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Join the Greater Houston Partnership for the fourth annual Houston DiverseCity Summit, an inspiring gathering dedicated to advancing talent as a key driver of the business success and future growth of the Houston region. This event underscores the importance of human capital as the cornerstone of ensuring a vibrant, inclusive and competitive workforce.

Inclusive leadership and workplace culture are essential for companies that aspire to excel, yet many organizations find inclusion challenging to achieve. The Summit will offer insights to help you get practical in your approach to advancing inclusion, driving change and delivering better results.

Who Should Attend: 
DiverseCity Summit brings together a dynamic group! Attendees include: C-level executives, Vice Presidents, and Directors of Talent Management, Human Capital, Inclusion, as well as professionals and practitioners responsible for Talent Acquisition, HR, Organizational Culture, Leadership Development, Employee Engagement, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Learning and Development.

Agenda

8:00 - 8:30 a.m. | Summit Attendee Registration & Networking

8:30 - 9:00 a.m. | Opening Plenary

Working Together: Increasing Inclusivity in the Workplace

Renowned industrial-organizational psychologists Mikki Hebl and Eden King will offer a timely, science-based roadmap to empower companies and leaders to champion inclusion with confidence and clarity. They will discuss meritocracy, evidenced-based practices for organizations, and share the scientific evidence leads to fairer treatment, better business results and actionable strategies.

•  Mikki Hebl, Professor of Psychology and Management – Organizational Behavior, Rice University   
•  Eden King, Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Rice University 

9:15 - 11:45 a.m. | Concurrent Breakout Sessions (See Details Below)

Noon - 1:30 p.m. | Luncheon

Unleashing Innovation and Breakthrough Business Results through Inclusive Teams

While innovation continues to be the top priority in the face of accelerating disruption, organizations have yet to fully crack the code on how to make it happen. CEOs across all industries declare that a key ingredient for greater innovation is collaboration across cross functional teams with a diverse set of skills, backgrounds, and expertise. Yet companies are falling short of effective implementation as leaders, managers, and employees admit they are not collaborating well across their differences.

In this keynote and live Q&A, Korn Ferry’s Global DE&I and ESG Strategist Andrés Tapia will explain how diverse and inclusive teams enable businesses to profitably ride the waves of disruption.

• Keynote Speaker: Andrés T. Tapia, Senior Partner – Global DE&I and ESG Strategist, Korn Ferry

 

Prior to the luncheon, engage in two dynamic sessions designed to foster innovation and collaboration.

9:15 - 10:25 a.m. | Breakout Session #1

Indivisible Teams
The 2020s have brought significant challenges, but we are more than capable of managing those challenges. In this inspiring session, Denise helps individuals learn the causes of our conflict and the tools necessary to successfully navigate differences in the workplace. 

• Denise Hamilton, Author, Consultant, and Founder and CEO WatchHerWork

How Can Leaders Recalibrate in a Polarized World? 
Navigating the ever-changing context around diversity and inclusion requires new ways of thinking, being and doing. Attend this session to get a first look at BCG’s latest research on what works—and what doesn’t—when navigating polarization and gain practical insights on how executive leaders craft a thoughtful approach to progress.   

• Carolyn Benton-Aiman, SVP, Chief Compliance and Risk Officer, Sempra Infrastructure
• Walter Diaz, Associate Director, Socially Transformative Business, Boston Consulting Group
• Arianne Dowdell, Vice President, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, Houston Methodist
• Moderator: David Feldman, Supply Chain Advisor – Supplier Diversity, Chevron

Avoiding Legal Landmines 
Reducing litigation risk through effective planning is critical to progress on diversity, equity and inclusion. Join this session to discover common pitfalls, what companies can do to avoid them, and six essential components for proactive risk management and charting a path forward. 

• Fernanda Anzek, Managing Director, HR Operations, Insperity
• Jamila Brinson, Chair, Diversity & Inclusion Counseling Practice, Jackson & Walker, LLP

Driving Inclusion through Values, Culture, and Accountability 
Among many honors, the Houston Texans have been a Top Workplace for five consecutive years and Dow is #3 on the Fair360 2024 Top 50 Companies list. Gain an inside look into how these leading organizations collaborate on every level to leverage diversity and inclusion as a strength and business imperative. 

• Anita​​​​ Martin, Vice President, Human Resources, Houston Texans
• Alveda Williams, Chief Inclusion Officer, DOW 
   

The Power of Place – How Ecosystems Enable Shared Success  
What is place-based collaboration and how does it address complex local challenges? Join this inspiring conversation to learn from three different approaches that seek to create shared vision and leverage corporate, philanthropic, and community resources to produce better outcomes and social impact.  

• Lori Knowles, CHRO, Memorial Hermann
• VanNhi Nguyen, VP Community Engagement, JPMorgan Chase
• Tammi Wallace, Co-Founder, President & CEO, Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber
• Moderator: Michelle Liberatore, Senior Program Manager, Responsible Business, Verizon

10:35 - 11:45 a.m. | Breakout Session #2

More Than Talk: Exploring Expectations About Racial Justice and Diversity  
The role of companies in conversations about diversity and racial justice is ever evolving. To help make sense of the complexity, experts will share key findings on the gap between expectations and actual outcomes in the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Business and Racial Justice, and Catalyst will explore the business versus fairness case featured in their report “How to Talk About Diversity with Employees to Achieve Your Company's Objectives.”  

• Kelly Kleinkort Montes, Executive Director, US, Catalyst
• Nick Nelson, Senior Vice President of Corporate Purpose, Edelman
• Moderator: Alex Lopez Negrete, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lopez Negrete Communications, Inc

Fireside Chat: How Leaders Can Advance Human Sustainability  
Join Deloitte as they discuss how a human sustainability mindset replaces transactional thinking about people with a focus on creating greater value for each person connected to the organization. It’s not just a nice idea — it’s central to better outcomes for organizations and humanity. 

• Jessica Britton, Principal, Human Capital, Deloitte
• Introduction: Toi Harris, Senior Vice President & Chief Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Memorial Hermann

Creating High Performing Inclusive Cultures 
From engaging middle management and enabling growth-focused employee resource groups, to mitigating bias and developing healthy manager-employee relationships, where should you focus? Discover key actions to create an organizational culture that is a strategic asset and the envy of your competitors. 

• Holly Price, Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company
• Katrina Johnson, Title, SCI
• Moderator: Jana Schey, Director of Sustainability Program, Syzygy Plasmonics

Equipping Business Leaders to Own Outcomes 
What is required to initiate and sustain enterprise-wide change? Executive leaders share how companies can align intention for diversity and inclusion with the organization's business priorities and foster commitment, ownership, and accountability across the enterprise. 

• Cynthia Hansen, Executive Vice President and President, Gas Transmission and Midstream, Enbridge
• Doug Lawson, President, South Region, CommonSpirit Health
• Carlecia Wright, Chief Business Equity Officer, Port Houston

Increasing Diversity at the Top 
Learn how these trailblazing companies are increasing diverse representation in top positions through targeted leadership development, succession planning, and accountability. Discover insights to help you get started in creating your own program and why a focused approach increases competitive business advantage. 

• Marian Cabanillas, Health Plan CEO, South Texas UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Texas