Presenters
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
GREGORY T. CHAMBERS, President, American Association for Affirmative Action
Gregory was elected to serve a two year term as president of the American Association for Affirmative Action in July 2010 and re-elected in December 2011. He has spent 39 years serving the community in various professional and volunteer capacities. Gregory spent 13 years with the City of Wilmington where he worked in police community relations and moved up to Director of Community Affairs in the Office of the Mayor. He was the Equal Employment Opportunity Manager for the State of Delaware for 24 years before retiring in September of 2009. Gregory began his current role as the EEO and Diversity Manager for the Delaware River and Bay Authority in October 2009. He is a graduate of Wilmington University with a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Behavioral Science. Gregory is a Certified Conflict Partnership Catalyst (CPC) trained in facilitating resolutions to differences and preserving relationships at work and in the community. Gregory founded the Delaware Workforce Diversity Group in 1989, a professional development organization representing public and private sector employers.
Myron R. Anderson, Ph.D., Associate to the President for Diversity, Metropolitan State College of Denver
Myron Anderson serves Metropolitan State College of Denver as the associate to the president for diversity. A member of the president’s cabinet, Anderson is the College’s chief diversity officer responsible for articulating and resolving current and future issues related to diversity. He is responsible for investigating complaints and mediating fair settlements between aggrieved faculty, staff and students throughout the institution. In addition, Anderson identifies campus climate trends that may assist in developing strategies to pro-actively promote “inclusive excellence.”
Dr. Anderson has worked in higher education for more than 20 years, in both administrative and academic positions. He also carries the rank of associate professor of education technology. Prior to his current position, he was the associate chair of the teacher education department at Metro State, and a faculty member and administrator at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). His areas of expertise are instructional technology, distance education and inclusive excellence.
He is the past co-advisor of the Student National Education Association Scholarship Committee and has been involved in national workshops to discuss and develop strategies and solve problems around diversity. He currently serves as a board member for the national organization, the American Association for Affirmative Action AAAA, as the Elections Chair.
Dr. Anderson earned a Ph.D. in instructional technology and a bachelor of arts in political science from Virginia Tech, and a master of science in curriculum and instruction from Radford University.
Jackie Baldyga, M.S., Competence Engagement Leader, The Kaleidoscope Group
Jackie Baldyga is the Senior Vice President for The Kaleidoscope Group. In this role, she leads the ongoing enhancement of Kaleidoscope’s diversity and inclusion solutions. She also serves as the Client Leader for a number of Kaleidoscope’s clients. Jackie is responsible for partnering with her clients to strategically guide, plan and implement their D&I efforts. Some of her current clients include California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), Caterpillar Inc., Coinstar Inc., INTERACTIVEone, Nationwide Insurance, Northrop-Grumman, and W.W. Grainger
Prior to joining The Kaleidoscope Group in 2003, Jackie was the Director of Global Organization Development for McDonald’s Corporation. She has a strong business background, developed early in her career through a variety of assignments in accounting and information systems. She has spent the last 20 years of her career working with senior leadership and employees at all levels to design and implement strategic individual, leadership and organization development solutions that improved performance and delivered measurable business results. At McDonald’s, she led the design, development and implementation of a Diversity& Inclusion Strategy for the accounting organization achieving targeted representation goals and measurable increases in diversity leadership competencies and employee perceptions of diversity and inclusion. She also founded the McDonald’s Accounting Women’s Leadership Group. Her primary areas of expertise include: strategic change, building leadership commitment, strategy development, assessment & measurement, and learning & development.
Jackie received a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Illinois. She holds Graduate Certificates in Change Management and Organization Development from Benedictine University, Lisle, IL where she also completed a M.S. in Management and Organization Behavior. Jackie is an authorized facilitator for the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator. Additionally, she is a member of the Colorado Human Resources Association.
Marzette (Marzy) Bedford-Billinghurst, Program Analyst, Women’s Bureau
http://www.dol.gov/wb/info_about_wb/about_wb.htm
Marzy Bedford-Billinghurst has been with the Women’s Bureau in Denver and in Washington, D.C. since 1995. Before joining the Women’s Bureau, she worked as a Legislative Assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives for Congressman Steny H. Hoyer and the on the House Committee on the District of Columbia. Ms. Bedford-Billinghurst began her career in public service as an assistant to a member of the California State Legislature. She received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Dr. Claire Damken Brown, Founder and President, Damken Brown and Associates, Inc.
Dr. Claire Damken Brown, founder and president of Damken Brown and Associates, Inc., is a savvy speaker, industry consultant, and seminar leader specializing in diversity and equal employment opportunity strategies, gender communication, sexual harassment prevention, and cultural competency. Dr. Brown has 25 years of experience in Fortune 50 companies, featuring 16 years at AT&T and then Lucent Technologies directing diversity-related organizations, investigating discrimination cases globally, and training professionals. Her doctorate degree focused on male/female workplace communication. She enjoys consulting nationally with corporations, agencies, and communities to build inclusive leadership skills and harassment-free work environments. As an adjunct professor at Metropolitan State College, she engages students in hot topics when teaching the Management Department’s Workforce Diversity course. Dr. Brown volunteers as the Diversity Director for the Colorado Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) state council. She is the co-author of two books: Conflict and Diversity, Hampton Press 1997, and Code Switching: How to Talk So Men Will Listen, Alpha Books/Penguin 2009. Her third book, The Gender Communication Handbook, Pfeiffer/John Wiley, will be available in spring 2012.
