Forty Upstate Leaders Join Diversity Leaders Initiative

FOR INFORMATION:

Claudia Winkler

Director of Marketing and Communications
The Riley Institute at Furman University
864.294.3368; Claudia.winkler@furman.edu

 

January 18, 2024 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Forty UPSTATE LEADERS JOIN DIVERSITY LEADERS INITIATIVE
An award-winning program with over 2,700 graduates across South Carolina, the Diversity Leaders Initiative leverages diversity to drive progress.

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Forty leaders from across the Upstate have been selected to participate in the Riley Institute’s intensive 5-month Diversity Leaders Initiative (DLI) program. For over 20 years, DLI has brought together community stakeholders and equipped them with the skills and perspectives necessary to leverage diversity in their organizations in ways that drive social and economic progress in South Carolina.

Participants are selected following nomination by a DLI graduate and a thorough application and interview process. Each class includes leaders who represent the varied demographics in our state and who seek to institute diverse and inclusive practices within their communities and organizations.

Juan Johnson, the designer and facilitator of the program, has crafted a curriculum that includes interactive case studies, scenario analyses, and experiential learning tools. With five meetings over the course of five months, this program will explore modules related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Among the topics explored in these discussions are the differences between bias and discrimination, the role of context, differences in mental and physical abilities, generational diversity, and diversity frameworks.

The DLI program concludes with groups undertaking community action projects. With these capstone projects, this new class of DLI participants will identify challenges in their communities and will work together to address them. Many of our DLI graduates have developed projects that continue to produce tremendous good within their communities.

Dr. Don Gordon, executive director of the Riley Institute, remarks, “Today’s leaders are responsible for making positive contributions that benefit everyone, particularly the most marginalized among us. This program creates opportunities to tackle challenges faced by diverse segments of our community and introduce enduring solutions and systems-level change within organizations and businesses across South Carolina.”

Graduates of DLI become Riley Fellows and join a diverse community of changemakers in South Carolina.

Listed below are the participants of the spring 2024 Upstate DLI class.

Selena Anderson
Director, Human Resources
Girl Scouts of South Carolina – Mountains to Midlands
Greenville

Robyn Andrews
Access Services & Diversity Coordinator; Co­ Chair, President’s Committee for Diversity
Furman University
Greenville

Adam Artigliere
Partner
Burr & Forman LLP
Greenville

Yobany Banks-McKay
Vice President of Corporate Engagement
United Way of Greenville County
Greenville

Andy Beasley
President and COO
Michelin Connected Fleet
Atlanta

Barrett Black
Financial Controlling Manager
BMW Manufacturing
Greer

Guy Boyle
Chief Executive Officer
Spartanburg Water
Spartanburg

Jeff Brown
President
Greenville Drive
Greenville

Anne Lee Buck
Coordinator of Community Collaboration
Greenville County Schools
Greenville

Tamika Cannon
Senior Staff Attorney
South Carolina Victim Assistance Network
Taylors

Philip Cody
Dean, Educational Opportunity Programs
Greenville Technical College
Greenville

Karras Cohen
Leadership and Transformation Specialist
BMW Manufacturing
Greer

Will Dillard
News Director
WYFF4
Greenville

Heath Dillard
President and CEO
VisitGreenvilleSC
Greenville

Polly Edwards-Padgett
Senior Director of Strategic Philanthropy
Spartanburg Regional Foundation
Spartanburg

Joseph Fields
Vice President of Equity
Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County
Greenville

Kelly Fields
Vice President of Corporate and Business Services – Americas
Michelin North America
Greenville

Jennifer Fouse Sheorn
Pastor & Director
Triune Mercy Center
Greenville

Katie Grove
Attorney
McAngus Goudelock & Courie
Greenville

Warren Hamrick
Department Manager of Technical Planning Paint
BMW
Greer

Kathryn Harvey
Founder
Neue South
Spartanburg

Laura Hayes
Executive Assistant
National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA)
Columbia

Jay Jenkins
Director of Small and Minority Business Development
OneSpartanburg, Inc.
Spartanburg

Shontavia Johnson
Intellectual Property Counsel
Savannah River Nuclear Laboratory
Aiken

Mark Johnston
President and CEO
Community Journals
Greenville

Josh Kendrick
Partner
Kendrick & Leonard, PC
Greenville

Blair Landreneau
Development Partner
Michelin North America
Greenville

Dorian Lane
Student Life and Belonging Coordinator
Saint Joseph’s Catholic School
Greenville

Kristin Manske
Market CEO
Greenwood Regional Rehabilitation Hospital
Greenwood

Monique McDaniels
Vice President of Community and Workforce Development
Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands SC
Greenville

Cortney Mehaffey
Production Control and Improvement Manager
BMW
Greer

Shivani Nadarajah
Senior HR Director
Cytiva – A Danaher Operating Company
Greenville

Buket Oztas
Assistant Professor of Politics and International Affairs
Furman University
Greenville

Elizabeth Palmore
Benefits Manager
BMW
Greer

Mike Panasko
Business Development Manager
City of Greenville
Greenville

Lauren Payne
Assistant Vice President, Career and Professional Development
Furman University
Greenville

Mike Sarvis
Market President
First National Bank (FNB Corporation)
Greenville

Fernanda Sieverling
Executive Director
European American Chamber of Commerce Carolinas
Duncan

Matt Staab
Associate General Counsel
Michelin North America
Greenville

Kaitlin Watts
Director, Center for Early Childhood Success
Spartanburg Academic Movement
Spartanburg

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About the Riley Institute at Furman University

Furman University’s Richard W. Riley Institute advances social and economic progress in South Carolina and beyond by building leadership for a diverse society, broadening student and community perspectives on critical issues, hosting expert speakers, supporting public education, and creating knowledge through community solutions-focused research. It is committed to nonpartisanship in all it does and to a rhetoric-free, facts-based approach to change.