Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility Committee presents
SUMMIT 2024
INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP: THE POWER OF DEIA IN BUSINESS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2024 | THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTER
Learn more about the Loudoun Chamber! www.LoudounChamber.org
SUMMIT 2024
EVENT TIMELINE
7:30 a.m. Registration, Breakfast, and Networking
8:00 a.m. Event Kickoff and Signature Sponsor Remarks by Google
8:10 a.m. Introduce Keynote Speakers by DEIA Chair: Monti Mercer
8:15 a.m. Keynote Conversation and Audience Q&A: “Inclusive Leadership – The Power of DEIA in Business”
Moderator: Alex Orfinger, Market President & Publisher, Washington Business Journal
Keynote Speakers: Nancy Dalton, Director of Amazon Access External Affairs, Marketing and Social Impact and Rick Wade, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Outreach, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
9:15 a.m. Break, Transition to workshop rooms:
• Ballroom AB (Main Room) – “Barriers to Inclusive Leadership”
Dr. Erikca Brown, MAT, MA Ed, PhD, George Mason University
• Potomac DE – “Supplier Diversity and Corporate Responsibility”
Tanisha Lewis, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
• Belmont – “Disabilities in the Workplace”
Lisa Max, The Arc of Loudoun and Rachel Payne, Didlake
9:30 a.m. Workshops begin
10:30 a.m. Break, please return to your workshop room
10:40 a.m. Workshop continues*
11:40 a.m. Workshop concludes | Break, please proceed back to main room
11:50 p.m. Group Exercise: “Inclusion Nudge” with Kim Tapper from A Place to Be
12:25 p.m. Main stage closing remarks – Chair of the Loudoun Chamber’s 2024 Board of Directors, Angela Mitchell, ARM Consulting LLC
12:30 p.m. Event concludes
SUMMIT 2024
THANK YOU TO THE 2024 DEIA SUMMIT EVENT SPONSORS
DEIA SIGNATURE SERIES SPONSOR
DEIA SUMMIT SPONSOR
DEIA SUMMIT SUPPORTERS
DEIA PLATINUM SERIES SPONSORS
COMMUNITY PARTNER
ACCESSIBILITY SPONSOR
The Arc of Loudoun
PHOTOGRAPHY SPONSOR
SILVER SERIES SPONSOR
ARM Consulting LLC
[ CLICK HERE ] TO TAKE THE POST EVENT SURVEY
GOLD SERIES SPONSORS
Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties
Equinix Data Center Services
HHMI Janelia Research Campus
Morven Park
SUMMIT 2024
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Nancy Dalton Director of Amazon Access External Affairs, Marketing and Social Impact
Nancy Dalton is the Director of Amazon Access External Affairs, Marketing and Social Impact within Amazon’s North American Stores division. She and her team design and implement retail programs that expand access and lower the cost of convenience for underserved customer segments. In the face of Covid, her team drove the launch of Amazon’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) acceptance program, which enables SNAP recipients the opportunity to purchase groceries online using their EBT card. This product suite has now expanded to offer Nutrition incentives, Exclusive discounts, Layaway and Prime Access under the Amazon Access Brand. Most recently, her team launched the Community Access program with the goal of giving residents living in high priority food areas more options to find affordable, quality and diverse groceries. The program engages community-based organizations to amplify their Anti-hunger efforts and raise awareness about the vast array of services that Amazon offers in these communities.
Prior to joining Amazon Access, Nancy served in several leadership roles across Amazon. As the Global Head of WW Operations Shared Services, she led the strategy and execution efforts of program management, lean six sigma, assessment technology and learning and development professionals across Europe and North America. She also worked in Selling Partner Services as the Global Head of Associate Learning and Performance, where she was accountable for training delivery and design, learning program management and diversity equity and inclusion across the Americas, EMEA and APAC.
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SUMMIT 2024
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Nancy Dalton
Director of Amazon Access External Affairs, Marketing and Social Impact
(continued)
Preceding the start of her Amazon career in 2016, she spent over 20 years in financial services holding executive roles at Fleet Credit Card Services, Bank of America and Barclays Bank. Nancy is recognized as a strategic thought leader with a proven track record of leading enterprise-level transformation initiatives in the areas of operations, regulatory relations, corporate training, quality assurance, customer experience and diversity. She has functioned as an executive coach at the National Diversity Women’s Business Leadership conference for several years and has built a legacy of coaching leaders across the globe in the areas of career development, global business management and leading change.
Nancy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Dynamics and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Executive Program in Social Impact Strategy. She is a Senior Certified Professional (SCP) through the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Nancy is also certified as a Prince 2 Project Management practitioner. She is a member of the Association for Talent Development (ATD) and has served on the Board of Directors for the Better Business Bureau, Push for Women Inc., Positive Deposits Inc. and The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). Nancy also sits on the Milken Institute Business Council and is a member of its Food is Medicine Task Force.
