The College of Business and Economics (COBE) is co-hosting its second summit on diversity and inclusion as a business driver from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on November 17.
The summit is a collaboration between COBE, Wells Fargo, the City of Boise, the Boise Valley Economic Partnership (BVEP) and the University of Idaho-Boise. It will be held in the newly-opened Friends and Alumni Center across from Albertsons Stadium on the Boise State campus. Parking in the lot directly south of the building is free for attendees.
The summit is free and open to all members of the Treasure Valley and campus communities.
This year’s focus is on attracting and retaining top talent in the Treasure Valley and includes keynote addresses by Alejandro Hernandez, senior vice president for Wells Fargo, on business responsibility for human rights, and Camille Eddy, a Boise State senior engineering student and expert on the intersection of cultural bias and artificial intelligence.
“The City of Boise strives to be a welcoming place for all, whether it is a Boise State student who has just arrived on campus or our newest citizens who emigrate because of instability somewhere else in the world,” said Mayor David Bieter. “We support our business community in their effort to ensure this culture of inclusion extends to the workplace as well.”
The summit also includes panels on leveraging the talents in diverse refugee communities and how to create an inclusive workplace. In the afternoon, there will be hands-on workshops to teach participants how to create inclusive meetings and how to encourage employees to share their diverse experiences.
“We have prioritized workplace inclusion at Wells Fargo and support the widening of this conversation to other leading companies across the Treasure Valley,” said Idaho Regional President Don Melendez. “This summit is one way that is happening.”
The summit is organized by the Responsible Business Initiative (RBI), a COBE effort co-funded by RBI’s founding partner Wells Fargo. The mission of RBI is to catalyze leaders across business, education and society who aspire to solve the world’s wicked problems. RBI collaborates with business students, faculty and external stakeholders on three core areas, including diversity and inclusion, social and environmental impact and health and wellbeing.