What's The Difference?

• Perceived orientation vs. developmental orientation: What is it, and how does it affect cultural competence?
• How unresolved issues from previous stages of development keep us stuck
• What is trailing orientation, and how does it create more polarization?
• How both dominant and marginalized groups can reverse their orientation and feed off of polarization
• Why our best intentions and moving toward equality often don't work
• How to begin breaking the cycle of trailing orientation and polarization in DEI work

Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years.

Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, "Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World," which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that.

• Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara
• CNBC Closing the Gap
• Digest of Education Statistics

• How we see differences in each stage of cultural competence
• The specific areas of development that contribute to us getting stuck in one of the earlier stages
• Understanding why it's so difficult to approach DEI work from stage four or five
• How our own judgments based on which stage we're in can affect our perception of others
• Where most of the population sits on this scale of awareness
• Why the "us vs. them," "good vs. bad" mentality continuously stagnates our cultural understanding
• How discomfort and fear play a role in the hesitancy to move into deeper stages of competence

Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years.

Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, "Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World," which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that.

• Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara
• CNBC Closing the Gap

• What are the five stages of cultural competence
• How to view each stage from a conscious and unconscious framework of awareness
• Why DEI work can be so tricky when considering the stages of cultural competence
• Where most of the population sits on this scale of awareness
• Why our best intentions in DEI work are often not enough based on our own conscious beliefs and perceptions
• How the Intercultural Development Continuum Model explains why people can have different perceptions of identical experiences

Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years.

Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, "Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World," which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that.

• Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara
• CNBC Closing the Gap

• Should organizations respond to identity-based trauma events
• How Americans view the responses of organizations following incidents
• What can organizations do if they misstep, and how can they strengthen their brand afterward
• How ongoing transparency and accountability impact the strength of a brand
• What consumer demographics expect the most and the least from brands
• Which demographic is the most loyal and less likely to shift
• How the language used when addressing social justice issues affects public opinion

Del Esparza is a DEI advocate and the CEO of Esparza Advertising, a full-service marketing firm, focused on driving successful brands by making a scene. Del has a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry and is skilled in digital marketing, web design, market research, management, direct marketing, and marketing strategy.

Dr. Brandale Mills Cox recently published her book, "Black Women Filmmakers and Black Love on Screen," which offers a definition of Black Love and an analysis of how it is portrayed from the perspective of a Black female filmmaker. She has presented her research at international and national conferences, with her scholarship including issues related to feminism, social media, racial politics, film, female representations in the mass media, and popular culture.

Dr. Mills' passion and desire for positive social advocacy is reflected in many of her roles in the journalism, communication, public relations, and event coordinating fields. Her position as Senior Coordinator for the National Diversity Council and as Operations Coordinator at d-mars.com Marketing and Communications, (publisher of the only African-American Business Journal in the city of Houston), has given her the opportunity to advocate for diverse communities and organizations. Dr. Mills has also served as a Public Relations Consultant for several Houston area non-profit organizations dedicated to assisting under-served communities.

Del Esparza:

• Website: https://esparza.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/del-esparza-8b49781/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/esparza-advertising/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/esparzaadvertising/
• Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/esparzaadvertising/

Dr. Brandale Mills Cox:

• Website: https://drbrandalemills.com/
• https://www.inclusivemarketresearchgroup.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandale-mills-cox-ph-d-327751b/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/inclusive-market-research-group/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inclusivemrg/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/InclusiveMRG

• Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com
• Twitter: @deepseesara

• How working as a Resident Advisor during college introduced Gina to DEI as a profession
• In what ways bias impacts productivity in the workplace, and how to overcome it
• How peer equity/inclusion coaches fit into the MnDOT organization
• Why it's important to contribute to DEI conversations that are already being held
• How to select peer equity/inclusion coaches for your organization
• What are the most important parts of peer equity coach training
• Why it's crucial that peer inclusion coaches know what is beyond the scope of their job

Gina Kundan is Deputy Director and D&I Manager for the office of Equity and Diversity with MnDOT. She has a strong passion for equity and remains committed to integrating a culture of inclusion into best practices.

Gina holds a Master's degree in Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School, focusing on culturally competent leadership and management, and a Master's degree in Social Theory from Hamline University. She is a certified Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), Intercultural Conflict Styles (ICS) administrator, and a trained mediator.

Making good use of her BFA in Dance from Wright State University, Gina spent several decades performing and teaching. She is currently board Chair for Ananya Dance Theatre. She's a proud mother, grandmother, spouse, and auntie.

• Website:
  • MnDOT - Diversity and Inclusion Contacts (state.mn.us)
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/GinaKundan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gina-kundan-ma-mpa-ba53231/

• Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com
• Twitter: @deepseesara

• How organizations support employees after DEI related trauma
• What are peer inclusion coaches, and how are they able to help organizations in being more effective and proactive in DEI efforts
• Why are the reasons that organizations need readily available resources
• What are the goals for peer equity coach programs in organizations
• What peer equity coaches are not, and what are their required qualifications
• How does deepSEE Consulting train peer equity/inclusion coaches

Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years.

Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, "Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World," that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that.

• Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com
• Twitter: @deepseesara

• Why authentically listening to others is so important for leaders
• How Jason's personal experience allowed him to consider how minority groups feel in the workplace
• Why leaders should focus on impacting employees' lives outside of the workplace to foster a better workplace culture
• Why prioritizing equity and fairness resonates with more people than focusing on diversity
• How Jason discovered that men are often promoted over women because they are the loudest in the room
• What makes systems and processes in an organization not equitable

Jason Medley is Codility's Chief People Officer where he manages the People Ops, Talent Acquisition, and IT Security teams. He brings with him experience scaling multiple VC-backed technology companies through hyper-growth. As a recruiting leader and thought leader, Jason works closely with Codility's customers, Go To Market teams, and Product to help push the limits on Codilitys capabilities in the market. Jason graduated from the University of North Alabama with a degree in communications and marketing.

• Website: www.codility.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JasonDiscovers
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmedley/

• Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com
• Twitter: @deepseesara

• What are the four different root causes of microaggressions
• What are unconscious filters, and how do they impact our associations
• How do we typically respond or act based on filter associations
• How does our lack of exposure to different cultures, regions, or experiences affect our associations
• What are the three different ways that someone can be partially conscious of microaggressions
• What seven strategies can you take to reduce your likelihood of microaggressions

Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years.

Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, "Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World," that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that.

• Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com
• Twitter: @deepseesara

• What are microaggressions, and how they emerge as patterns
• How microaggressions can become pile up and become traumatic for the receiver
• Why an employee who has experienced microaggressions will often fight, fly, or freeze
• Why stereotypical unconscious bias reinforces the advantages for dominant groups and reinforces the disadvantages for non-dominant groups
• What should organizations do when their employees experience microaggressions

Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years.

Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, "Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World," that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that.

• Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com
• Twitter: @deepseesara

• What is the origin story of Black history month and why do we still have it
• How other heritage months differ from Black history month
• Why do we separate Black history from general United States history
• What is dominant culture and how does it create an advantage
• How to address Black history month in your organization
• Why history often doesn't mention races other than the dominant race

Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years.

Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, "Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World," that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that.

• Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com
• Twitter: @deepseesara