Presentation proposals accepted NOW!

Calling all presenters!  Do you have a topic you would like to present for the 2024 DEI Empowerment Conference? We are looking for presentations that incorporate our theme "Equity & Belonging Through Disrupting Policy & Practice" and give insight to personal lived experience or share expertise. We would love to see your presentation proposal.  Proposals will be accepting through noon on January 4, 2024. Start your proposal now. 

The Presenter Process Guide linked below has more information about the steps presenters need to follow to submit proposals and for smooth payment after they have been selected.

• Presenter Process Guide [PDF] 
• Proposal Submission form
• Proposal Submission form [PDF] for reference only
• Dates to Remember
• Vendor Registration (Statewide Vendor Number)

Join us on Thursday, November 30th at 9 am to ask questions about the proposal process. Complete the registration and you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. We will have sign language interpretation.   If you are unable to attend this session.  We will be holding another opportunity to ask questions on December 12th at 2pm. Check back for registration details for the december Q&A.

Equity & Belonging Through Disrupting Policy & Practice

The 2024 WA DEI Empowerment Conference’s theme is Equity & Belonging Through Disrupting Policy & Practice. When we say “Disrupting”, we are looking for presentations that will provide information on the importance of pausing and analyzing our current policies and practices to help us identify and remove barriers. We are committed to supporting statewide and agency-specific efforts to build a broad path towards equity, anti-racism and belonging in the workplace.

The conference schedule

The conference will be held virtually over Zoom Wednesday June 5, Thursday June 6, Tuesday June 11 and Wednesday June 12. Add a hold to your calendar (this will downlaod a file you can open and save). We will also have in-person watch parties that will welcome state employees to gather in-person to watch our virtual sessions. Watch parties will be held in Olympia and Spokane. More details to come!

Four sessions will be presented each day.  Daily sessions will include a keynote and three additional sessions. Each session will be 90 minutes long, with the exception of the keynotes.  Keynotes will be two hours. There will be an hour break for lunch. (Daily schedules subject to change.)

The conference dates have been thoughtfully chosen not to overlap with important BRG annual events. We encourage team members to attend virtual and in-person events being planned by WIN, BUILD, and RAIN during the month of June! We are excited to partner with our BRG community! 

Attend the live virtual sessions

While DEI practitioners and agency leadership will find the conference relevant to their work, all employees have the power to promote diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in their workplaces. We encourage you to block time on your calendar to attend the live sessions.  While we strive to provide accessible solutions like recorded sessions for later playback, some sessions may only be available live for presenter safety or due to other concerns.

See materials from past DEI Empowerment Conferences

Dates to remember

November 22, 2023 – Presentation Proposal Submission Form goes live

November 30, 2023 - Q&A Session #1 for potential presenters will be held virtually over zoom from 9 am to 10 am

December 12, 2023 - Q&A Session #2 for potential presenters will be held virtually over zoom from 2 pm to 3 pm

January 4, 2024 – Presentation Proposals will no longer be accepted after 12 pm (noon).

May 1, 2024 - Attendee Registration Begins

June 5, 2024 – Opening Day

September 1, 2024 – Conference Recording playback will be disabled