Post Meeting Memo

® Creating Solutions. Inspiring Action. SPRING MEMBER M EETING CEO Key Take aways MARCH 29, 2021 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. e.t. Virtual Meeting © BHEF 2021 2 11:45 a.m. 12:00 p.m. 12:05 p.m. 12:15 p.m. 1:00 p.m. 1:55 p.m. 2:00 p.m. Webinar open Welcoming Remarks M ike King, BHEF chair; vice president and general manager, Global Education Industry, IBM Corporation Keynote Tim Ryan, U.S. chair and senior partner, PwC Session I CEO Roundtable: Corporate Commitments to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Moderator: •Eric Kelly, chairman and CEO, Overland-Tandberg Panelists: •Mohamad Ali, CEO, IDG •Leanne Caret, executive vice president; president and CEO, Defense, Space & Security, The Boeing Company •Tim Ryan, U.S. chairman and senior partner, PwC Session II Putting Commitment into Practice Moderator: •Kelsey Bush, interim chief diversity officer, St. Mary’s College of Maryland Panelists: •Irma Becerra, president, Marymount University •Donna Diederich, CHRO, LMI •Adela de la Torre, president, San Diego State University •Magda Yrizarry, senior vice president and chief diversity officer, Verizon Communications Closing Remarks Mike King, BHEF chair; vice president and general manager, Global Education Industry, IBM Corporation Adjourn agenda March 29, 2021 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. All Times Eastern 3 D CE O Key Takeaways 2021 © BHEF 2021 e ar BHEF Members, I'm writing today t o up date you on BHEF's recent member meeting and share the next steps that emerged fr om members' commenta ry and feedback. Las t week's virtual spring meeting focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), with sessions highlighting both corporate and higher education practices that act on this important issue. The meeting also marked the release of a nother joint report with PwC, Creating the Future Workforce Today, which considers how leaders in bu siness and higher education can collaboratively build an adaptive, inclusive, and sustainable workforce for the 21st century innovation economy. The meeting began with PwC U.S. Chair and Senior Partner Tim Ryan’s keynote remarks on his signature initiative, CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion. In 2016, PwC took a day off fro m work in order to discuss race and diversity at the firm, and the conversations were fruitful and productive. But Ryan was asked what PwC is doing about DEI outside the company. In response, he created CEO Action for Diversity & Inclu sion and the CEO Pledge, which resulted in nearly 2,000 CEOs pledging to act to create a more inclusive workplace for employees, communities, and society at large. Afte r his remarks he joined a panel of other CEOs to discuss their visions and corporate commitments. Sp eakers included Overland-Tandberg Chairman and CEO Eric Kelly, IDG CEO Mohamad Ali, and Boeing EVP and CEO, Space, Defense & Security Leanne Caret. All shared their personal reflections on DEI, whether that was Caret's experience being the only woman in the room at Boeing in her early years, or Ali's experience at IBM after 9/11. In all cases, panelists spoke about their commitment to rethink how meaningful change o ccurs, reevaluating global supply chains, public policy, and regional compacts, and their impact on DEI efforts. 4 CEO Key Takeaways 2021 © BHEF 2021 The follow ing session was a roundtable discussion led by Kelsey Bush, interim chief diversity officer at St. Mar y’s College of Maryland, with Marymount University President Irma Becerra, LMI CHRO Donna Diederich, S an Diego State University President Adela de la Torre, an d Verizon Chief Diversity Officer and SVP Magda Yrizar ry. Panelists explored higher education’s role in creating an environment that nu rtures DEI values within its students and how this impacts the companies who hire th em. Given these conversations, BHEF will deepen DEI efforts in its ongoing initiatives, embedding the methodologies and data-driven intelligence that promote the most diverse outcomes. •The Workforce Partnership Initiative will continue to focus on providing apprenticeships and digital technology credentials for underrepresented student and adult learners, as well as increased diversity candidates for employers. BHEF will further emphasize the importance of employers developing relationships and partnerships with schools from which they do not typically recruit in order to broaden the racial, socio-economic, and cultural diversity of their hiring pool. •The Connecticut Digital Credential Ecosystem Initiative, funded by the ECMC Foundation, is creating a network of companies, community colleges, government agencies, and other stakeholders to make new pathways to digital careers, particularly for individuals unemployed due to COVID-19. •BHEF conducted a comprehensive analysis of potential cities for Strada Education Network's Equity Cities Network, analyzing factors such as population demographics (race and ethnicity), COVID-19 impact (unemployment rates), and sectors with living-wage jobs (hiring trends, entry-level occupations). As we offer similar services to members, we will increase our focus on structural inequities and educational attainment gaps in order to create programming that can resolve these specific, persistent issues. Each panel ist highlighted specific initiatives from their organization that advocate for DEI, including programs, courses, and student experiences. In every case, leaders spoke about how diversity issues are becoming more deeply embedded in everything they do, rethinking the academic and student experience. As we continue our work, I welcome your thoughts and feedback about how BHEF can further build our DEI capacities and support members' work in this area. Brian K. Fitzgerald, Ed.D. C EO, Business-Higher Education Forum