Diversity and Inclusion Conference features Greenfield April 18
Lamar University’s April 18 Diversity and Inclusion Conference will feature visionary speaker, consultant and thought leader Derek Greenfield speaking on “Constructing a World of Inclusion.”
The university’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion will host the conference, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Setzer Student Center. The conference is being sponsored by the Office of the President and the Division of Student Engagement.
The highly interactive session will provide participants with a dynamic opportunity to confront biases in their own approaches and practices and then to learn culturally competent approaches that value and celebrate diversity and promote inclusion, said Vernice Monroe, special assistant to the president for University Multicultural Enhancement.
A highly requested presenter at conferences, companies and campuses around the world, Greenfield delivers keynotes and workshops on issues of diversity and inclusion, team building and student development with the goal of enhancing a spirit of community among conference attendees. His presentations include McDonald’s Corp., NCAA, International Conference on Cultural Diversity, Hilton Hotels, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, National Black Student Leadership Development Conference, Progress Energy and the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.
Prior to his full-time speaking career, Greenfield spent more than 20 years as a college professor and administrator. He most recently served as director of educational equity and inclusion at Alcorn State University in Lorman, Miss., the oldest historically black public land-grant university in the nation.
There, Greenfield was dedicated to building an inclusive campus climate that valued the contributions of every student and found ways to connect with others while building on their interests and skills. Under his leadership, Alcorn became the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) and only school in Mississippi to receive the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award twice from Insight Into Diversity magazine and was named a leader among HBCUs for diversity in a Huffington Post feature article.
As a testament to his dedication to student achievement, Greenfield has been included five times on the list of Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, received honors as faculty of the year in previous positions at Saint Augustine’s University and Shaw University, and was recognized as faculty member of the year by the Student Government Association during his first year at Alcorn.
His course “Hip-Hop and American Society” has been spotlighted twice in Source magazine as representing the first college course in the nation exclusively devoted to exploring hip-hop culture. In addition to publishing a lengthy list of academic articles, Greenfield is the author of The Answer is in Your Hands, a widely acclaimed motivational book. Before beginning his full-time career in academia, Greenfield spent seven years as an award-winning youth worker in inner city Chicago.
He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sociology from Northwestern University as well as a doctorate in education from Cape Peninsula University of Technology in South Africa.
Greenfield has received numerous awards for teaching and service, and was recently named to the inaugural class of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network as a Kellogg Fellow. Reflecting his passion for supporting social justice initiatives, Greenfield serves on the board of directors for three non-profit organizations and continues to engage in youth development efforts in the townships of South Africa.
For information on registration, call (409) 880-8216 or email Cynthia.parra@lamar.edu. For questions concerning disability-related access or to request accommodations, contact the Disability Resource Center at (409) 880-8347 or email drc@lamar.edu.
