We are honored to have an outstanding group of speakers for the 2020 Summit on Race and Inclusion! Read their bios below and join us on Tuesday, July 21 to hear these great speakers share their knowledge and insights on race, bias, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Keynote Speakers
Jenny Alonzo – Morning Keynote Speaker
Topic: Implicit Bias in Media
Keynote Description
The morning keynote presentation will be centered on a conversation of how implicit bias often is shown through the media. Jenny Alonzo will share her experience working as an executive producer for various media networks, highlighting how important it is to have authentic representation of people of color in tv shows, movies, news stories, and more.
Speaker Bio
A recognized leader with expertise in the areas of content, marketing, digital development, advertising & promotions, and multicultural markets, Jenny Alonzo has worked on some of the strongest media brands, including Lifetime Television Networks, NBC, BET, NUVO, IBM, and the Wall Street Journal.
Alonzo is currently Executive Producing/Producing a slate of film and television properties. She works with investors, Hollywood writers, and producers to identify and package content for global cross-platform ecosystems. In addition to her producing responsibilities, Alonzo continues to provide confidential and strategic advisory to C-level executives at top-tier television networks and brands.
Alonzo has been featured as a Broadcasting & Cable Fifth Estater, in The New York Times, Diversity Inc., Black Enterprise, and Hispanic Business. She is considered a subject-matter expert in content development and marketing to the growing super-consumer – the ethnic and multicultural audience. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including being named one of the Top 100 Most Influential Hispanics by Hispanic Business magazine.
Ellonda Green, Ed.D. – Afternoon Keynote Speaker
Topic: How Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Love Can Build an Honest, People-Centered Economy
Keynote Description
The afternoon keynote presentation will discuss ways in which businesses and organizations can build a better economy that places people at the center by following the principles of justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and love. Ellonda Green will share her experience working as the Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for the B Lab, and share insights into how organizations can create a culture of inclusivity and sustainability.
Speaker Bio
Dr. Ellonda Green is the Director of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion at B Lab, a non-profit organization that has a vision of an inclusive and sustainable economy that creates a shared prosperity for all. In her role, she works to create a just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive culture for all employees and within the B Corp Community.
For the past decade, Dr. Green has been focusing her professional work on development, equity, and connecting resources to people who are underprivileged, under-represented, and under-served. Staying local to her hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ellonda received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Services and Psychological Studies from the University of Pittsburg and later continued her education at Strayer University, obtaining her Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership & Management. Dr. Green later completed her doctorate degree at Capella University with a concentration in Educational Leadership & Management.
Utilizing her research findings, in conjunction with top research in the field today, she coined a workshop entitled, “Improving Bias and Micro-Messaging as Experienced by Women Leaders”. She is a proponent of the advancement of women, disadvantaged, and marginalized people from all walks of life.
Morning Breakout Sessions
Diversity Rocks the Book: A Community Partnership Empowering Children to See Themselves and Value Others Through Books
This breakout session will cover the nuts and bolts for establishing a program like Diversity Rocks the Book in your community, suggestions for selecting and using diverse books in the classroom, and strategies for talking with kids about all aspects of diversity: race, economic, sexual, religious, and immigration status.
Session Presenters
Erin Davison works as a Library Assistant II at the Herrick District Library and has a passion for connecting kids and teens with diverse books and is so glad that’s exactly what she gets to do at the Herrick District Library. Erin has been working at the library for 18 years and has spent the last 9 working in the youth services department. She has presented on a variety of topics at the Michigan Library Association Annual Conference, Spring Institute, and MiAEYC Infant/Toddler and Annual Conferences.
Tim Marroquin is the Director for Grand Valley State University’s Veterans Upward Bound Program and is a frequent Diversity Rocks the Book guest reader. Tim is the former chairperson of the Human Relations Commission, and a member of the leadership team in the Division of Inclusion and Equity at GVSU.
Get Uncomfortable, Listen, and Act: The Role of Small Business in Advancing Racial Equity
This breakout session will discuss some of the difficulties that businesses face in their advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The presenters will discuss how small businesses who might not be able to hire a specific DEI role can still work to promote positive changes and growth in their companies. This breakout session will also discover the importance of customers seeing themselves in local businesses as they make decisions for where to shop, eat, etc.