SUMMIT 2024
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Rick Wade
Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Outreach, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Rick C. Wade is senior vice president of Strategic Alliances and Outreach at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Wade develops and implements programs and initiatives to help the Chamber create new business relationships and partnerships across diverse audiences. He also provides counsel on policy issues and leads special projects. Wade’s wealth of knowledge and experience in both the public and private sectors enable him to give a megaphone to the voice of business across the country and share the positive impacts of the free enterprise system.
Before joining the Chamber, Wade was principal of The Wade Group, a strategic communications and global business development firm, and was a partner at Harves Investment Group, a consultancy that facilitated foreign direct investment into the U.S.
Previously, Wade was a senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to former Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke where he was a liaison to the White House, businesses, trade associations, civic organizations, and local governments. He was a member of the White House task forces on Puerto Rico, Small Business Contracting, Automobile Recovery, Military Families, and Historically Black Colleges & Universities. He also served on the Interagency Business Council and former Vice President Joe Biden’s Task Force on Middle Class America and worked with the White House on implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
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SUMMIT 2024
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Rick Wade Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Outreach, U.S.
Chamber of
Commerce
(continued)
Wade also worked with Commerce’s Economic Development Administration to foster regional economic development in distressed areas, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration on expanding broadband to rural and urban America, the Minority Business Development Agency to create jobs through the growth of minority-owned businesses, and the Census Bureau on executing the 2010 decennial census.
In addition, Wade was instrumental in expanding opportunities for U.S. companies to sell their products in the global market. He represented the U.S. at international trade forums including the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the African Growth and Opportunity Act Forum, and the Conference on the Caribbean and Central America. He served as special envoy to the Caribbean, oversaw private sector initiatives in Haiti following the 2010 devastating earthquake, and led trade missions around the world.
He was a senior adviser to the 2008 Obama for America campaign and is a member of the Democratic National Committee. He was an executive at Hoffman-La Roche and Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina. He also had experience at the South Carolina House of Representatives, the Cabinet of the Governor, and the Office of the President at the University of South Carolina.
Wade received his B.S. from the University of South Carolina and an M.P.A. from Harvard University. He was awarded honorary doctorates from Benedict College and South Carolina State University and has received numerous awards for exemplary leadership and public service.
SUMMIT 2024
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
MODERATOR
Alex Orfinger
Market President and Publisher, Washington Business Journal
Alex Orfinger is Publisher of the Washington Business Journal. After serving as Executive Vice President of American City Business Journals for several years, Alex has returned to the role that first brought him to Washington, DC. He is excited, at this important moment, to help the Business Journal be at the center of conversations around economic recovery, income disparity, systemic racism, and why these issues must matter to the business community.
When Alex arrived in Washington in 1996, most people thought the Washington Business Journal was an oxymoron. The business of Washington was government. That perception was wrong and would dramatically change. Driving that change became Alex’s mission. For over two decades as publisher, Alex worked out front and behind the scenes to develop a strong identity for the region’s business sector. He built a team to report on the diversity of the business community – the robust commercial real estate but also the nascent tech and venture communities, the retail and restaurant industries, the service sector, and the burgeoning hospitality industry. Government leaders had no special place except when they impacted what happened in business. Alex, along with the scores of people who worked with him, told the stories of companies, the personalities who ran them, and what made leaders tick. This led to strong revenue growth, subscription gains, and a boost in website traffic and resulted in the Washington Business Journal leading the company and outpacing the industry.
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SUMMIT 2024
MODERATOR
Alex Orfinger
Market
President
and Publisher, Washington Business Journal
(continued)
The core purpose of the Washington Business Journal was to help local business grow by providing leaders with the information they needed to get their work done, including leads, competitive intelligence, and knowledge about who was doing what and with whom.
Beyond reporting, the Washington Business Journal brought leaders and business people together, and that’s when business generation really grew as if on steroids. No other organization in greater Washington could gather as many senior executives from across the region and across industry sectors as the Washington Business Journal did under Alex’s leadership. The events weren’t just cocktail receptions; they were places where deals were consummated, connections were made, and regional problems were solved. Live events may be on pause for now, but the idea of bringing people and organizations together to advance business and tackle issues remain a fundamental Business Journal value.
Over the last several years and today as he takes up the mantle of Publisher again, Alex is committed to working at the intersection of business and community. He believes the road to economic renewal runs through deeper relationships, connectivity, and leadership and that innovation and entrepreneurship will be front and center as the engine for growth. He shines a light on complex and important social issues business leaders should know and understand. He believes what is good for business is also good for the greater community. Alex is a champion of collaboration and is dedicated to developing relationships that strengthen the connection among business leaders and between the business and philanthropic communities.
SUMMIT 2024
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
SPEAKER
Dr. Erikca Brown, MAT, MA Ed, PhD
Associate Director of Professional Development
George Mason University
Workshop: “Barriers to Inclusive Leadership”
Dr. Erikca Brown is the Associate Director of Professional Development at George Mason University. Erikca facilitates programs and events across the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) spectrum. Erikca consults, collaborates, coordinates, supports, and leads academic and administrative units to develop organizational capacity (skills, awareness, concepts, competency, and dialogue skills) for inclusive excellence.
