All posts by Editor-in-Chief

Deborah Levine founded the American Diversity Report in 2006. She is a Forbes Magazine top "Trailblazer" and award-winning author of 20 books. Her published articles span decades including: American Journal of Community Psychology, Journal of Public Management & Social Policy, The Bermudian Magazine, The Harvard Divinity School Bulletin.

Ashley Perryman Podcast: A LatinX Perspective

LatinxAshley Perryman is the VP of Global Human Resources at Spiceworks Ziff Davis and holds the position of elected President at Mezcla, its first LatinX ERG. Ashley devotes her efforts to ensure people of all backgrounds feel welcome and thrive in the workplace and was recently named a Top DEI Influencer in HR.

Hear Ashley discuss:

1.) Why does diversity matter in the workplace?
2.) How does diversity play a role in the current talent war and what are you and SWZD doing to address it – particularly in the LatinX community?
3.) Many people stop their DEI efforts after the interview process, what are some ways companies can ensure DEI efforts go beyond the hiring process and why is that important?

As well as:

  • Key tips on recruiting and retaining diverse employees
  • Ways to ensure your company is equipping your diverse workforce with the resources they need to succeed and grow within your business.
  • How the LatinX ERG is assisting in reaching DEI goals.

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Ode to Breast Cancer Awareness Month – by Deborah Levine

Both my mother and brother had breast cancer that spread and was joined by other cancers. During Breast Cancer Month, I am compelled to write about  the loss of these loved ones. I often stress the breast cancer that  my brother Joe experienced, because too many of us think that breast cancer is a women-only disease. So, this is an ode to Joe. Not only do I write for men with breast cancer, but for all those experiencing the loss of loved ones to cancer, especially the siblings with whom we expect to experience old age together.

Continue reading Ode to Breast Cancer Awareness Month – by Deborah Levine →

Cat Oyler Podcast: Future of STEM Women

Cat OylerCat is Vice President, Clinical Transformation, Immunology and Integration Leader at Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
She sponsors Johnson & Johnson’s WiSTEM2D University . She is an advocate for supporting STEM Women now and in the future with the Women in STEM2D Scholars Award.
Hear Cat discuss:

1. How COVID-19 has disproportionately affected women in WiSTEM2D.
2. The importance of women in STEM.
3. Why investments in research will be critical to advance health for humanity.

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Jack Myers Podcast: MediaVillage

Jack MyersJack Myers, founder of MediaVillage and AdvancingDiversity.org, is the nation’s best-known practitioner of media ecology. Renowned for his entrepreneurial leadership in media industry innovation focused on growth, Myers has been recognized with the Excellence in Education Award and he’s also earned a George Foster Peabody Award for Documentary Filmmaking.

Gen-ZMediaVillage’s mission is to advance advertising supported media industry growth through investments in diversity and education, highlighted by the industry’s first-ever Advancing Diversity Week that took place September 2021, culminating with the 4th annual Advancing Diversity Hall of Honors Induction Experience and inaugural Gen-Z Town Hall Meeting.

Jack is the author of four books on generational shifts, including Hooked Up, the earliest research on Gen-Z influence, and The Future of Men, which is also a TED Talk that’s generated almost 200,000 views. Jack’s early consulting work contributed to strategic innovation for more than 200 media, advertising, and marketing clients. He began his career with ABC Radio, CBS Television and Metromedia Outdoor. He graduated from the Newhouse School at Syracuse U. and has a Master Degree in Media Ecology from NYU. 

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DIVERSITY TOWN HALL: LINKING BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY

Diversity Town HallDiversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) of the futureUTC

 

October 2021:  American Diversity Report presented its 2nd annual Diversity Town Hall in partnership with the Gary W. Rollins College of Business at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). Speaking virtually, the panel of business leaders explored the relationship of business and community in creating the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) of the future.

