KEIRUS BY KJE curated a brave space for DEI Change Makers during a collaborative planning session that equipped leaders with tools, resources and a community of peers.
PLANO, Texas, Sept. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — KEIRUS BY KJE held its second annual KEIRUS EVOLVE at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum in Dallas, Texas. KEIRUS EVOLVE has been dubbed as the “un-conference” for its uniquely intentional approach for bringing DEIB leaders, HR professionals, and DEIB champions together to learn and create an effective strategy to continually move forward as change agents, despite the challenges of the current anti-DEI climate.
“Our goal for KEIRUS EVOLVE was to create a space for DEIB practitioners and champions to build community while gaining the tools they need to be transformative leaders,” says Kelley Johnson, Founder and CEO of KEIRUS BY KJE. “From the overwhelmingly positive feedback we’ve received from those in attendance, we succeeded in creating a much-needed space for transparency, best practice sharing, and the mental reset needed to make an even more impactful change in our organizations and communities.” Johnson continues, “We’ve always transformed cultures by driving DEI as an enabler of commerce, culture, and community, but now we are being seen as a veteran DEI firm that ‘has the backs’ of DEI professionals who sleeves are rolled up doing the work.”
Johnson opened the conference by journeying back through the challenging times we have successfully pulled through as a reminder that we can endure the distractions and daily discouragements we face with the misinformation of DEI at the forefront. She reflected on September 11, 2001, which was remembered as the 22nd anniversary of this tragic event, and the uncertainties brought on by COVID-19 in 2020. Tying in these unpredictable and unprecedented life circumstances with the determination to come out better on the other side of the forces against DEI outlined a message that deeply resonated. She shared her 5R strategy, highlighting personal stories from the beginning of her career that led her to enter the diversity and inclusion field in response to 9/11. The attendees were invited to reflect on their career paths and motivation for their work. Johnson emphasized that we have more resources than we have had in the past to overcome the challenges facing DEI while recognizing relationships as a priceless asset for the journey ahead.
Joining KEIRUS EVOLVE at the table were Humera Kassem, Chief People Officer at Sabio Holdings, Alex Shootman, CEO, Alkami Technology, Crysta Dungee, Head of US Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Devean Owens-Toler, PhD. Operations and Analytics Leader at KEIRUS BY KJE, Felicia Taylor, Chief People Officer at WebPT, and Misty Tippen, Senior Director Diversity and Inclusion at Integer Holdings. Those in attendance represented organizations such as Children’s Health, Liberty Mutual, AT&T, Dallas College, Bell Flight, CBRE, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, and Medium Giant.
KEIRUS BY KJE partnered with the Dallas Regional Chamber to offer KEIRUS EVOLVE as an opener to the DRC’s annual State of DEI event. Latosha Herron-Bruff, their Senior Vice President of Inclusion and Community Engagement, gave closing remarks, “KEIRUS BY KJE is a phenomenal organization. I do not take their work for granted or that DEIB professionals wake up and do this difficult work every day. The connection of KEIRUS EVOLVE and the DRC’s State of DEI was natural, as we both want to ensure Dallas is the best place to live, work, and do business for not just some people but for everyone.” This goal of belonging is at the heart of diversity, equity, and inclusion and at the core of KEIRUS BY KJE.
KEIRUS EVOLVE 2023 ended with a meaningful call to action with the launch of the ABIDE WITH CARE CHALLENGE, giving everyone who desires to grow a chance to “light the world” with care. This challenge calls every individual to commit to the KEIRUS C.A.R.E. model in our organizations and communities to Create awareness, Appreciate diversity, and Respect everyone by Embracing inclusion.
The goal of the ABIDE WITH CARE Challenge is to create a space for everyone to engage in DEI in simple, everyday ways. You can find out more and join the ABIDE WITH CARE CHALLENGE at www.abidewithcare.com
ABOUT US
KEIRUS BY KJE is a tech-enabled consulting and leadership development firm specializing in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB). As strategic partners for Fortune 1000 and mid-sized companies, KEIRUS BY KJE leverages decades of proven experience and our multi-year training curriculum to help organizations experience the business benefits of DEIB. KEIRUS derives from the Greek word meaning grace, goodwill, and kindness, and embodies the company’s commitment to light the world to create transformative growth.
SOURCE KEIRUS BY KJE
