Overview

Over the last several years, most colleges and universities have established offices of diversity and inclusion, headed by a cabinet-level official. These Chief Diversity Officers are often given a broad mandate to improve equity and inclusion across the institution but often with limited staff and resources. The CDO is expected to “fix” climate issues and address deeply-rooted inequities, often without clear or full support from the institution's leadership, resources, integration into the strategic plan, or buy-in from key stakeholders, and the access to integrate equity and inclusion philosophies within established systems, processes, and policies.

Compounding these challenges are the high stakes. Missteps are visible and costly and can often inflict more harm on a community. Without adequate support and a strategic vision, these challenges can paralyze or hinder efforts. Enter our CDO roundtable, which is designed to create a cohort of peers engaged in similar work to:

• Share best practices and avoid pitfalls
• Improve DEI strategy and decision making
• Exchange ideas and co-create new approaches
• Help CDOs stay current on trends, issues, and events
• Assess campus climate dynamics
• Build DEI institutional capacity
• Develop strategies to accelerate the infusion of DEI practices throughout your Institution
• Operationalize the work; take theories and ideas and help put them into practice

To preserve an intimate and productive experience, each roundtable will be capped at 12 attendees.

Can’t attend all sessions?

No problem. However, we recommend attending at least six virtual sessions to get the most value out of the experience.

Who Should Attend

This group engagement is specifically designed for the senior-most diversity officer of a campus, who has both oversight and accountability for campus-wide diversity and inclusion efforts.

We welcome Chief Diversity Officers from both public and private institutions across all Carnegie levels.

The roundtable will be the most beneficial to CDOs who have been in their roles for two to five years.

How Roundtables Work

The goal of our Roundtables is to bring together a small cohort of peers for a comprehensive learning and networking experience. Through short, regular live meetings, you will come together with a maximum of nine other peers and our two experts to:

• Build strong connections and expand your network
• Try new tactics and approaches to improve your leadership
• Share your own best practices and hear others’
• Carve out time for self-reflection
• Be part of a cohort-based support community
• Contribute to the conversation with your own thought leadership