Session Presenters
Christopher Andrus is the co-owner and co-founder of The Mitten Brewing Company, a microbrewery and pizzeria with three Michigan locations. He is also the founder of Mitten Foundation, Inc., and the author of “Dough Nation: How Pizza (And Small Businesses) Can Change The World.” Chris enjoys sharing stories and speaking about his company’s journey to grow beyond the culture that created it, and the role that “similar-to-me” bias plays in creating organizations that are resistant to change, despite their best efforts.
Guillermo Cisneros is the executive director of the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which works with all members of the community to increase the economic advancement of Hispanic owned businesses and to assist the professional growth of Hispanic business leaders in West Michigan. Under his leadership, the Hispanic Chamber has launched two initiatives: Transformando West Michigan and Building Bridges Through Education. Guillermo has over 20 years of international works experience in Mexico, Spain, and the United States.
Engaging in Anti-Racism Work Through White Consciousness Raising
Systems of oppression and white privilege are often invisible to those that benefit from them. For this reason, it is especially important for those that identify as white to intentionally engage in anti-white supremacy work – to better identify their own behaviors, the systems at play, and learn how to take an active role in interrupting white supremacy.
Session Presenters
Marlene Kowalski-Braun, Ph.D. is Associate Vice President in the Division of Inclusion and Equity at Grand Valley State University and has been using education as a tool to develop equity leaders and more equitable organizations for the past 25 years. She is an executive leader who strives to create opportunities for shared visioning and collaboration in order to maximize collective impact. She invests in community and civic engagement by walking alongside individuals and organizations in creating more socially just spaces where all people can thrive.
Deanna Rolffs, Senior Consultant with Design Group International, is a strategist, facilitator, coach, systems thinker, and consultant that has worked with executive leaders for more than 15 years, the last 10 focused on disrupting inequity in systems, organizations, and ourselves. She is an executive leader and process consultant with more than 22 years of experience supporting clients, partners, and teams to lead and transform organizations. With a personal and professional dedication to justice and equity, Deanna supports leaders to develop thriving teams, brave leadership, clear processes, equitable systems, and inclusive communities.
Shaping Narratives: A Conversation in Their Own Words
This breakout session will include a moderated panel discussion with members of the incredible WGVU series titled: Shaping Narratives. Shaping Narratives was created as a project where programs were built from the ground up on the values of inclusion, community, and equity. The hosts and presenters of Shaping Narratives are leaders of color in West Michigan who designed their programs with their communities and for their communities.
Session Presenter
Michelle Jokisch Polo is WGVU’s Inclusion Reporter and a transplant from Quito, Ecuador. She has worked as an embedded journalist, and is passionate about critical discourse and movement journalism.
Community Policing Model: An Effective Community Partnership Built on Trust
This breakout session will discuss the community policing model used by public safety officers in Muskegon, MI. The presenters will discuss how trust between the community and its police can be built and share ways in which tensions between officers and community members can be proactively lowered with deliberate work.
Session Presenter
Jeff Lewis became the Director of Public Safety for the City of Muskegon in 2012. Chief Lewis oversees the Police, Fire, and Inspection Departments. Chief Lewis has over 35 years of law enforcement experience. Prior to coming to Muskegon, he was the Police Chief for the city of Milan, MI. He also was a Patrol Officer, Detective, Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Commander during his 20-year career at Ypsilanti Police Department.
COVID-19 Implications on Health Equity
This breakout session will discuss the inequities that have been uncovered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The presenter will discuss some of the health disparities that we have seen from COVID-19 and will lead a conversation on how these disparities are tied to the traditional healthcare inequities our society is used to seeing.
Session Presenter
TaLawnda L. Bragg, MD, FACP is an Internal Medicine Hospitalist with the Spectrum Health Medical Group and the Program Director for the Spectrum Health/Michigan State University College of Human Medicine Internal Medicine Residency Program. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at MSU CHM. Dr. Bragg was born and raised in Inkster, Michigan. She earned her Bachelors of Science degree in Biomedical Science from Grand Valley State University. She went on to complete her Doctorate of Medicine degree at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. She completed Internal Medicine residency training in Grand Rapids with GRMEC/MSU. She’s practiced medicine in Grand Rapids for over 10 years and takes pride in helping train the next generation of physicians. She has special interests and leadership experience in resident and medical student education, faculty development, diversity and inclusion, quality and improvement and hospital leadership.
