{"id":2617,"date":"2025-01-29T19:26:19","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T19:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/?post_type=furman-update&p=2617"},"modified":"2025-01-29T19:29:34","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T19:29:34","slug":"upstate-dli-spring-2025","status":"publish","type":"furman-update","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/news\/upstate-dli-spring-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Forty Upstate Leaders Join Diversity Leaders Initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

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

February 3, 2025 \u2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:<\/p>\n

FORTY UPSTATE LEADERS JOIN DIVERSITY LEADERS INITIATIVE<\/strong><\/p>\n

An award-winning program with over 2,900 graduates across South Carolina, the Diversity Leaders Initiative leverages diversity to drive progress.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>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). 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 work with a wide variety of 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 how diverse teams can better support organizations\u2019 missions and goals and better serve their stakeholders and constituents.<\/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 differences, and other leadership 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

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

Listed below are the participants of the spring 2025 Upstate DLI class.<\/p>\n

Trent Acker
\n<\/strong>District Manager – Government & Community Relations
\nDuke Energy
\nAnderson, SC<\/p>\n

Liz Bergeron
\n<\/strong>Managing Director of Research & Strategy
\nNew Tech Network
\nNapa, CA<\/p>\n

Melanie Brown
\n<\/strong>President and CEO
\nRestoration 52 LLC
\nGreenville, SC<\/p>\n

Clinton Colmenares
\n<\/strong>Senior Director of News and Media Strategy
\nFurman University
\nGreenville, SC<\/p>\n

Kelly Coxe
\n<\/strong>Superintendent
\nYork School District One
\nYork, SC<\/p>\n

Verhonda Crawford Diehl
\n<\/strong>Owner and Lead Consultant
\nVC Consulting, LLC
\nChesnee, SC<\/p>\n

Reno Deaton
\n<\/strong>Economic Development Director
\nCity of Greer
\nGreer, SC<\/p>\n

Deborah DePaoli
\n<\/strong>Palmetto Engagement & Policy Director
\nInstitute for Child Success
\nColumbia, SC<\/p>\n

Twana Drummond
\n<\/strong>HR Manager
\nBMW MC
\nGreer, SC<\/p>\n

Art Elsey
\n<\/strong>C2C Operations Director Beyond Road O2C
\nMichelin North America
\nCharlotte, SC<\/p>\n

Cheryl Garrison
\n<\/strong>Executive Director Greenville Chamber Foundation & VP of Talent, Education & Leadership
\nGreenville Chamber
\nGreenville, SC<\/p>\n

Ken Gibson
\n<\/strong>Attorney
\nGibson Law
\nGreenville, SC<\/p>\n

Mary Giorgi
\n<\/strong>Assistant General Counsel, Data Privacy Officer
\nMichelin North America
\nGreenville, SC<\/p>\n

Daphnie Glenn
\n<\/strong>Director of First Generation Programs and Student Success Initiatives
\nConverse University
\nSpartanburg, SC<\/p>\n

Mike Goll
\n<\/strong>Architect
\nMcMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture
\nGreenville, SC<\/p>\n

Teresa Goodman
\n<\/strong>Executive Director
\nCommunity Initiatives, Inc.
\nGreenwood, SC<\/p>\n

Jodey Harper
\n<\/strong>Director of Human Resources – Total Rewards and HRI Systems
\nGreenville Technical College
\nGreenville, SC<\/p>\n

Damone Herndon
\n<\/strong>Section Manager
\nBMW
\nGreer, SC<\/p>\n

West Hyler
\n<\/strong>Executive Director
\nSC New Play Festival
\nGreenville, SC<\/p>\n

Margret Jung
\n<\/strong>Manager
\nBMW Manufacturing
\nGreer, SC<\/p>\n

Brian Keefe
\n<\/strong>Strategic Program Manager – B2B Development
\nMichelin
\nGreenville, SC<\/p>\n

Stephanie Knobel
\n<\/strong>Executive Director – YMCA Judson Community Center
\nYMCA of Greenville
\nGreenville, SC<\/p>\n

Stephan Knoche
\n<\/strong>Department Manager
\nBMW Manufacturing
\nGreer, SC<\/p>\n

Derwin Lee
\n<\/strong>IT Director
\nSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System
\nSpartanburg, SC<\/p>\n

Lida Liu
\n<\/strong>Product Manager
\nMichelin North America, Inc.
\nGreenville, SC<\/p>\n

Jolene Madison
\n<\/strong>President
\nSC School for the Deaf and the Blind
\nSpartanburg, SC<\/p>\n

Carol McEntyre
\n<\/strong>Senior Minister
\nFirst Baptist Greenville
\nGreenville, SC<\/p>\n

GP McLeer
\n<\/strong>Director of Public Policy & Community Engagement
\nTogetherSC
\nFountain Inn, SC<\/p>\n

Geniece Mond\u00e9
\n<\/strong>Herman N. Hipp Associate Professor of Sociology
\nFurman University
\nSimpsonville, SC<\/p>\n

Alma Olmeda
\n<\/strong>Director, Community Youth Services
\nPendleton Place
\nGreenville, SC<\/p>\n

Savannah Ray
\n<\/strong>Director of Youth Engagement & Partnerships
\nSpartanburg Academic Movement
\nSpartanburg, SC<\/p>\n

Rut Rivera
\n<\/strong>Health Equity Director
\nLiveWell Greenville
\nGreenville, SC<\/p>\n

Peter Rumsey
\n<\/strong>Senior Director Operations – Housing and Community Strategy
\nHabitat for Humanity International
\nGreenville, SC<\/p>\n

Meghan Smith
\n<\/strong>Director for the Center for Postsecondary Success
\nSpartanburg Academic Movement
\nSpartanburg, SC<\/p>\n

Hannah Terpack
\n<\/strong>Director of Career Management
\nUniversity of South Carolina Upstate
\nSpartanburg, SC<\/p>\n

Laura Ullrich
\n<\/strong>Senior Regional Economist and Director of the Community College Initiative
\nFederal Reserve Bank of Richmond
\nCharlotte, NC<\/p>\n

Eric Wall
\n<\/strong>SVP and Director of Marketing
\nBank of Travelers Rest
\nTravelers Rest, SC<\/p>\n

Tammy Walters
\n<\/strong>Development Partner
\nMichelin NA
\nGreenville, SC<\/p>\n

Carmeisha White
\n<\/strong>Director of Operations & Finance
\nNorthside Development Group
\nSpartanburg, SC<\/p>\n

Zachary White
\n<\/strong>Professor of Communication Studies, Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies
\nFurman University
\nGreenville, SC<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

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

The Riley Institute empowers emerging and established leaders\u2014across sectors and throughout society\u2014with the knowledge and tools to advance equity and drive social and economic progress in South Carolina and beyond. We work to strengthen public education; promote the power of diversity to help teams, organizations, and communities thrive; and elevate informed, evidence-based approaches to critical public issues. In all it does, the institute is committed to nonpartisanship and a bias-free path to change.<\/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 February 3, 2025 \u2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FORTY UPSTATE LEADERS JOIN DIVERSITY LEADERS […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1618,"template":"","update-categories":[11],"class_list":["post-2617","furman-update","type-furman-update","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","furman-update-category-diversity-strategies"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2617","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":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2619,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2617\/revisions\/2619"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"furman-update-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/update-categories?post=2617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}