MODERATOR

Dr. GAIL DAWSON
Associate Professor of Management
Director of Diversity and Inclusion
Gary W. Rollins College of Business/UTC

PANELISTS

ERIC FULLER
President and Chief Executive Officer – U.S. Xpress

DEBORAH LEVINE
Founder/Editor/Consultant – American Diversity Report

DAVID ORTIZ
Corporate Diversity Officer, former board member – La Paz

LORNE STEEDLEY
Vice President for Diversity and Inclusive Growth – Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce

CLICK FOR VIDEO OF DIVERSITY TOWN HAll

CLICK  for transcripts
Presentation #1 by Deborah Levine

 

NOTE: The Town Hall is also the October Black-Jewish Dialogue in partnership with: American Diversity Report,  Chattanooga News Chronicle, Mizpah Congregation, Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga, Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda (C.U.R.B. )

Keilon Ratliff Podcast: 2nd Chances

Keilon As head of automotive and oil, gas and energy staffing at Kelly Professional & Industrial, Vice President Keilon Ratliff spearheads Kelly’s efforts to provide job seekers with non-violent criminal records a path to employment. Under his leadership Kelly collaborated with an automotive manufacturer to hire second chance workers who had previously been disqualified from consideration. The Kelly33 initiative enabled the client to increase its talent pool, address critical staffing needs and improve retention rates.

Ratliff actively supports Kelly’s Equity@Work initiative that was launched in 2020 to remove barriers that make it hard for people to attain enriching work. Rarely challenged, these obstacles – such as outdated degree requirements, biases against candidates with criminal histories and discrimination of neurodiverse talent – leave capable talent excluded. Ratliff holds a key advisory role and develops strategies to engage clients and partners in Kelly’s efforts to build a more equitable workforce. He also serves on the company’s Inclusion Council.

Ratliff discusses:

  • How to knock down unjust barriers to work that hold millions back.
  • How ex offenders are a hidden workforce that can help companies address labor shortages.
  • How everyone deserves second chances and the dignity of work.

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Armageddon gets personal – by Deborah Levine

 Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

These days, everyone I talk to sounds anxious, scared and miserable. My first reaction is sympathy and empathy, the way my mother taught me. My second reaction is relief, since misery loves company.  And when I feeling a bit guilty for that, I say to myself, “How can we not be?” Every time, I turn on the news, there’s another calamity. It feels like our world is  imploding and none of us will escape unscathed.

First there’s a sense of world disintegration with the mess in Afghanistan. Seeing thousands of folks trying to cram into the airport to leave – scary. Watching people clinging to planes to get out – horrifying. Hearing the fears of women for the future – words escape me.

Continue reading Armageddon gets personal – by Deborah Levine →

Chattanooga Award Program Honors Deborah Levine

Deborah Levine Receives 2021 Chattanooga Award for Management Consulting

CHATTANOOGA August 22, 2021 — Deborah Levine has been selected for the 2021 Chattanooga Award in the Management Consulting Services category by the Chattanooga Award Program.

awardEach year, the Chattanooga Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Chattanooga area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2021 Chattanooga Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Chattanooga Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Chattanooga Award Program

The Chattanooga Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Chattanooga area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Chattanooga Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy.

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DEI Design/Consulting Services

Hispanic Heritage Month: Nurses, Education & Scholarships

Hispanic Heritage Month

This is a the time to educate about the US community:

On average, this community is 6 years younger than the median and 6 out of 10 Are millennials or younger. They are currently 40% of the labor force growth and 8 out of 10 new businesses are Latino-owned. They are 54% of projected population growth (2017-2027) and 74% of new US workers are Hispanic. They are a vital part of the US making up 18% of active enlisted military and 19 million are essential workers.

Continue reading Hispanic Heritage Month: Nurses, Education & Scholarships →

Carmelo the Science Fellow – Podcast

Carmelo Carmelo Piazza (Carmelo the Science Fellow) is the Founder of the Brooklyn Preschool of Science. He is a Brooklyn born educator who taught for the Department of Education for 17 years and is now the owner of three independent science based preschools.

The Brooklyn Preschool of Science is an inquiry-based interdisciplinary school that uses play to holistically connect subject areas. The school aims to excite young kids about learning and engage their innate curiosity about the world. The school features a living wall of plants, a 300-gallon fish tank, and a multitude of living creatures that reside in the classrooms.
Carmelo talks about the  value of teaching preschoolers math/science as early as 2-3 years old and discuss how science is the only true way to bridge the gap of inequality in education.

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