engagements to develop core business, technology, diversity, and marketing strategies leading to improved revenue performance, mission-critical improvements, and more effective customer service. Mr. Smith assists clients in solving problems. His skills in management, marketing, and information technology allow him to synthesize data to meet his clients' challenges. He has worked directly with corporate CEOs, executive teams, agency administrators, and senior officials to build strategies, facilitate challenging discussions, and achieve their organization’s vision
Alan A. Klein, Senior Consultant
Alan Klein, Senior Consultant with Ivy Planning Group (Ivy), has worked in a variety of public and private settings as a consultant, coach, trainer, facilitator, administrator, and teacher. He specializes in the areas of leadership development, inclusive workplaces, team-building, change management, and communication. He also provides organizations with support and facilitation in the use of large group methodologies such as SimuReal, Future Search, and Open Space Technology. He was elected to membership in the NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Science in 1998, served two terms on the NTL Board of Directors, and currently serves as Steward of NTL’s Core Programs. Alan received his M.Ed. in experiential education at West Virginia University and holds a BA in Social Science and Psychology from the University of Michigan. He is a master-certified practitioner of the Myers Briggs Personality Type Indicator (MBTI®) and is certified in the EQ-i 2.0, the Strength Deployment Inventory, the Apter Motivational Styles Profile indicator, the Klein Group Inventory, the Organization and Team Culture Indicator, and the Pearson-Marr Archetypes assessments. Alan co-authored a chapter in the Barrett-Koehler book, The Change Handbook, on the SimuReal large group change methodology and has designed webinars for professional organizations.
The Ivy Planning Group specializes in helping organizations maximize the inclusion of diverse individuals and groups in the workplace. Join them in this highly interactive session, which will begin with an overview of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) using a Dimensions model. We will then take a serious look at what makes DEI hard in today’s workplace and clientspace.