Day 1 Keynote Speaker: Anne Phibbs, PhD
It Starts with You: Engaging Authentically Across Difference
Too often, individuals and organizations seek to engage with marginalized and underrepresented communities by "learning about those communities." While it's important to understand our neighbors and community members, authentic engagement across difference starts by understanding ourselves. What were we taught about people with different social identities? What preconceived ideas and stereotypes reside within us? How has privilege impacted how we see the world—and how we act? How might microaggressions and implicit bias play out in our organizations? What makes us nervous or scared about interacting with people from marginalized and underrepresented communities—and how will we respond when we make mistakes?
In this interactive keynote/workshop, we learn how to use principles of both Universal Design and Emotional Intelligence to build authentic interactions and relationships—and create inclusive programs and services—across difference.
Anne Phibbs, PhD is Founder and President of Strategic Diversity Initiatives and brings over 25 years’ experience helping organizations advance their equity, diversity, and inclusion goals. Anne has extensive experience in training, teaching, curriculum development, and training of trainers, and has delivered workshops and classes to participants in corporate, government, higher education, nonprofit, healthcare, and faith community settings. Anne served as GLBT Student Services Director at Metropolitan State University, and at the University of Minnesota she served as Director of the GLBTA Programs Office and Director of Education in the Office for Equity and Diversity. Anne built a successful diversity and inclusion leadership program at the University of Minnesota, with a focus on emotional intelligence (EI), and she is an EI Practitioner certified in the EQ-i2.0 and EQ360 method. Anne earned her PhD in Philosophy and Feminist Studies from the University of Minnesota.