Professional Development & Diversity Calendar 2015
January 2015
Wednesday, January 28, 2015 "BUILDING CULTURALLY AGILE LEADERS BY UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF UNCONSCIOUS BIAS", CML Room 102, one morning and one afternoon session, 8:30 am - 12 noon, 1:30 - 5:00 pm
Leslie Traub, President and CEO, Cook Ross, Inc.
Humans are inherently drawn to people similar to themselves but at the same time inherently suspicious of people they see as "different". Bias is the instinctive way of sorting through these two seemingly contradictory reactions. At an unconscious level, it's how humans ensure survival. Stretching across cultural and other identity groups to lead, connect, inspire, and transact requires awareness, intentionality, agility, and humility. In higher education, cultural agility is required for successful outcomes in the classroom, in administration, community relations, marketing, branding, and development.
This session will provide fascinating, evidentiary information on the nature of bias and cultural agility in an engaging and interactive format. It is designed for all students, faculty, staff, leaders, alumnae and community stakeholders. Participants will leave with strategies on how to build personal cultural agility and strategies on how to mitigate bias.
About the presenter: Leslie Traub is a leading expert on unconscious bias and has worked in institutions and organizations around the world presenting on unconscious bias, and how recognizing and mitigating bias can support their goals, profiles, and brand. She is the President and CEO of Cook Ross, Inc. and has more that 25 years of experience leading gender programs, diversity, inclusion, cultural competency and change management initiatives to create sustainable systems of change that yield greater performance, profit, and possibility. Leslie is also interested in building gender equity in global corporations through full engagement of women, men and organization structures and systems. She is a Fellow in Change Management from John Hopkins University.