{"55135":{"#nid":"55135","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Diversity Roundtable to Be Held April 14","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn the past year, Georgia Tech has sponsored faculty- and student-led diversity forums, aimed at showcasing, attracting, and developing the tremendous diverse talent from across the Institute.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn April 14, the Offices of the President, Academic Diversity and Human Resources will host an inaugural diversity roundtable luncheon focusing on the topic of mentoring for Tech staff members. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETwo specific audiences are targeted for the event: senior staff members\u2014pay grade 118 and above\u2014and mid-level staffers specifically invited by a senior staff sponsor. \u201cManagers who attend will be asked to invite someone from the middle range of classified staff to participate,\u201d said Senior Director for Human Resources and Diversity Management Pearl Alexander. \u201cThe notion is that at the mid-level of our staff, we are very diverse. If we can identify and train this high potential talent, we can show what we sometimes forget: We have strong talent within our ranks\u2014it is up to us to cultivate it.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlexander refers to Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, the first African-American woman to head an S\u0026amp;P 100 company, as an example. \u201cShe started there as an intern, and has a 30-year history with the company,\u201d Alexander said. \u201cBurns credits her success to people willing to mentor and sponsor her professionally within the organization.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAttendees will have the opportunity to engage with others and participate in discussions, as well as share their experiences either as a mentor or as one who benefited from mentoring. While Tech already has MentorTech, an established, formal mentoring program, this networking event will complement that program, according to Alexander. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBringing staff together in an informal setting is a mechanism for building community and fostering inclusiveness,\u201d she said. \u201cThrough this roundtable activity, relationships may develop more naturally. Individuals who participate will benefit from peer mentoring and expanding their professional connections.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPresident Bud Peterson will deliver the keynote address. Higher education and industry leaders will participate as facilitators in leading small group discussions. The activities will be moderated by James Godard, assistant director for Administration with the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences. Other participants include Provost Gary Schuster, newly appointed Executive Vice President for research Stephen Cross, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Chair Gary May, Christopher Griffith with Stamps Health Services, Vice President for Campus Services Rosalind Meyers, Wayne Guthrie, vice chancellor for Human Resources with the Georgia Board of Regents, Tina Woodard, associate vice chancellor for Professional Development with the BOR, and many other leaders.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe event will direct discussion to the role of mentoring and career development and how best to mentor diverse individuals. \u201cThe purpose is to leave with ideas so attendees can approach people and engage with them in the process,\u201d Alexander said. \u201cIt may not happen in a day, but this could be the spark for future connections.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter the Roundtable, Academic Diversity and HR will partner to establish a Georgia Tech mentoring group on the LinkedIn Web site as an interactive way to virtually mentor throughout the coming year and keep up with the professional relationships established at the event. \u201cThe LinkedIn site will enable HR to track mentoring progress in conjunction with career development,\u201d Alexander said. \u201cWe\u2019ll also send a follow-up survey for participants.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERegistration will continue through April 9, or until capacity is reached. The roundtable will be held from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Global Learning Center. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe genesis for this roundtable springs from HR\u2019s operational plans for this year, and the \u201cSustain and Enhance our Culture\u201d strategic vision planning subcommittee, which is working on the Institute\u2019s strategic vision for 2035. The subcommittee has discussed the need for Tech to be a thought leader in diversity and inclusion. Although directed toward senior staff, the Roundtable will include faculty involvement. The goal, Alexander says, is to have ongoing events that not only concentrate on certain populations, but also allow others to be involved. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile staff development and mentoring is a key aspect of the roundtable discussions, developing and showcasing the Institute\u2019s rich diversity is the primary goal of the event. \u201cIf you want to attract the best talent, [the environment] has to be appealing,\u201d Alexander said. \u201cWe can strengthen our diversity here, which is, in turn, a significant competitive advantage for us.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Inaugural Diversity Roundtable to focus on staff mentoring"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EInaugural Diversity Roundtable to focus on staff mentoring\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27191","created_gmt":"2010-03-26 16:21:23","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:05:45","author":"Robert Nesmith","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2010-03-26T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2010-03-26T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"55136":{"id":"55136","type":"image","title":"Diversity Roundtable","body":null,"created":"1449175507","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:45:07","changed":"1475894486","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:41:26","alt":"Diversity Roundtable","file":{"fid":"190235","name":"DiversityRoundtable.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/DiversityRoundtable_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/DiversityRoundtable_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":53349,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/DiversityRoundtable_0.jpg?itok=okUX0DjV"}}},"media_ids":["55136"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.ohr.gatech.edu\/diversityroundtable","title":"Diversity Roundtable"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"9019","name":"Diversity Roundtable"},{"id":"9020","name":"Employee Relations"},{"id":"8122","name":"Office of Human Resources"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESandra Duplessis\u003C\/strong\u003E, 404-385-3686\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENajah Hofman\u003C\/strong\u003E, 404-894-3070\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}