The College of Business and Economics (COBE) co-hosted the third annual summit on diversity and inclusion as a business driver. This year’s summit focused on the impact of inclusion. More than 150 attendees from across the business community attended. Held in early November, Treasure Valley business leaders received instruction on topics such as media literacy (watch out for stereotypes and biases), financial and workplace inclusion, implicit bias and micro-aggressions.
The summit keynote address was given by Christopher Bell, PhD, director of graduate studies and associate professor of communications at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Bell impressed participants with a demonstration of the strategies used by the media to introduce and reinforce stereotypes and biases along racial and gender lines. The audience was encouraged to improve their media literacy and to evaluate the various storylines that exist in our society more critically.
The day wrapped up with a workshop led by Stacy Parson of The Dignitas Agency, who wove together the discussions on inclusion from the previous speakers to help attendees understand why inclusion is the most critical – and the most difficult – aspect of any diversity effort.
Thanks to co-hosts and sponsors: Wells Fargo, the City of Boise, the Boise Valley Economic Partnership (BVEP) and the University of Idaho-Boise.