Global Diversity and Inclusion Network elects new board members

Oct. 17, 2011 - PRLog -- The Global Diversity and Inclusion Network (The Network) has elected four innovative leaders to join its board of directors: Daphne Smith, PHR, Manager of Human Resources Staffing for DePaul University, Deborah Kearns, Chief Diversity Consultant at AKCO LLC, Andrés Garza is the current Director of the Office of Career Services and the Student Employment Office at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and Karen Davis-Johnson, M.A./PhD student of Psychology, is an individual and family psychotherapist, public speaker and consultant.  “We are honored to welcome Daphne, Deborah, Andres and Karen to our board as our organization works to build a framework to address issues of diversity and inclusion in the workplace”, said Sakira Jackson, M. A., president of The Network.  Our new board members will be able to engage with our members and bring their tremendous skills in building and developing multicultural talent to the table. As we design and implement a blueprint for diversity and inclusion careers, we are grateful for the multiple years of experience that each brings to the board. They each add diverse, unique and valuable experiences in business and the public sector- from both domestic and international perspectives- which will help us to be successful in meeting today’s pressing diversity and inclusion industry challenges.”

Daphne Smith is responsible for leading the day-to-day strategic operations of the Human Resources Staffing Department at DePaul University in downtown Chicago. She is a champion of diversity and inclusion efforts and works to foster partnerships between internal and external constituents to achieve diversity staffing goals.  Specifically, she focuses on formulating multicultural talent pipelines, creating new diversity and inclusion initiatives, and innovative programming. She is an entrepreneurial staffing leader with over 10 years of progressive HR and Diversity professional experience from the corporate
non-profit, and higher education segment with a core focus in talent acquisition, staffing and selection, and diversity.

Deborah Kearns is owner and chief diversity consultant at AKCO LLC (a-kay-co) a national firm with offices in Atlanta, GA and Phoenix, AZ. The diverse team at AKCO focuses on total engagement of diversity markets through targeted human resources, marketing and meeting solutions for business, government and the people they employ. Most recently she served as Corporate Leader of Collective Talent at ACS, a Xerox Company, where she was responsible for outreach into diverse employment markets; provided strategic counsel and guidance on diversity recruiting matters; and partnered with business and human resource leadership to advance company initiatives.

Andrés Garza is the current Director of the Office of Career Services and the Student Employment Office at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).  He assumed this position in 1995 after twelve years of service as an assistant director in the Latin American Recruitment and Educational Services (LARES) Program.  He is an active member of the Midwest Association of Colleges and Employers (MWACE) and has acted as co-chair of two annual conferences in the Chicago area.  He has served on the board of the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE) for the last six years.  He has a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and a Master in Public Administration from UIC.  

Karen Davis-Johnson, M.A./PhD student of Psychology, is an individual and family psychotherapist, public speaker and father-daughter relationship consultant. As Founder of the Online Institute for Father-Daughter Communications (IFDC); a father-daughter relationship resource center, she offers parenting skills training via webinars, pod casts and downloadable literature as well as on-location workshops.  Committed to supporting the overall development of individuals, she also offers employee development/workforce training workshops, personal development coaching and professional family counseling, through her Consulting company, Johnson and Johnson Consulting-CFLS.  

About Global Diversity and Inclusion Network (The Network)
The Global Diversity and Inclusion Network www.globaldiversityandinclusionnetwork.org is a comprehensive global association for professionals with diversity and inclusion responsibilities in corporate, public and academic communities. The Network is a membership organization that connects individuals and partners to news, information, research, talent and vendors they need to move ahead of their competition and compete fully in a global talent marketplace.

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