Lynne Eisaguirre, J.D., Author, and Professional Trainer in Employment Law
Lynne Eisaguirre (pronounced eyes-a-gear) is the author of We Need to Talk Tough Conversations with Your Boss: From Performance Reviews to Terminations Tackle Any Topic with Sensitivity and Smarts and We Need to Talk Tough Conversations with Your Employee: From Performance Reviews to Terminations Tackle any Topic with Sensitivity and Smarts and four previous books, including Affirmative Action: A Reference Handbook. She has presented to hundreds of organizations including Harley-Davidson, Southwest Airlines, Bristol Myers Squibb, CH2M Hill, Oracle, Playboy Entertainment, Coors and Johns Manville. Her company, Workplaces That Work, provides consulting, speaking and training in the areas of leadership, conflict management, diversity and harassment. Lynne has appeared regularly on CNN Headline News and is frequently quoted as an expert in media outlets including ABC News, Bloomberg TV, The San Francisco Chronicle and The Denver Post.
Barry Gomberg, Esq., Director of Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity at Weber State University, Ogden, UT
Dr. Barry Gomberg is currently the Executive Director of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity, Weber State University (Since 1988). He received his Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, from Indiana University Law School, 1978. He has been a practicing attorney with a focus civil rights, employment rights and family law mediation (1984 - 1988). He uses his training and experience in education and law to further equality of opportunity. Trainings conducted include *Diversity in Employment, Disability, Employment Law, Citizenship Education, Race and Sex Equity in Education, Mediation and ADR, Hiring Procedures, Affirmative Action in Employment, Conducting Civil Rights Investigations, Title IX & Athletics, Sexual & Racial Harassment, School Board Policy Development and Democratic Education.
Dusti Gurule, Regional Representative for Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis
http://www.dol.gov/_sec/welcome.htm
Dusti Gurule was appointed on September 15, 2010. Prior to her appointment, she was Executive Director of the Latina Initiative for six years and helped build the organization to a nationally recognized civic engagement organization. In 2006, Dusti received a Civil Rights Award from NEWSED Community Development Corporation, was named one of 50 for the Future by The Colorado Statesman in 2007, one of Colorado's most politically influential Latinos by 5280 Magazine in August 2008 and one of Colorado’s Influential Women of 2008 by the Denver Women’s Examiner. In 2009 she was named one of 21 Leaders for the 21st Century by the national organization, Women’s ENews and Mujer de Impacto by the Denver Latina Chamber in 2009.
Fernando R. Guzman III, Guzman Consulting
Fernando Guzman has a doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Denver, a master’s degree in Counseling from California State University, Sacramento and, has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Santa Clara. For the past six years, he has been the Assistant Provost for Multicultural Faculty Recruitment and Retention at the University of Denver. Fernando has a long history of creating extremely creative and groundbreaking strategies to recruit board and staff members of color. As the Assistant Provost for Multicultural Faculty Recruitment and Retention, Fernando, brings a wealth tremendous talent an experience in networking and recruiting talented individuals.
He has consulted with various agencies and institutions of higher education on such topics as Promoting Leadership through recruitment and retention; Leadership development via mentoring, networking, and retention; The experiences of scholars of color in the academy: Challenges and opportunities; The Crisis of Inclusion in Higher Education: Recruitment and Retention of Faculty and Graduates Students from Underrepresented Groups; Multicultural Recruitment and Retention: Strategies for Diversifying Your Faculty; Analysis of diversity recruitment strategies and policies for People of Color; Networking with community mental health service providers to serve Denver Public Schools students; Strategies for Deans, Chairs, Directors for the recruitment, retention, and graduation of Students of Color; Recruiting strategies for professionals in the mental health discipline and Effective strategies for community collaboration and sustainability.
Nicole A. Huggins, Denver District Director, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)
http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/aboutof.html
Nicole Huggins is the Denver District Director for the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. The OFCCP Denver District Office is part of the Southwest and Rocky Mountain Region. She leads compliance activities to ensure that contractors doing business with the Federal Government do not discriminate and that they follow affirmative action obligations. Nicole Huggins came to OFCCP from the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights where she was the deputy chief attorney. Before moving to Colorado, she was an attorney in Washington, D.C., with the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. She earned her Juris Doctor Degree from the Dickinson School of Law in 1988, and her Bachelor of Arts degree Phi Beta Kappa from Dickinson College in 1985.
