{"id":1955,"date":"2024-01-18T16:38:22","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T16:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/?post_type=furman-update&p=1955"},"modified":"2024-01-18T20:07:35","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T20:07:35","slug":"40-upstate-leaders-join-diversity-leaders-initiative","status":"publish","type":"furman-update","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/news\/40-upstate-leaders-join-diversity-leaders-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"Forty Upstate Leaders Join Diversity Leaders Initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"

FOR INFORMATION: <\/strong><\/p>\n

Claudia Winkler<\/p>\n

Director of Marketing and Communications
\nThe Riley Institute at Furman University
\n864.294.3368; Claudia.winkler@furman.edu<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 18, 2024 \u2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:<\/p>\n

Forty UPSTATE LEADERS JOIN DIVERSITY LEADERS INITIATIVE
\n<\/strong>An award-winning program with over 2,700 graduates across South Carolina, the Diversity Leaders Initiative leverages diversity to drive progress.<\/em><\/p>\n

GREENVILLE, S.C. \u2014 Forty leaders from across the Upstate have been selected to participate in the Riley Institute\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Dr. Don Gordon, executive director of the Riley Institute, remarks, \u201cToday\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Graduates of DLI become Riley Fellows and join a diverse community of changemakers in South Carolina.<\/p>\n

Listed below are the participants of the spring 2024 Upstate DLI class.<\/p>\n

Selena Anderson
\n<\/strong>Director, Human Resources
\nGirl Scouts of South Carolina \u2013 Mountains to Midlands
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Robyn Andrews
\n<\/strong>Access Services & Diversity Coordinator; Co\u00ad Chair, President’s Committee for Diversity
\nFurman University
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Adam Artigliere
\n<\/strong>Partner
\nBurr & Forman LLP
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Yobany Banks-McKay
\n<\/strong>Vice President of Corporate Engagement
\nUnited Way of Greenville County
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Andy Beasley
\n<\/strong>President and COO
\nMichelin Connected Fleet
\nAtlanta<\/p>\n

Barrett Black
\n<\/strong>Financial Controlling Manager
\nBMW Manufacturing
\nGreer<\/p>\n

Guy Boyle
\n<\/strong>Chief Executive Officer
\nSpartanburg Water
\nSpartanburg<\/p>\n

Jeff Brown
\n<\/strong>President
\nGreenville Drive
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Anne Lee Buck
\n<\/strong>Coordinator of Community Collaboration
\nGreenville County Schools
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Tamika Cannon
\n<\/strong>Senior Staff Attorney
\nSouth Carolina Victim Assistance Network
\nTaylors<\/p>\n

Philip Cody
\n<\/strong>Dean, Educational Opportunity Programs
\nGreenville Technical College
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Karras Cohen
\n<\/strong>Leadership and Transformation Specialist
\nBMW Manufacturing
\nGreer<\/p>\n

Will Dillard
\n<\/strong>News Director
\nWYFF4
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Heath Dillard
\n<\/strong>President and CEO
\nVisitGreenvilleSC
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Polly Edwards-Padgett
\n<\/strong>Senior Director of Strategic Philanthropy
\nSpartanburg Regional Foundation
\nSpartanburg<\/p>\n

Joseph Fields
\n<\/strong>Vice President of Equity
\nHabitat for Humanity of Greenville County
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Kelly Fields
\n<\/strong>Vice President of Corporate and Business Services – Americas
\nMichelin North America
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Jennifer Fouse Sheorn
\n<\/strong>Pastor & Director
\nTriune Mercy Center
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Katie Grove
\n<\/strong>Attorney
\nMcAngus Goudelock & Courie
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Warren Hamrick
\n<\/strong>Department Manager of Technical Planning Paint
\nBMW
\nGreer<\/p>\n

Kathryn Harvey
\n<\/strong>Founder
\nNeue South
\nSpartanburg<\/p>\n

Laura Hayes
\n<\/strong>Executive Assistant
\nNational Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA)
\nColumbia<\/p>\n

Jay Jenkins
\n<\/strong>Director of Small and Minority Business Development
\nOneSpartanburg, Inc.
\nSpartanburg<\/p>\n

Shontavia Johnson
\n<\/strong>Intellectual Property Counsel
\nSavannah River Nuclear Laboratory
\nAiken<\/p>\n

Mark Johnston
\n<\/strong>President and CEO
\nCommunity Journals
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Josh Kendrick
\n<\/strong>Partner
\nKendrick & Leonard, PC
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Blair Landreneau
\n<\/strong>Development Partner
\nMichelin North America
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Dorian Lane
\n<\/strong>Student Life and Belonging Coordinator
\nSaint Joseph’s Catholic School
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Kristin Manske
\n<\/strong>Market CEO
\nGreenwood Regional Rehabilitation Hospital
\nGreenwood<\/p>\n

Monique McDaniels
\n<\/strong>Vice President of Community and Workforce Development
\nGoodwill Industries of Upstate\/Midlands SC
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Cortney Mehaffey
\n<\/strong>Production Control and Improvement Manager
\nBMW
\nGreer<\/p>\n

Shivani Nadarajah
\n<\/strong>Senior HR Director
\nCytiva – A Danaher Operating Company
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Buket Oztas
\n<\/strong>Assistant Professor of Politics and International Affairs
\nFurman University
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Palmore
\n<\/strong>Benefits Manager
\nBMW
\nGreer<\/p>\n

Mike Panasko
\n<\/strong>Business Development Manager
\nCity of Greenville
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Lauren Payne
\n<\/strong>Assistant Vice President, Career and Professional Development
\nFurman University
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Mike Sarvis
\n<\/strong>Market President
\nFirst National Bank (FNB Corporation)
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Fernanda Sieverling
\n<\/strong>Executive Director
\nEuropean American Chamber of Commerce Carolinas
\nDuncan<\/p>\n

Matt Staab
\n<\/strong>Associate General Counsel
\nMichelin North America
\nGreenville<\/p>\n

Kaitlin Watts
\n<\/strong>Director, Center for Early Childhood Success
\nSpartanburg Academic Movement
\nSpartanburg<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

About the Riley Institute at Furman University<\/strong><\/p>\n

Furman University\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 \u2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Forty UPSTATE LEADERS JOIN DIVERSITY […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1958,"template":"","update-categories":[11,18],"class_list":["post-1955","furman-update","type-furman-update","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","furman-update-category-diversity-strategies","furman-update-category-news-release"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/1955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/furman-update"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/1955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"furman-update-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/update-categories?post=1955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}