BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee To Host Workforce Diversity Conference

‘The Power of We’ Set for Oct. 11 at Music City Center

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee will host “The Power of We: 2018 Workforce Diversity Conference” on Thursday, Oct. 11, at the Music City Center in downtown Nashville.

The daylong conference will include keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and a panel discussion that will address a number of important workplace issues and trends.

“Every business understands the importance of maintaining a positive, healthy workplace environment that reflects the people we serve,” said Ron Harris, vice president of Diversity and Inclusion at BlueCross. “We have been intentional in our work at BlueCross to do just that, and our focus has earned us national recognition from Forbes magazine, which named us a top employer for diversity and a top workplace for women.”

“Over the past few years, we’ve often heard from business partners and customers who want to learn from our efforts, and that’s the reason we developed The Power of We conference,” Harris said. “Bringing everyone together in this forum, we can share our knowledge as well as learn from others in attendance.”

The featured keynote speakers will be Mary-Frances Winters, president and founder of The Winters Group and a noted author of four books, including “We Can’t Talk About That at Work!: How To Talk About Race, Religion, Politics, and Other Polarizing Topics,” and Jacky Akbari, president and board chair of the Washington, D.C.-based National Organization for Workforce Development Professionals.

Morning and afternoon breakout sessions will include discussions on topics such as supplier diversity, generational diversity, LGBTQ issues, unconscious bias and the #MeToo movement.

Breakout session leaders will include Harris, who is responsible for cultivating a corporate culture at BlueCross in which diversity and inclusion are aligned with the company’s corporate strategy and values; Beck Baily, deputy director of Employee Engagement at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program; Jessica Stollings, president of ReGenerations and a noted speaker, author and blogger with a passion for uniting generations in the workplace; Faye Williams, regional attorney in the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Memphis district office; and Joann Massey, director of Business Diversity and Compliance for the City of Memphis.

The conference will kick off with an 8 a.m. continental breakfast and networking followed by opening remarks at 9 a.m., the morning keynote speaker, and breakout sessions. A luncheon and keynote speaker will be from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., followed by the afternoon breakout sessions and a panel discussion, “Sharing Our Success Stories,” at 2:30 p.m. The conference will adjourn at 3:30 p.m., with an opportunity for additional networking.

“It will be very beneficial for business executives and managers to come together to learn from notable experts and their counterparts in other organizations about best practices on meeting the many challenges and opportunities of today’s workplace,” Harris said. “We think it is going to be a very informative and inspirational day.”

For more information and to register, visit the conference website at www.bcbst.com/PowerofWe.

 

About BlueCross®

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee’s mission is to provide its customers and communities with peace of mind through better health. Founded in 1945, the Chattanooga-based company is focused on serving more than 3.5 million members in Tennessee and across the country. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Inc. is an independent licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association. For more information, visit the company’s website at bcbst.com.

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