PROVIDENCE – Nine organizations and one individual will be honored by Providence Business News at its third annual Diversity & Inclusion Summit and Awards program.
The program, which recognizes commitment to promoting and enhancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace, will be held virtually Dec. 10 from 9-11 a.m.
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Stephanie Huckel, senior global program manager of diversity and inclusion for International Game Technology PLC, has been named the Overall Diversity Champion for this year’s program.
Huckel joined IGT in 2018 and helped put together a multiyear diversity and inclusion strategic plan that focuses on reviewing policies and recommending updates, launching global employee business resource groups. The plan called for the company to develop goals, and demonstrate a commitment and progress toward those goals relative to diversity and inclusion.
She previously worked for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island where, as manager of diversity, inclusion and culture, implemented Safe Zones, the health insurer’s designation for clinics that provided safe health care for the LGBTQ+ communities.
Huckel also is founder and president of Huckel Inclusive, a Rhode Island-based consulting firm that provides curriculum development for organizational change for clients, with a specialty in LGBTQ+ topics, and she also serves on the board of directors for Sojourner House. Huckel was also among PBN’s 2019 40 Under Forty honorees.
The organizations to be recognized at the event are:
- Accounting: Ernst & Young LLP
- Diversity Training: The Wilson Organization LLC
- Education: Rhode Island for Community and Justice
- Government: R.I. Office of Rehabilitation Services
- Health Care: Providence Community Health Centers Inc.
- Insurance/Financial Services: Amica Mutual Insurance Co.
- IT/Technology: Cox Communications Inc.
- Nonprofit: Women’s Fund of Rhode Island
- Social Services Agency: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island
The panel discussion will also take place at the start of the event, where four experts will discuss their struggles, successes and best practices in implementing successful diversity and inclusion program. The discussion will center around the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and protests linked to social injustice in placing greater pressure on companies using diversity and inclusion initiatives to deliver meaningful cultural change and positive business results.
The panelists are:
- Kevin Nerney, Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council director
- Lisa Ranglin, Rhode Island Black Business Association founder, CEO and president and Citizens Bank N.A. vice president and program manager
- Neil D. Steinberg, Rhode Island Foundation CEO and president
- Steve Sublett, CBIZ Benefits & Insurance Services senior vice president and CBIZ Life Insurance Solutions CEO
The discussion will be moderated by Kevin Matta, director of client engagement and inclusion for Advancing Workplace Excellence; director of communications for Diversity & Inclusion Professionals Inc.; and director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the Rhode Island Society for Human Resource Management.
The panelists will discuss:
- Defining and leveraging diversity, inclusion and belonging in the corporate work environment
- Effective workplace conversations on racism vs discrimination
- The importance of community engagement in an overall diversity and inclusion strategy
- Supporting equity in the workplace
- Opportunities for people with developmental disabilities in the Rhode Island workforce
- Rhode Island Foundation’s Equity Leadership Initiative
Winners will be recognized at 10 a.m. after the panel discussion. CBIZ & MHM and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island are partner sponsors for PBN’s 2020 Diversity & Inclusion Summit and Awards program. To register for the event, visit PBN.com.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
