Annual Leadership Retreat Focuses on How to Boost Revenue

Plainfield, IN, July 16, 2014 --(PR.com)-- Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) champions from organizations of all industries, sizes and locations will gather for The Society for Diversity’s annual Diversity Leadership Retreat on July 24-25, 2014 in Orlando, FL. The purpose of the Leadership Retreat is to provide specific examples of how to increase the organizational value of D&I by linking diversity, demographics and dollars.

“This year’s retreat is a great opportunity for organizations to network and share best practices, as it will highlight important issues such as gender empowerment, unconscious bias, supplier diversity, performance management, employee resource groups, diversity recruiting, generational workplace challenges, OFCCP compliance, and much more,” explained Leah Smiley, President of The Society for Diversity. “I am excited to have the chance to teach and learn during the conference.”

During the conference, there will be 23 breakout sessions, which includes the opportunity for professionals and executives to earn diversity and inclusion credentials. Nearly all of the breakout sessions will be able to establish a direct link to a company’s bottom line. This type of educational support aligns with current research findings.

In “Only Skin Deep: Re-examining the Business Case for Diversity,” Deloitte cited research from Catalyst who “examined Fortune 500 companies and found that those with the highest representation of women on their board of directors experienced better financial performance on average (in terms of return on sales, return on invested capital and return on equity) than those with the lowest representation of women. Similar findings come from the McKinsey & Company Women Matter report series. Analyzing a statistically significant sample of companies across Europe, Brazil, Russia, India and China, the 2010 report showed that companies with the highest share of women in their senior management teams outperformed those with no women from 2007-2009 by 41% in terms of return on equity (22% vs 15%) and by 56% in terms of operating results (17% vs 11%). And the 2009 research of the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Professor Cedric Herring found that 506 US organizations showed that employers with greater racial and gender diversity performed better in terms of sales revenues, number of customers and market share.”

The Leadership Retreat will also share industry trends and new techniques during the breakout sessions, three keynote presentations and a panel discussion. The keynote speakers include Dr. Shirley Davis Sheppard, SPHR, CEO, The Success Doctor and Chief Diversity Officer, SHRM; Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, President, University of Maryland-Baltimore; and Isaias Zamarripa, Director of Workforce Diversity, Johnson Controls. Each of these speakers comes from different backgrounds, which will allow for those from several industries to take something away from the conference, such as:
-increased productivity;
-improved diversity and inclusion outcomes;
- an expanded paradigm for diversity and inclusion work; and
-a stronger commitment to share what they have learned with management, business unit leaders, diversity councils, and resource groups

“The keynote speakers, as well as the session presenters, bring a lot to the table for this national conference,” stated Smiley. “One huge benefit is that attendees can glean insights from diversity leaders who have made a measurable impact on the business and educational community. They can also learn how to apply their new-found knowledge about cultural trends and results to transform the workplace.”

The date for the retreat is approaching, but registration will be open until July 23rd. For more information about the 2014 Diversity Leadership Retreat or to register, visit retreat.societyfordiversity.org.

The Society for Diversity is the #1 professional organization for Diversity and Inclusion. It represents a highly specialized association of Fortune 500, nonprofit, government and education professionals throughout the U.S. The organization was founded in 2009 for the purposes of equipping diversity and inclusion professionals with the education and resources needed to design and execute effective diversity and inclusion strategies. The Society for Diversity is also the parent company of the Institute for Diversity Certification, which designates qualification credentials to diversity experts through a professional diversity certification program.