Sixteenth Annual Diversity Conference

September 16, 2009

Salem Conference Center
200 Commercial Street SE
Salem OR

The 16th Annual Diversity Conference, Seeds of change: Growing strong together, explores the ways in which seeds of individual cultural awareness can be nurtured to produce culturally competent institutions. And why that is essential to bringing about advancements in the ways in which institutions serve diverse populations. How, together, we − as individuals and institutions − can grow and strengthen our unity from the roots of our diversity.

Keynote speaker

This year’s keynote speaker, Dr. Flora Devine, identifies intercultural competence as THE leadership skill for the 21st century. She notes that leadership is a mindset, not a management position. Dr. Devine teaches how understanding and practicing intercultural competence is the most valuable leadership skill for effectiveness in the 21st century workplace.

Dr. Devine, who is special assistant to the president for legal affairs and diversity at Kennesaw State University in Georgia, is a lawyer and leader in nonviolent conflict resolution for social change. She is founder of the nonprofit organization, “The Lotus Institute for Dialogue,” dedicated to using dialogue to build bridges among diverse people.

Conference workshops

The 24 conference workshops offer educational and thought-provoking topics and exceptional speakers who describe individual struggles to overcome oppression and discrimination toward goals of building institutions and societies that are open and inclusive.

Workshops include topics such as:

• The effects of institutional racism on individual lives and communities
• Diversity and the needs of an aging society
• Serving the survivors of domestic violence within the context of current immigration laws
• Realizing equal protection for women in the workplace
• Sexual orientation and discrimination
• Gender differences and cultural norms
• A personal story of one family’s struggle to survive the Holocaust
• Reconciling generational differences in the workplace
• Insights into the problems veterans encounter when readjusting to civilian life
• Overcoming the stigma of mental illness.

Benefiting Marion-Polk Food Share

As in past years, we encourage you to bring two non-perishable food items, which will be donated to Marion-Polk Food Share. The food share leads the fight to end hunger in Marion and Polk counties as part of a statewide food banking system of 20 regional affiliates of the Oregon Food Bank.

Marion-Polk Food Share serves the emergency food needs of Marion and Polk counties – an area that covers 1,945 square miles, with a population of 362,000 – and touches the lives of almost 70,000 individuals each year, nearly half of them children.

Throughout its 20-year history, the mission of Marion-Polk Food Share has been constant … no one should be hungry.

Conference co-sponsors

Come! Learn! Interact! Seize the opportunity to meet staff from six co-sponsoring state agencies: the Department of Human Services; Oregon Department of Transportation; WorkSource Oregon Employment Department; Department of Administrative Services; Department of Corrections; Oregon State Library; and Department of Parks and Recreation.