Patricia McMahon, Program Manager-Outreach & Technical Assistance, United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission- Denver Field Office (EEOC)
http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/index.cfm
Ms. Patricia McMahon serves as the Program Manager-Outreach & Technical Assistance for the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)-Denver Field Office. As the Program Manager, Ms. McMahon provides training to community groups, unions, businesses, and educational facilities; speaks at seminars and educational programs; writes articles about anti-discrimination in employment for publication; provides informational materials; and answer most questions concerning charge process handling procedures in the Denver Field Office. She coordinates the Denver Office’s annual Technical Assistance Program Seminar (TAPS); serves as the Office’s small business ombudsman; and the media contact person. Ms. McMahon began her career with EEOC in 1989 as an investigator after graduating from Metropolitan State College of Denver with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Criminology. She was recruited by EEOC under the Outstanding Scholars Program. Ms. McMahon served as an investigator until 1999, when she was detailed to the position of Acting Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Coordinator. As the ADR Coordinator, Ms. McMahon established an operational mediation program for the Denver Office. She remained as the ADR Coordinator until becoming the Program Manager for Outreach and Technical Assistance. In her spare time, Ms. McMahon enjoys writing and has authored two books of fiction.
Percy A. Morehouse Jr., Ph.D., Executive Director Equal Opportunity, Metropolitan State College of Denver
Dr. Morehouse has a B.S. degree from Southern University, Baton Rouge, LA in Zoology, a Masters degree in Guidance and Counseling, Prairie View University, Prairie View, TX and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas-Austin, TX in Curriculum and Instruction.
Dr. Morehouse is a nationally recognized consultant in the development of Affirmative Action and Diversity Plans; conducting Diversity audits for higher, secondary and elementary education; supervision and staff development needs assessments and training; conducting and reporting on complex investigations; conducting comprehensive organizational reviews and assessments of equal opportunity compliance; mediation & conflict resolution skills; grant writing; and educational research (school climate studies: post-secondary, secondary, and elementary); and conducting Title II, Title IX, Sexual and racial harassment assessments for higher, secondary and elementary educational institutions.
Dr. Morehouse’s publications include: (1999). A Paradigm for Educating Faculty on Their Role and Responsibility for Providing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities. Disability Compliance For Higher Education; and (2000) The Role of the Academic Department Chair in ADA Student Accommodations; 2008. Policies and Procedures Manual for Providing Reasonable Accommodation for Faculty, Staff and Student Employees with Disabilities (PDF)
Dr. Morehouse’s presentations at conferences include: "Sexual Victimization: Cross-Cultural Experiences of University Women", (March 15-19);"Sexual Harassment in the Work Place: What are Your Rights and Responsibilities"; "Towards a Multicultural Campus: A Metropolitan Initiative," (October 1991); "The Theory of Differential Oppression: The Beginning of a New Understanding of 'Problem Youth'”; “The Role of Public Schools in the Desegregation/Integration Process”; “Managing Diversity in Higher Education: How to Do It”; Oxford Round Table, “The Role of the Academic Chair or Unit Supervisor In ADA Faculty/Staff Accommodations.”
Carol A. Nichols, Senior EEO and Employee Relations, Xcel Energy
Carol A. Nichols serves as a Senior EEO and Employee Relations consultant at Xcel Energy. She spent several years on the FEMA’s command staff as the manager of the Office of Equal Rights, assigned to the Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Gustave recovery operations on the Gulf Coast. She entered federal service in 1981 after a career as a public relations representative for an international non-profit organization. She has 21 years of experience in the fields of HR/EEO and served as the Compliance and Appeals Analyst and Senior EEO Investigator for the 15 states in the Western Area Office. Ms. Nichols owns EEO Solutions, LLC, a full service EEO/Employee Relations consulting company that provides services that including EEO counseling and investigations, workplace mediations, compliance reviews, and extensive EEO investigator and counselor training.
John Nicoletti, Ph.D., Nicoletti-Flater Associates
Dr. Nicoletti is a Clinical/Police Psychologist who specializes in identifying, assessing and defusing attack related behaviors and violence in various workplaces, campuses and schools. He provides national training and consultation to various university campuses and school districts and was on-scene at the April 20, 1999 Columbine school shooting. Dr. Nicoletti has written three books in the areas of violence, entitled Violence Goes to Work (1994); Violence Goes to College (2001), published by Charles C. Thomas; and Violence Goes to School (2002), National Education Services. Most recently Nicoletti-Flater Associates have been specializing in assisting departments in training and supervising the new generation employees. John Nicoletti received his doctorate in psychology from Colorado State University.
Jacob Smiles, U.S Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.htmlJacob Smiles is an Attorney Advisor for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in Denver. OCR’s mission is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation through vigorous enforcement of civil rights. To achieve this goal, OCR works to resolve education discrimination complaints to ensure compliance with federal civil rights laws, conducts proactive compliance reviews, and provides technical assistance throughout Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Prior to coming to OCR, Mr. Smiles served as a judicial law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, worked in private practice at two large law firms, and served as a legal fellow for Senator Clinton. Mr. Smiles received a J.D. from Washington University School of Law and a B.S. from Cornell University.
