National Urban League President & CEO Marc Morial to Keynote 7th Annual Summit
The Madison Region Economic Partnership (MadREP) and the Urban League of Greater Madison (ULGM) are pleased to announce that National Urban League President & CEO Marc Morial will keynote the 7th Annual Madison Region Economic Development & Diversity Summit, being held virtually October 22 and 23. As in previous years, the event will feature renowned national and regional speakers, programming and networking opportunities with a focus on why embracing diversity and inclusion is integral to equitable economic development in the Madison Region.
“We look forward to once again convening the region’s premiere businesses and other community leaders to continue pushing forward workforce diversity and economic inclusion initiatives that can make our region a model of opportunity for all,” said ULGM President & CEO Dr. Ruben Anthony.
MadREP President Paul Jadin echoed Dr. Anthony’s enthusiasm. “I’ve known Marc since our days as mayors and couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome him, virtually, to the Madison Region. This is an important moment in history as our society grapples with a global pandemic and a reckoning on racial justice. I can’t think of a better person to keynote our 2020 Summit than Marc Morial.”
Also keynoting this year’s conference is Carlos Andrés Gómez. Gomez is a Colombian American award-winning poet, speaker, performer, and author of Fractures (winner of the Felix Pollak Prize in Poetry), Hijito (winner of the Broken River Prize) and the memoir Man Up: Reimagining Modern Manhood. A star of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, TV One’s Verses and Flow, and Spike Lee’s #1 box office movie Inside Man with Denzel Washington, Gomez also partnered with John Legend on Senior Orientation, a program to counteract bullying and champion inclusive masculinity among high school students. Carlos is a proud Latinx and father. He spent nearly two decades facilitating actionable and inspiring engagements that address Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Gender Equity.
Other speakers include:
Susan Longworth, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Senior Advisor, Community and Economic Development
Susan Longworth is a senior business economist in the community development and policy studies division at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Prior to joining the Fed in 2011, she had over 20 years of community development experience, with a special emphasis on community development financial institutions and community banks. Longworth coauthored the report “Conclusions from Conversations about Economic Inclusion from the Midwest”.
Binnu Palta Hill, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion Wisconsin School of Business University of Wisconsin–Madison
Prior to joining WSB in 2006, Hill spent over ten years in the UW System teaching, consulting, and designing programming that enhances inclusion by leveraging strategic leadership and organizational cultural dexterity. Her expertise includes developing open communication skills within organizations by developing a shared vocabulary on conflict resolution, thus enhancing innovation and performance. Hill founded the Diversity Lunch and Learn Series which focuses on sensitive topics such as race, gender, and politics and averages a monthly attendance of 175 participants, and also teaches inclusive leadership in the Wisconsin Evening and Executive MBA Programs.
Be sure to reserve your virtual seat and check the conference website often for updates and new speaker announcements.
