FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PROVIDENCE, RI – Rhode Island College’s Dialogue on Diversity Committee will present its 20th Annual Multicultural Conference, Promising Practices on Saturday, Nov. 4. Registration begins at 7:45 a.m. in Donovan Dining Center and programming will take place in Gaige Hall, concluding at 1:45 p.m. A continental breakfast and lunch is included in the conference fee.
This year’s theme, Education for a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace, will address educational, corporate and nonprofit contexts with a keynote address, a panel discussion and a variety of workshops that will explore the conference theme in depth.
Lisa McBride, the inaugural vice president for diversity and inclusion at Salem State University, will deliver the keynote address titled “Innovating Diversity and Empowering Leaders: Re-imaging Higher Education” and entertain questions following her address. As McBride has long noted, “We all have a role in creating a just and equal society. That includes being engaged on and off campus, standing up to bias and hate, challenging stereotypes, and recognizing and challenging unconscious biases.”
Featured workshops include:
- Tapping into Talent: Developing Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities in Classrooms and Careers, which will explore reasonable accommodations in the workplace and the classroom.
- Up and Coming (OUT): Becoming a Competent LGBTQ Ally is an introductory-level workshop for those desiring to become more competent and confident in working with and employing members of the LGBTQ+ community.
- Kaleidoscope: Developing Meaningful Participatory Experiences in Learning and Working Environments will engage participants in reflecting on issues of identity, privilege and oppression.
- Critical Mentoring is Critical for College Success, presented by McBride, will explore how race, ethnicity, class, gender and sexuality pertain to mentoring.
Participants in the conference will also hear a panel discussion moderated by Anna Cano Morales, RIC vice president for community, equity, and diversity, on diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace and have the opportunity to interact with panelists.
The line-up of distinguished panelists include:
- Carrie Bridges Feliz, director of Community Health Services at Lifespan.
- Randy Martinez, director of strategic diversity management for CVS Health.
- Dorca Paulino, diversity coordinator of the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
- Visael “Bobby” Rodriguez, vice president of human resources and chief diversity officer of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island.
Signs will be located throughout the campus to direct traffic to on-site parking. For more information and to register, visit the
Promising Practices website.
The Promising Practices Conference is organized by Dialogue on Diversity at Rhode Island College and supported by the RIC Committee on College Lectures, the Office of the President, and the Division of Community, Equity and Diversity.
Conference Schedule:
7:45–8:30 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast, Donovan Dining Center
8:30–8:40 a.m. Welcome Remarks: Frank D. Sánchez, President, Rhode Island College
8:45–10:15 a.m. Workshops–Gaige Hall
10:15–10:30 a.m. Break
10:30–11:15 a.m. Keynote Address–Gaige Hall Room 100, Auditorium
11:15–11:45 a.m. Question and Answer Session with Lisa McBride
11:45 a.m.–1:45 p.m. Lunch and Panel Discussion
1:45 p.m. Closing Remarks/CEU’s
Established in 1854, Rhode Island College serves approximately 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students through its five schools: the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, the School of Business, the School of Nursing and the School of Social Work. For more information, visit www.ric.edu.
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