Opening General Session
The
Diversity Advantage: The Oz Perspective
Wednesday, May 14, 2:00-3:30 PM
Lenora uses the characters of The
Wizard of Oz as a metaphor to help you understand how you can use your
brain, heart and courage to make a real difference in today`s multi-cultural
world. This fun, yet thought-provoking message will inspire you to connect the
gifts you have with the gifts of others to increase your organization`s options
for multicultural success. By realizing the power to make a difference is
within each individual, you will discover ways to go beyond stereotypes and
bias to create and sustain an environment that supports high productivity while
celebrating differences. Lenora uses life-size stand-ups of the characters and
music from The Wizard of Oz and The Wiz to create an entertaining
yet impactful keynote.
As a diversity strategist, Lenora partners with organizations to help them make diversity a competitive advantage. She has been included as one of 100 Global Thought Leaders on Diversity and Inclusion by The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), and was named by Diversity Woman Magazine as one of the twenty top influential diversity leaders in the US. Her award winning diversity leadership research is recognized in journals internationally. Lenora's ability to transform multifaceted diversity and inclusion concepts into immediately applicable "how to's" have enabled her to help Fortune 500 companies, professional associations, government agencies and educational institutions facilitate change to attract and retain top talent, expand multicultural markets, and heighten the number of engaged employees.
Lenora is the co-author of TRAILBLAZERS: How Top Business Leaders are Accelerating Results through Inclusion and Diversity, and she is often an expert guest on TV and radio internationally. She serves on the adjunct faculty of the business schools of Averett University and the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, and leads a full service diversity consulting firm. She has presented to audiences in over eighteen countries on six continents including in the middle of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Lenora is a Certified Professional Speaker (CSP). She holds a BS from Hampton University and an MA from the University of Michigan and has held key positions with General Motors and CIGNA Corp.
