September 20, 2019
Weill Music Room, Carnegie Hall, NYC
8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Other People’s Shoes, A Guided Walking Tour
If we were all able to bring our true selves to work in the communications business – as we have long purported – talent might not be our industry’s biggest issue. Let’s face it: A lack of diversity, equity and inclusion remain evident across Corporate America. Instead of checking boxes and simply expecting those in the minority to assimilate, we have to embrace different approaches to problem-solving shaped by different life experiences.
Our speakers walk through the world and see opportunities and problems differently than most in this industry. This event aims to leave you with new ideas about our workforce and the motivation to do the difficult work to craft new solutions – for our colleagues, our clients, and the world.
For sponsorship opportunities, please email andi@prcouncil.net.
Balls: It Takes Some to Get Some
The Ultimate Rebranding: Changing your gender from female to male takes balls. And if you’re going to do it in front of 500 coworkers at one of the top ad agencies in the country, you better have a pretty big set! Come hear how this creative director used what he learned working in advertising to achieve the ultimate rebranding: himself.
Working as One: Everyone Has a Story
Amelie Karam’s presentation will provide practical strategies and valuable insight for attracting and retaining millennials in the workplace.
Become an Advocate for the Unseen, Unrepresented
Lillian, a Hispanic lesbian mother of two, is the executive director of Hetrick-Martin Institute and a writer/speaker on implicit bias.
A New Way to Think About Mental Health
Mental health issues are increasing in young adults – depression, anxiety, and other psychological distress – and we’re just starting to see the workplace impact. Claude Silver, VaynorMedia’s Chief Heart Officer, plays offense, not defense. She says positive mental health is a state of well-being in which the individual realizes her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. Today’s workforce is more vocal about their needs, issues, anxieties and aspirations, giving us many daily moments to demonstrate our humanity and empathy and contribute to our employees’ positive mental health.
From “The Talk” to Walking the Talk
Jackson-Warner and Buchholz are a great pair: Egami and P&G have been doing award-winning multicultural work together but, more importantly, these leaders both live a passion to leverage the power of communications to change the world. They’ll share some of the important work they’ve done together, the joys and pains of doing such meaningful work, and their passionate and candid thoughts on the very necessary steps required to make our industry more diverse and inclusive.
Criminality is Just Creativity without Opportunity
Vincent Bragg, founder and CEO of ConCreates, notes that crime typically requires resourceful thinking and sharp business skills — drug dealers are entrepreneurs, graffiti artists are art directors, and bank robbers are strategists. Bragg asserts that no one wants to grow up to be a criminal so when you hire former and currently incarcerated people, you get incredible talent, steadfast loyalty, and provide life-changing alternatives. Learn more about how Bragg and his agency are working to change how society views people with criminal histories – and how they view themselves.
Retention Strategies During the Messy Middle — When Career & Parenting Collide
Becoming a mom is one of the most profound physical and psychological changes a woman will ever experience. Stacey Delo, CEO of Après, a company that connects employers to mothers returning to the workforce, and co-author of Your turn: Careers, Kids and Comebacks—A Working Mother’s Guide, will share the solutions companies need to have for the questions moms ask themselves about returning to work.
Badass Blind Girl Doing Good Through PR
Sena Pottackal is an internal corporate communications intern at Weber and is also blind. She will talk about welcoming people with disabilities and how to evaluate your company’s progress.
Mahogany L. Browne is a writer, organizer & educator. The interim Executive Director of Urban Word NYC & Poetry Coordinator at St. Francis College. Browne has received fellowships from Agnes Gund, Air Serenbe, Cave Canem, Poets House, Mellon Research & Rauschenberg. She is the author of Woke: A Young Poets Call to Justice, Woke Baby & Black Girl Magic (Macmillan), Kissing Caskets (Yes Yes Books) & Dear Twitter (Penmanship Books). She is also the founder of Woke Baby Book Fair (a nationwide diversity literature campaign) & as an Arts for Justice grantee, is completing her first book of essays on mass incarceration’s, investigating its impact on women and children. She resides in Brooklyn, NY.
Growing up in the tightest notch of the Bible Belt, I moved to the Big Apple to pursue my hopes and dreams of bright lights and big city living.
After 10 years of soul searching, I now entertain with a mission. I have over 4 years of experience with hosting events raising over $10,000 for local charities and outreach programs for the LGBTQA+ community.
As co-founder of Drag Queen Story Hour NYC, I help facilitate and run the curriculum for this national non-profit. Drag Queen Story Hour is just what it sounds like—drag queens reading stories to children in libraries, schools, and bookstores. You can find out more about DQSH here.