Category Archives: Advisors

Advisory Council

Advisors, Authors A-H, Trends 2026

Defining the Role of Language, Culture, National Identity – by Deborah Ashton

Introduction

On December 21, 2025, The Harvard Crimson published an article reporting that the Harvard Salient’s board of directors suspended the conservative student magazine in October 2025 due to racist and anti-Semitic rhetoric. In addition, a Harvard Salient author claimed, “Germany belongs to the Germans, France to the French, Britain to the British, America to the Americans.” When confronted with evidence that this statement echoed Adolf Hitler’s 1939 speech, the author defended himself by citing ignorance. This incident showcases the use of patriotism as a veneer for alt-right nationalism, recalling Samuel Johnson’s 1775 assertion that “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” While this does not necessarily label the young writer as a scoundrel, the situation raises important questions about who defines national identity and underscores the need to differentiate nationalism from far-right or white nationalist movements.

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Advisors, AI, Authors A-H, Inclusion, Trends 2026

Renewing Diversity Part 12:  Diversity and the AI Frenzy – by Carlos Cortés

During 2025 few trends, if any, received more attention than developments in artificial intelligence.  You can hardly pick up a magazine or listen to a newscast without hearing something about AI.  However, I have encountered relatively little addressing the intersection of AI and diversity. 

What might AI mean for diversity?  What can diversity advocates do to address the implications of AI?  Questions range from the ethical to the practical.  In this column I will focus on one question: what are some of the diversity implications arising from the creation of AI databases and the resulting “information” that they supply when prompted?

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Advisors, Authors R-Z, Trends 2026

2026: a Year of Comeuppance – by Mauricio Velásquez

Polling, last election, and recent election in Miami forebode a promising 2026.

2026 will be a year of accountability and justice!  The year blatant disregard this administration has shown for the law and the constitution will be called out and many will be held to account.

With Marjorie Taylor Green retiring in January and several (some say many) representatives to follow, the House Majority will turn back to the Democrats long before the elections in November.  Imagine all of those special elections in the current political environment?

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DL Opinion columns

AI is scary, but more human than you think – by Deborah Levine

originally published in the Chattanooga Times Free Press

Artificial Intelligence is like the weeds growing in my backyard. The AI quickly takes over all the other plants and I often forget that there were actual flowers blooming by my back porch. The impact on our lives is spreading widely. It can be scary when emergency phone lines are now answered by AI. And I was not happy to hear that my son-in-law would lose his position in international banking to AI. So I didn’t know what to think when I was offered a job with an AI company. 

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DL Opinion columns

Hannukah, festival of lights and miracles – by Deborah Levine

Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press 

A friend who runs local programs for seniors asked me about Hanukkah. She knew that the Jewish holiday was coming before Christmas, but wasn’t sure when. The first of 8 nights of Hanukkah begins at sundown on Sunday, December 14. The date often differs according to our calendar, but remains constant on the Jewish calendar as the 25th of the month of Kislev.    

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Levine articles, Religious Diversity Kit

Sacred Calendars and Holidays Define Us — by Deborah Levine

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Religious diversity and holidays are challenging regardless of the time of year with deeply held beliefs regarding food, sacred texts, and worship traditions. Yet, there is no season like the end of the year for demonstrating cultural differences linked to religion. The differences can be glaring, giving rise to culture clashes and political controversies. It’s astonishing that there was ever a planetary-wide agreement on a calendar that named the months, determined their length and decreed when one year ends and the next begins. How did that calendar happen and can we capture the global mindset that created it for today’s “Holiday Season”?

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Advisors, Authors A-H, Social Issues

Renewing Diversity Part 11: The Mysterious World of Diversity and Economics – by Carlos Cortés

I’ve always been a bit perplexed when it comes to the intersection of economics and diversity.  Maybe this is inevitable because of the sprawling, multifaceted, and contentious nature of the field of economics itself.  As the old saying goes, “You can stack all of the world’s economists end to end and never reach a conclusion.”

So rather than belaboring you with false certainties and pat generalizations about the economics-diversity nexus, I’ll tell you a story.  It’s a story about one acquaintance and two friends, each of whom contributed to my still-developing thinking about this topic.  Here goes.

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DL Opinion columns

The hurricane of stupidity – by Deborah Levine

originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

I was surprised to see the Times Free Press article: “Bermuda prepares for hits by hurricanes Humberto, Imelda”. I grew up on the island of Bermuda and preparing for hurricanes at this time of year was the norm. But American newspapers don’t often talk about how Bermuda withstands these storms: “Bermuda is a wealthy British territory with strong concrete structures capable of withstanding serious storms.”

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Advisors, Authors A-H, Social Issues

Domestic Violence and the man in the mirror – by Terry Howard

Hey fellas, it’s me, your humble columnist.

I decided to send you a letter and gift you with a mirror to gaze at as you read this narrative. You see, the gift of self-reflection (and mirrors) are the greatest gifts you can give yourself if, taken together, they lead to positive change on your part and on that of others.

But first, I’ll ask you how’s everything in the bar, the locker room or on the golf course while you’re “shooting the breeze” with the boys? Lots of talk about sports, national politics, your trip to Europe and, eh, I’m guessing, the opposite sex, huh? 

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Advisors, Authors A-H, Social Issues

“Toni,” what else could I have done? – by Terry Howard

Today’s story is about “Toni” and the point her story makes as we look back on October, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 

ME: Good morning, Toni. How was your weekend?

TONI: (Subdued) Okay, I guess.

ME: Wait, are you okay? Is that a bruise on your forehead. Did you take a fall? 

TONI: No, my husband beat me up again. Yesterday he hit me upside my head with the Holy Bible. Can you believe it?

ME: Oh my! I, uh, I’m so sorry, and…

TONI: Thanks for asking. I’ll be okay. This is my second marriage, and like my ex-husband, this husband beats me up too. The story of my life is that I seem to attract abusive men. 

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