2021 Diversity & Inclusion Virtual Leadership Event:

A Playbook for 21^st Century Employers  

April 13, 2021 | 1:00-2:30 pm ET

This virtual forum showcased today’s most innovative diversity and inclusion corporate social responsibility programs from some of America’s top Fortune 500 companies. This event was a blueprint to drive greater engagement from the private sector and to inspire and boost employee morale.

The 90-minute peer-to-peer event was hosted by Smart Works Collaborative and supported by Engage2Excel, a leading provider of hiring and retention solutions. The event featured presentations and discussions from an expert panel of senior diversity, engagement and inclusion officers, from the top ranks of corporate leadership representing a variety of sectors including pharmaceutical, hospital network, professional services, public relations, education, and consumer products.



Moderator

In 2020, Anna was featured in a number of publications, was a keynote speaker at the IL CPA Society Young Professionals convention and was named one of the top 100 Female Executives by Yahoo Finance.In 2020, Anna was featured in a number of publications, was a keynote speaker at the IL CPA Society Young Professionals convention and was named one of the top 100 Female Executives by Yahoo Finance.



Under the pen name Christine Brae, Anna has published six novels, has an established fan base, and a dedicated following. Her titles rank in the Top 100 months following their release. Her last three novels, In This Life, Eight Goodbyes, and The Year I Left, have won literary awards and were immediate bestsellers on Amazon, ranking #1 across multiple categories.

 Panelists

As a certified patient experience professional and unconscious bias educator, Ms. Abner strives to develop and guide initiatives to create an inclusive environment. Utilizing research methodologies, creating education curriculum, and applying best practices, she continuously seeks to implement initiatives to identify disparities and eliminate barriers to medical care, employment, and education for underserved and underrepresented groups as well as foster relationships with community partners. Her thought-leadership and strategic management guidance was fundamental to Mount Sinai Health System attaining several national rankings as the #1 health and hospital system for diversity and inclusion management. She regularly serves as a guest speaker at national forums and provides expert consultative advice to organizations. Pamela received her Bachelor’s degree from Brown University and her Master’s degree from Columbia University. 

With regard to prominent accomplishments, her thought-leadership and strategic management guidance was fundamental to Mount Sinai Health System attaining national ranking as the #1 health and hospital system on the Forbes 2019 list of Best Employers for Diversity and maintaining leading status for five consecutive years ranking #1 in 2017 and 2018 on the DiversityInc Top Hospital System list. Among her many distinctions, in 2019 Savoy Magazine named Ms. Abner as one of the Most Influential Women in Corporate America and recently Crain’s New York Business 2020 honored her as a Notable Women in Talent Resources. 

Alex is a recognized and award wining Global Inclusion & Diversity Leader with over 10 years of experience in I&D and 17 years of experience in global program and project management, learning and development, employee experience and client services. He is an established and influential public speaker, served on the Board of Directors for PRIDE Houston, Big Brothers and Big Sisters and the RIMS National Diversity Advisory Council. 

Alex brings experience from Mercer, Guy Carpenter, and Aon in both client and talent management roles. He currently resides in Seattle, WA with his partner.

For a decade, Smith led the firm’s award-winning Multicultural practice providing senior counsel to a wide range of clients to protect, promote and evolve their brands and effectively engage diverse thought leaders, consumers and other stakeholders. In 2015, Smith was appointed to serve as the U.S. Managing Director of Diversity and Inclusion, and in fall 2018 she was named Edelman’s first Global Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. In this role, Smith oversees all diversity, equity and inclusion strategic planning, education, cultural development, external partnerships, and recruitment efforts to ensure Edelman’s workforce reflects the increasingly diverse marketplace. As part her work, she actively strives to ensure an equitable and inclusive workplace.

Along with her agency responsibilities, Trisch serves on the Board of Directors of Color Comm: Women of Color in Communications, the Public Relations Council and the Board of Advocates of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA). She previously served on the boards of the National Black Child Development Institute and Mentoring USA. She is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Smith’s continued work to drive change has been recognized. She has received several awards, including being featured as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America” and one of the “Most Influential Women in Corporate America” in Savoy Magazine. In 2019, she received the inaugural Adweek/ADCOLOR Champions award for diversity and inclusion. In December 2018, she was named a Woman of Excellence and P&L Executive of the Year by the National Association of Female Executives. In March 2017, she was awarded the Spectrum Circle Award for Innovation in Media. In 2016, she was recognized in the Financial Times as one of the “Upstanding 100” for top diverse executive leaders globally.

Smith earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park and a bachelor’s degree in communications from Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD.

He has authored numerous programs, including Everyday Learning Fun, an interactive solution designed to support reading, science, and mathematics instruction and assessment for elementary students. Everyday Learning Fun won the Smart Book Award from Academics’ Choice in 2015.

Jason’s interest in Educational publishing began in earnest while he was still an undergraduate at Harvard University. During that time he directed Project Umoja, an after-school program that catered to children in Roxbury, Massachusetts, who were not thriving in the regular after-school program. As director of Project Umoja, Jason provided oversight on the implementation of individualized instruction and outreach for students who were deemed at risk of developing either behavioral or educational deficits. In this capacity he saw first-hand how effective direct outreach could be in shaping lives and broadening horizons.

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