Afternoon Breakout Sessions
Islamophobia: A Threat to All
This breakout session will discuss how both Muslim and non-Muslims are impacted by Islamophobia. The presenter will share research that examines the impact of Islamophobia on the wider public, discuss the connection between Islamophobia and racism, and offer historical context as well as modern day best practices to meet this challenge.
Session Presenter
Petra Alsoofy is the Outreach & Partnerships Manager at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), where she strengthens valued partnerships and forges new ones with organizations who share ISPU’s goal of empowering American Muslims. Petra’s work includes working with ISPU’s scholars, sharing ISPU’s research with policymakers, community leaders, faith leaders, educators, and the general public to equip them to make informed decisions about American Muslims.
Diversity Rocks the Book: A Community Partnership Empowering Children to See Themselves and Value Others Through Books
This breakout session will cover the nuts and bolts for establishing a program like Diversity Rocks the Book in your community, suggestions for selecting and using diverse books in the classroom, and strategies for talking with kids about all aspects of diversity: race, economic, sexual, religious, and immigration status.
Erin Davison works as a Library Assistant II at the Herrick District Library and has a passion for connecting kids and teens with diverse books and is so glad that’s exactly what she gets to do at the Herrick District Library. Erin has been working at the library for 18 years and has spent the last 9 working in the youth services department. She has presented on a variety of topics at the Michigan Library Association Annual Conference, Spring Institute, and MiAEYC Infant/Toddler and Annual Conferences.
Tim Marroquin is the Director for Grand Valley State University’s Veterans Upward Bound Program and is a frequent Diversity Rocks the Book guest reader. Tim is the former chairperson of the Human Relations Commission, and a member of the leadership team in the Division of Inclusion and Equity at GVSU.
Lack of Equity in Business and the Long Journey Ahead
This breakout session will discuss the lack of equity that is often seen in businesses that are owned by people of color. The presenters will also discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the disparities of organizations and businesses run by people of color who have not received equitable funding.
Session Presenters
Guillermo Cisneros is the executive director of the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which works with all members of the community to increase the economic advancement of Hispanic owned businesses and to assist the professional growth of Hispanic business leaders in West Michigan. Under his leadership, the Hispanic Chamber has launched two initiatives: Transformando West Michigan and Building Bridges Through Education. Guillermo has over 20 years of international works experience in Mexico, Spain, and the United States.
A Grand Rapids native, Jorge Gonzalez holds a degree in Public Administration with minors in both Business and Sociology from Grand Valley State University. He joined the Start Garden team in 2017. Prior to joining Start Garden, Jorge served as the founding executive director for the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce from 2015-2017, where he established the chamber as a central connecting point for Hispanic entrepreneurs in West Michigan.
Interview with Jenny Alonzo
This breakout session will include an in-depth interview moderated by WGVU’s Mariano Avila with our morning keynote speaker, Jenny Alonzo. Mariano will interview Jenny about her experiences as a woman of color in the media industry and will moderate audience questions for Jenny.
Session Presenter
Mariano Avila is WGVU’s Inclusion News Reporter. He has made a career of bringing voices from the margins to those who need to hear them. Over the course of his career, Mariano has written for major papers in English and Spanish, been published in magazines, worked in broadcast, and produced short films, commercials, and nonprofit campaigns. Mariano was born in Mexico City, Mexico, where he learned the value of civic engagement and public discourse. His life and work have taken him from refugee camps in Palestine to garbage-dump communities in Egypt, Guatemala, and Mexico.
Shaping Narratives: A Conversation in Their Own Words
This breakout session will include a moderated panel discussion with members of the incredible WGVU series titled: Shaping Narratives. Shaping Narratives was created as a project where programs were built from the ground up on the values of inclusion, community, and equity. The hosts and presenters of Shaping Narratives are leaders of color in West Michigan who designed their programs with their communities and for their communities.
Session Presenter
Michelle Jokisch Polo is WGVU’s Inclusion Reporter and a transplant from Quito, Ecuador. She has worked as an embedded journalist, and is passionate about critical discourse and movement journalism.
COVID-19 Implications on Health Equity
This breakout session will discuss the inequities that have been uncovered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The presenter will discuss some of the health disparities that we have seen from COVID-19 and will lead a conversation on how these disparities are tied to the traditional healthcare inequities our society is used to seeing.
Session Presenter
Speakers for this session to be announced soon.
Join us virtually on Tuesday, July 21!