About 400 people are expected at Thrivent Financial on Thursday for what organizers say will be the largest local gathering of LGBTQ corporate delegations to discuss diversity and inclusion.
"This is the first time 'LGBTQ Enterprise Resource Groups [ERG]' in the Twin Cities have pooled their limited resources, together, to bring to light an issue facing many organizations: diversity and inclusion," Kevin Wong, a senior buyer at Target and one of the organizers, said in an e-mail statement. "The 'workplace councils' [of more than 30 Twin Cities companies] was a grass-roots effort and is focused on additional efforts that range from mentoring college students at the University of Minnesota Carlson School's COMPASS LGBTQ organization, helping stand up LGBTQ ERGs at other Twin Cities businesses… work with the community … and coordinate improved workplace policies for [trans-gender] employees.''
Ash Beckham, a TEDx speaker on diversity and inclusion, is expected to speak to a broad audience of business people attending the meetings about "The Art of Inclusive Leadership."
Wong said this is one of the largest such gatherings in the nation and a fitting conclusion to the first year of the Twin Cities LGBTQ workplace-council network's existence.
Inaugural Twin Cities LGBTQ "workplace councils" gathering Thursday
LGBTQ "enterprise resource groups" from 30-plus companies and others will gather to learn more about diversity-and-inclusion issues.
October 24, 2018 at 6:06PM
The school is changing an elective course while still working with the Eden Prairie-based health care giant after students raised concerns.
