Diversity Forum
Threads of Belonging: Navigating Differences and Building Community
Outline of a person speaking to audience at a Diversity Forum session against a red graphic background

Forum Agenda

Registration is now open for the 2024 Diversity Forum

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Breakfast
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m., Varsity Hall
Welcome
Day One Welcome
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m., Varsity Hall
  • Thumbnail of speaker Jennifer Mnookin.
  • Thumbnail of speaker LaVar J. Charleston.
Keynote
Your Brain is Good at Inclusion…Except When It’s Not
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m., Varsity Hall
  • Thumbnail of speaker Steve Robbins.
Q&A
Moderated Q&A with Steve Robbins and Student
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., Varsity Hall
  • Thumbnail of speaker Steve Robbins.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Sascha Krause.
Break
10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Book Signing by Dr. Steve Robbins
10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., Outside Marquee Theater
Breakout sessions
10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Breakout Session Option 1
Designing for Everyone: Leveraging User Experience Design and Digital Accessibility to Create Inclusive Experiences
Varsity Hall
  • Thumbnail of speaker Will Burns.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Ruben Mota.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Al Nemec.
Breakout Session Option 2
Deliberation Dinners: An Innovative Model for Dialogue Across Differences
Marquee Theater
  • Thumbnail of speaker Mariana Castro.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Lynn Glueck.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Emma Cabrera.
Breakout Session Option 3
Towards Constructing Military-Connected Student Inclusion: A Student Panel and Discussion
Northwoods
  • Thumbnail of speaker Joe Rasmussen.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Amanda Venske.
  • Thumbnail of speaker AJ Brown.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Melanie Laflin.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Natalia Torres.
Breakout Session Option 4
Athletics and DDEEA Student Programs: Intentionally Building Community Across Campus
Industry
  • Thumbnail of speaker Julie Janiak.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Danielle Pulliam.
Lunch
12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m., Varsity Hall

DDEEA 15th Anniversary Special Presentation
12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m., Varsity Hall
Break
1:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Breakout sessions
1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Breakout Session Option 1
Why Race Matters: Being Black in Wisconsin
Varsity Hall
  • Thumbnail of speaker Angela Fitzgerald.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Jacquelyn Hunt.
  • Thumbnail of speaker David Pate.
Breakout Session Option 2
Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Underrepresented Collegiate Students Through the Community Support Specialist Role at UW–Madison
Marquee Theater
  • Thumbnail of speaker Pa Her.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Nasitta Keita.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Natalie Rivera.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Chi Pham.
Breakout Session Option 3
Use Plain Language to Build a More Inclusive Workplace Community
Northwoods
  • Thumbnail of speaker Cassie Lima Pilarski.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Elizabeth Gaytan.
Breakout Option 4
A Radical Moment of Wellness: Reclaiming Balance Through Art and Community
Industry
  • Thumbnail of speaker Chris Walker.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Faisal Abdu’ Allah​.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Arun Luthra.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Eric Newble.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Gabrielle Javier-Cerulli​.
Break
2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Plenary Session
Antisemitism, Democracy, and the Struggle for an Inclusive and Resilient America
3:00 p.m. – 3:55 p.m., Varsity Hall
  • Thumbnail of speaker Chad Alan Goldberg.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Elana G. Kahn.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Amy Spitalnick.
  • Thumbnail of speaker John Zumbrunnen.
Day One Wrap Up
Closing Remarks
3:55 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Varsity Hall
  • Thumbnail of speaker LaVar J. Charleston.

DDEEA 15th Anniversary Reception
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., Varsity Lounge
Breakfast
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m., Varsity Hall
Welcome
Day Two Welcome
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m., Varsity Hall
  • Thumbnail of speaker Carla Vigue.
  • Thumbnail of speaker LaVar J. Charleston.
Keynote
Tell Your Story, Change the World
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m., Varsity Hall
  • Thumbnail of speaker Fanshen Cox.
Q&A
Moderated Q&A with Fanshen Cox and Student
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., Varsity Hall
  • Thumbnail of speaker Fanshen Cox.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Jordan Edwards.
Break
10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Breakout sessions
10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Breakout Session Option 1
Frayed Narratives of Belonging: Exploring Complex Stories of Identity and Inclusion
Varsity Hall
  • Thumbnail of speaker Fernie Rodriguez.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Christina Olstad.
Breakout Session Option 2
The Islamophobia Sniff Test: Recognizing Islamophobia On College Campuses and the Impact It Has On Our Community
Marquee Theater
  • Thumbnail of speaker Wajiha Akhtar.
  • Thumbnail of speaker K.D. Thompson.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Noreen Siddiqui.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Asifa Quraishi-Landes.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Faran Saeed.
Breakout Session Option 3
Student Voices in the Mercile J. Lee Scholars Program
Northwoods
  • Thumbnail of speaker Emma Porterwinkel.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Adriana Hernandez.
Breakout Session Option 4
Lean In and Students Win – How UW-Green Bay Leaned Into its Access Mission to Improve Campus Coordination and Collaboration to Improve Student Support and Increase Enrollment
Industry
  • Thumbnail of speaker Dawn Crim.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Jennifer Jones.
Lunch
12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m., Varsity Hall

Award Announcements
12:45 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
  • Thumbnail of speaker LaVar J. Charleston.
Break
1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Breakout sessions
1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Breakout Session Option 1
Fostering Psychological Safety to Enhance Belonging and Community
Varsity Hall
  • Thumbnail of speaker Chevon Bowen.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Michelle Turner.
Breakout Session Option 2
The Math Ain’t Mathing: Professionals of Color Working Twice as Hard to Get Half as Far
Marquee Theater
  • Thumbnail of speaker April Scott.
Breakout Session Option 3
Stitching Together Student Support: Pedagogy & Retention in a Hmoob Studies Classroom
Northwoods
  • Thumbnail of speaker Alexander Hopp.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Jasmine Cheng.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Soua Thao.
Breakout Session Option 4
Jewish Identity Beyond Zionism: Understanding Jewish Diversity & Belonging
Industry
  • Thumbnail of speaker Amanda Shubert.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Jill H. Casid.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Samantha Bosco.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Lola Loustaunau.
Break
2:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Plenary Session
What Does Diversity Science Say About Belonging & Community?
2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Angela Byars-Winston.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Kyesha Isadore.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Corey Jackson.
  • Thumbnail of speaker Jirs Meuris.
Day Two Wrap Up
Closing Remarks
3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Varsity Hall
  • Thumbnail of speaker LaVar J. Charleston.

All times listed above are in Central Standard Time (CST).

Our Shared Future

The University of Wisconsin–Madison rests in the ancestral land of the Ho-Chunk Nation, the People of the Big Voice, who have called this place Teejop (day-JOPE) for time immemorial. We as a university community continue to create and build upon our partnerships with the 12 First Nations of Wisconsin. As a state university we respect the inherent sovereignty and unique legal status, as affirmed and set forth in state and federal law, of the First Nations of Wisconsin.

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