Advancing Diversity Gathering
Advancing Diversity Gathering
January 10, 2024
9:00AM - 5:00PM EST
Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center
LiveStream and In-Person
Registration Open Now
2024 Keynote Speaker
Dr. Sumun L. Pendakur
Senior Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategist | Consultant, Speaker, and Trainer | Founder, Sumun Pendakur Consulting
Dr. Sumun L. Pendakur is a seasoned, national expert and sought-after speaker on diversity, equity, and inclusion, who believes that we have infinite capability to imagine and enact a more just, equitable, and compassionate world. She has served as a thought partner, capacity-building trainer, and speaker for over 250 higher education institutions, associations, non-profits, and corporations. Sumi's research and work over the last two decades, both in student affairs and as a chief diversity officer, focus on helping organizations build capacity for social justice and racial equity by empowering individuals at all levels to be transformational agents of change in their spheres of influence.
A graduate of Northwestern University with majors in Women’s Studies and History and a minor in Spanish, Sumi also holds an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Michigan. She earned her doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from the USC Rossier School of Education where she received the Dissertation of the Year award for her study on institutional change agents.
Sumi recently completed her second term on the Board of Directors for NADOHE, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education. In 2019, she was named one of the top 35 women in higher education by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine. Sumi is the multilingual daughter of immigrants, was raised in the Midwest, and now calls Los Angeles her home. She is the wife of actor Sunil Malhotra, and proud mommy to Shashi Veer and Shama Shakti.
2024 Schedule
Date (EST) | Description | Location |
---|---|---|
9:00am - 10:30am |
Welcome : Dr. Menah Pratt and Provost Cyril Clarke Keynote with Dr. Sumun Pendakur | DEI Strategist | Consultant |
Latham Ballroom A/B/C |
11:00am- 12:30pm |
The Significance of the AANAPISI Designation at Virginia Tech Nina Ha, Director of the APIDA+ Center and Melisssa Faircloth, Director of the Ati:Wa:oki Indigenous Community Center |
Latham Ballroom A/B/C |
12:30pm- 2:00pm |
Lunch on your own | |
2:00pm - 3:15pm |
Advancing Diversity Through the Arts Jon Catherwood-Ginn, Associate Director of Programming, Moss Arts Center |
In Person Only Latham Ballroom A Recommended Audience: All are welcome |
2:00pm - 3:15pm |
Constructive Dialogue in the Workplace Kourtney Bradshaw-Clay, Director of Partnerships, Constructive Dialogue Institute |
Hybrid Assembly Hall Recommended Audience: Everyone |
2:00pm - 3:15pm |
Experiences, Barriers, and Challenges for Engaging International Students in STEM Jingrong Pearl Xie, Director of Universal Design for Learning & Accessibility Services at TLOS |
In Person Only Solitude Recommended Audience: Faculty, AP Faculty, GTAs |
2:00pm - 3:15pm |
Muslim Ally Training Led by Colleagues from the Islamic Center at New York University |
VirtualOnly Recommended Audience: Everyone |
2:00pm - 3:15pm |
Small Changes, Big Consequences: Allies Working to Create Inclusive Work Environments Jennifer Hart, Brett Shadle, Mark Barrow, Professors and Current/Former Department Chairs of the History Department |
In Person Only Latham Ballroom B Recommended Audience: Faculty, AP Faculty, Staff |
2:00pm - 3:15pm |
Uncovering Our Beliefs and Intentions for Inclusive Teaching Roel Snieder, W.M. Keck Distinguished Professor of Professional Development Education, Colorado School of Mines Qin Zhu, Associate Professor of Engineering Education |
Hybrid Latham Ballroom C Recommended Audience: Student-facing |
3:30pm-5:00pm | Academic Allies for Inclusive Excellence – Mentoring for an Inclusive Academy Rachel Gabriele, Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Barbara Lockee, Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs |
Hybrid Latham Ballroom C Recommended Audience: AAIE cohort, prior WATL cohorts, senior faculty and academic department chairs |
3:30pm-5:00pm | Standing Up to Antisemitism: A Workshop for Higher Education Leaders Lisa Armony, Executive Director, Campus Climate Initiative, Hillel International |
In Person Only Latham Ballroom B Recommended Audience: Student-facing faculty and staff |
3:30pm-5:00pm | Sustaining Ourselves, Opening Our Advocacy: The Community Resiliency Model’s Shareable Language and Tools on VT Campus Erica Berry Coates, LCSW and Charlotte Amenkhienan, PhD, LPC, Cook Counselling Center |
Hybrid Assembly Hall Recommended Audience: Anyone on campus |
For questions, please contact Jeneen Preston at pjeneen7@vt.edu
Please join the Office for Inclusion & Diversity as we gather to discuss the issues facing our community and celebrate exemplary diversity, equity, and inclusion practices occurring across campus.