2008-2009

Diversity Works 2008-09: 

• The attached program listings for 2008-09 list the main program achievements of this past year.  Highlights include:
• Sponsoring the student achievement awards at the Hispanic Heritage Conference, including gift bags for each student; we also sponsored a program ad that featured the names of each student and the names of the Partners. (With the University)
• Co-sponsoring programs in October with Minnijean Brown Tricky, a member of the Little Rock Nine(with the University and with the Youngstown City Schools)
• Co-sponsoring the first and second annual YWCA Women’s Leadership Conference.
• Sponsoring 32 students to attend the “Flight to Freedom” Bus tour of southwestern Ohio underground railroad locations. (with YSU)
• Providing a workshop on “Diversity in the Workplace” for the Medina Society of Human Resource Management.

• Co-sponsoring the 10^th Annual Human Resource Conference (with WCBA and the Western Reserve Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management)

• During the past two years, the Partners for Workplace Diversity collaborated with the Williamson College of Business Administration’s Emerging Markets Initiative and the Youngstown Business and Professional Women’s club to host events for area women small business owners.  This year, the program became an on-goin one in which the women themselves participate in planning and program delivery. What began as a free educational event over dinner has developed into three events during 2008-09.  The events participate in Nation level programs for small business week, national entrepreneurship week, and global small business week.  The programs integrate more than 200 women into WCBA’s activities, provide the College and the women entrepreneurs with educational and development outcomes, and relate this segment of the business community to our students and our classes. (See attached brochures for program details for this past year.)

·       The Partners meet every three years to revisit the Alliance ’s identity and the roles it should play in the communities in which we function.  (The last was in 2007.  Recommendations from that review were adopted and put into practice with success.)  This year, a Board was formed to lead the Partners in a review of the mission and to shepherd the alliance through its transition to a time beyond McMahon’s retirement and that addresses the increased size of the alliance.

Long Term Achievements:

 Partners for Workplace Diversity has:

• Brought together professionals from Valley businesses and educational programs to develop and deliver more than a dozen training programs serving more than 500 individuals in more than 25 organizations.

• Sponsored annual Diversity Works celebrations each fall that encourages every workplace in the Valley to recognize how diversity and diversity competencies support mission effectiveness. Diversity Works events have involved not only intensive education and celebration in the various Partners’ organizations, but have provided community wide awareness and education programs.  Promotional materials for Diversity Works are displayed nationally.

• Sponsored the Diversity Track at the Annual Human Resource Conference with the Western Reserve Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management, an award-winning chapter of the premier professional association for human resource professionals. 

• Initiated “spotlight on diversity” features at our meetings to learn about diversity-related accomplishments by Valley organizations.  The program has been written up in the Ohio CEO Magazine.  In 2005, the Partners were invited to help with the program sponsored annually by the Cleveland City Club, leading to Dr. Sylvia Hyre’s  (from YSU) becoming one the key speakers in the series on diversity.

• Brought to the Valley nationally known guest speakers addressing women’s leadership in business, race and ethnicity issues in business, understanding the business case for diversity, new laws impacting business on diversity topics, and on cultural issues in health care delivery.

• Provided programs for students through the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, Youngstown State University, Barnes and Noble, and the Youngstown City Schools. 

• Maintained a web site that provides introductory information and materials for diversity programming to the members and to the community.   The web site has brought contacts from around the county requesting permission to use our materials. www.ysu.edu/workplacediversity 

• Created a network of educated professionals who develop opportunities for their organizations and for their partners in business and education.  Professionals in the Partnership often assist each other with intra-organizational challenges and training.

In addition to being recognized by Ohio CEO Magazine, the Partners’ programs have gained national visibility by:

• Participating in three national professional conferences in higher education, presenting papers on campus-community alliances for educational programming and cultural change.

• Publishing 2 articles in the business press on the merits of community alliances as a tool for diversity education and programming in business.

• Service on the Executive Committee of the National Workplace Diversity Committee of the Society for Human Resource Management, the premier professional association of human resource managers. For 5 years, Anne McMahon, organizer of the Partners for Workplace Diversity, has volunteered on that committee.

• Developed posters celebrating diversity that hang in many professional locations not only locally, but also nationally