2023 Washington State DEI Empowerment Conference schedule and registration
The 2023 WA DEI Empowerment Conference, with a theme of Bridging Gaps and Leaning into Action, will held virtually over Zoom each Wednesday in June (June 7, 14, 21 and 28). We are committed to supporting statewide and agency-specific equity and anti-racism work, with the goal of building more just systems and fostering a culture of inclusion and belonging with our state workforce.
Registration for the conference will open May 8, 2023, to all employees of state agencies, boards and commissions. Select a tab to see details of sessions on each day.
| Session Title | Date | Presenter(s) | Registration/Password |
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| Welcome Keynote with Carolyn Hartness – A Reckoning, An Invitation to Healing | Jun 7, 2023 - 8:00am | Caroline Hartness |
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| Data Sovereignty, Indigenous Methodologies and Two-Eye Seeing Partnerships for Change | Jun 7, 2023 - 10:30am | Sauncha Romey |
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| Neurodiversity: What is it? | Jun 7, 2023 - 1:00pm | Renae Smith |
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| Generational Trauma of Native Americans | Jun 7, 2023 - 3:00pm | Dr. Marie Natrall-Ackles |
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| Mental Health & Anti-Racism: Prioritizing Wellness in the Workplace | Jun 14, 2023 - 8:00am | Dr. Isaiah Pickens |
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| De-siloing Your Data Strategy For Equity | Jun 14, 2023 - 10:30am | Dr. Brandeis Marshall |
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| Creating and Sustaining an Inclusive Workplace Culture using the 3 A’s | Jun 14, 2023 - 1:00pm | Dr. Isaiah Pickens |
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| Come to the Table: Washington's Efforts to Achieve Equity in Public Spending | Jun 14, 2023 - 3:00pm | Shana Greenberg Barehand, Doug Mora, Shamekia Moultrie, Resie Rogers and Drew Zavatsky |
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| Drag Story Hour and Fireside Chat | Jun 21, 2023 - 8:00am | Jonathan Hamilt, Sam Mendum-Pardy, and Alex Petrovnia |
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| The Urgent Matter of Colorism: A Missing Link in Anti-Racist Work | Jun 21, 2023 - 10:30am | Dr. Sarah L Webb |
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| Incorporating DEIB and Anti-Racism Work into Recruitment | Jun 21, 2023 - 1:00pm | Lisa Grund and Tangi Tash |
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| Elephant in the Room | Jun 21, 2023 - 3:00pm | Philip "Sharp Skills" Jacobs |
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| Asian American Inclusion in DEI Work | Jun 28, 2023 - 8:00am | Dr. Joan Sung King |
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| Disability Awareness: Inclusive Language and Practices | Jun 28, 2023 - 10:30am | Linda Clemon-Karp |
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| EQUITY ON TRIAL!: Has the Supreme Court declared Diversity DEAD or ALIVE? | Jun 28, 2023 - 1:00pm | Winona Hollins-Hauge, Delbert Richardson, Jesse Wineberry, Atty, and John Yasutake |
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| Work Spaces as “Well-Spaces”: The Equity-Hope-Resilience Connection | Jun 28, 2023 - 3:00pm | Lucretia Robertson |
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| Be a Revolution! - Welcome Keynote with Ijeoma Oluo | Jun 5, 2024 - 8:30am | Ijeoma Oluo (she/her) |
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| Ownership > Buy In: Creating a Curious Culture | Jun 5, 2024 - 10:30am | Pat McGregor (he/him) & Amandeep Puri (she/her) |
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| Equity and Belonging – Why am I so emotional? | Jun 5, 2024 - 1:00pm | Aunna Moss (she/her) & Lenora Sneva (she/her) |
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| Building DEIB Momentum Amid the War Against DEI | Jun 5, 2024 - 3:00pm | Marianne Ozmun-Wells (she/they) |
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| Coming Soon! | Jun 6, 2024 - 8:30am |
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| Coming Soon! | Jun 6, 2024 - 10:30am |
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| The Myth of the Model Minority | Jun 6, 2024 - 1:00pm | Jim Mendoza (he/him) |
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| Immigration as a Barrier to Employment- Raising Every Voice | Jun 6, 2024 - 3:00pm | Teddy Dianah Kemirembe (she/her), Sarah MacLeod (she/her) & Seth Pilkey (he/him) |
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| Coming Soon! | Jun 11, 2024 - 8:30am |
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| Enhancing Veteran Inclusivity in Washington State Workforce: Disrupting current policies for greater equity and belonging | Jun 11, 2024 - 10:30am | VERG Members |
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| Disability Inclusion: simple steps you can take today to make your workspaces more inclusive and equitable | Jun 11, 2024 - 1:00pm | Linda Lohdefinck (she/her) & Sarah Norton (she/her) |
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| Embedding The 4-D Model of Neuro-Inclusive Communication | Jun 11, 2024 - 3:00pm | Chris Hooten, M.A. (they/them) |
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| Supporting Leadership and Utilizing BRGs to Recruit and Retain Latine Employees | Jun 12, 2024 - 8:30am | Hermina Esqueda (she/her/ella), Tony Griego (he/him) & Monica Andrade Hupp (she/her) |
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| Coming Soon! | Jun 12, 2024 - 10:30am |
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| Coming Soon! | Jun 12, 2024 - 1:00pm |
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| Normalizing Shared Power as a tool to Disrupt Policies, Practices, and Processes (The 3 P's) | Jun 12, 2024 - 3:00pm | Rauniesha Larkins (she/her/diva), Sabrina Njoroge (she/her), Amber Ortiz-Díaz (she/her/ella) & Jean Paul (he/him) |
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Who is this conference for?
The DEI Empowerment Conference is free and open to all employees from Washington state agencies, boards and commissions. While DEI practitioners and agency leadership will find the summit relevant to their work, all employees have the power to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in their workplaces.
State DEI training
- State Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Training (des.wa.gov)
- View the documentary, Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America
- Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America - Viewer Guide
For presenters
- Guidance for presenters [PDF]
- Questions? Email us
Thank you to our sponsors:
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