Erikca is the Chief Innovation Officer & Strategist for Inclusion at The Continuum LLC where she works to empower people to build connections across differences with others in their communities. Erikca aims to equip organizational members with the skills to celebrate differences, identify shared values, and work together to address shared needs.
SUMMIT 2024
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
SPEAKER
Tanisha Lewis
Vice President for Diversity, Inclusion and Social Impact, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
Workshop: “Supplier Diversity and Corporate Responsibility”
A 21-year veteran of the Airports Authority, Lewis has extensive human resources, diversity, inclusion, and leadership experience. She has served in key human resources roles, most recently as Manager, Human Capital Management Performance and Business Readiness.
During her tenure with the Airports Authority, Lewis has led the implementation of the Airports Authority’s Human Capital Management System, developed leadership and supervisory training curriculum, and implemented a management intern program. She successfully deployed a robust supplier diversity outreach program to foster business diversity and help small businesses find resources and contracting opportunities. With a strong focus on diversity, she created a robust succession planning and development program for critical positions and initiated an employee diversity program that highlights the strengths of our people and works to build an inclusive and psychologically safe work environment. She initiated and facilitates the MWAA Cares program, which has donated food, clothing, and other essentials to local organizations and MWAA Gives Back, which gives employees the opportunity to give back locally by volunteering their time and skills. Lewis also developed the Airports Authority’s Corporate Social Responsibility Program and created its first report.
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SUMMIT 2024
SPEAKER
Tanisha Lewis
Vice President for Diversity, Inclusion and Social Impact, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
Workshop: “Supplier Diversity and Corporate Responsibility”
(continued)
Lewis holds a Bachelor of Arts from the Mount Vernon College at George Washington University and a Master of Arts in Human Resource Management from the Catholic University of America – Metropolitan School of Professional Studies. She has also completed the Modern CHRO Role and Strategies for Success Program through Cornell University.
Throughout her career, Lewis has concentrated on her professional growth, constantly improving her own skills and developing the people around her. Lewis continues to focus on creating and developing new programs and initiatives, nurturing collaboration and building cross-functional teams. She was named one of 2018’s Rising Stars by Human Resource Executive magazine. She serves on the board of the American Experience Foundation and is an Honorary Commander at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling.
SUMMIT 2024
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
SPEAKER
Lisa Max
Chief Executive Officer, The Arc of Loudoun
Workshop: “Disabilities in the Workplace”
Lisa Max is a results-driven, visionary executive who fervently believes that compassion is actionable.
Lisa has extensive experience in for-profit and nonprofit operations, human resources, financial management, strategic planning and implementation, legal advocacy and legislative work, contract capture, and deep-pocket fundraising. Having spent most of her career in computer engineering, Lisa has extensive expertise in cyber privacy protection and identity assurance.
She assumed the helm of The Arc of Loudoun as Chief Executive Officer in 2018, where she works to create a just, equitable world for people with disabilities. Ms. Max’s fervent belief that each person deserves every chance to lead their best life has caused minds to open and hearts to change throughout the Washington, DC region. Lisa is passionately committed to inspiring innovation by baking accessibility, collaboration, diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and uncompromising respect into the values of organizations of all kinds.
She describes herself as a ‘pathological volunteer’; her current volunteer endeavors include Member of the Board of Directors and Advisory Board Chair for the Children’s Science Center/Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation, Board Member of the Loudoun County Multicultural Advisory Committee, Advisory Board Member for the Loudoun County Medical Reserve Corps, Member of iHeart Media’s Local Advisory Board, and Member of the Board of Directors for the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce.
SUMMIT 2024
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
SPEAKER
Dr. Rachel Payne
Vice President of Advocacy and Public Policy, Didlake
Workshop: “Disabilities in the Workplace”
Dr. Rachel Payne is Vice President of Advocacy and Public Policy at Didlake, a nonprofit organization creating and promoting opportunities that enrich the lives of people with disabilities. Rachel oversees, envisions, manages, and directs essential public policy and advocacy functions.
During her time at Didlake, Rachel has actively supported individuals in the workplace through rehabilitation services, advocacy efforts, and training programs. Before she began her career in disability services as an Employment Specialist, Rachel’s career in human services encompassed serving individuals in behavioral health services and workforce training and development.
She holds an MS in Leadership and Human Resource Development and a PhD in Industrial Organizational Psychology. Rachel is a proud wife and mother of three young men. She enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.
SUMMIT 2024
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, & ACCESSIBILITY (DEIA) COMMITTEE
MISSION
The Loudoun Chamber Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) committee’s mission is to cultivate an equitable and inclusive business environment in Loudoun County modeling DEIA principles that advance education, economic growth, and innovation.
The committee meets monthly both in-person and virtually. All Loudoun Chamber members are invited to participate.
Questions? Contact Chamber staff, info@loudounchamber.org.
COMMITTEE LEADERSHIP
Chair, Monti Mercer HHMI Janelia Research Campus
SUMMIT 2024
LOUDOUN CHAMBER ANNUAL SPONSORS
2024 CHAIRMAN CIRCLE SPONSORS
2024 PRESIDENT’S CABINET SPONSORS
