The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce (NKY Chamber) and St. Elizabeth Healthcare are partnering to host the first IDEA Summit – Building an Inclusive Community: The Business Case for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
The event will be held from 8 a.m. to Noon on Friday, June 10, at the St. Elizabeth Training and Education Center located at 3861 Olympic Blvd. in Erlanger and will address removing barriers to employment, effective talent attraction and retention strategies, the importance of an inclusive workplace culture and building a plan for supplier diversity.
“The NKY Chamber recognizes the importance that diversity, equity and inclusion play in the development of a vibrant business community and robust regional economy. We are very excited to partner with St. Elizabeth and Fifth Third Bank to bring forth this important conversation,” said Brent Cooper, President and CEO of the NKY Chamber. “It is critical to our current and future ability to promote business growth and development.”
The IDEA Summit – which stands for Inclusive Diversity and Equity Advancement – arose from conversations between the NKY Chamber and St. Elizabeth about the need for a large event focused on DEI efforts in Northern Kentucky to serve as an opportunity for the business and healthcare communities to work together to remove barriers for attracting and retaining diverse talent and building welcoming and inclusive workplace cultures.
“As the largest employer in the region, we at St. Elizabeth understand the importance of working together with others in the community, like the NKY Chamber, to lead these crucial conversations that will result in a more welcoming and inclusive NKY Metro,” said Garren Colvin, President and CEO of St. Elizabeth Healthcare and Chair of the NKY Chamber Board of Directors. “Combining efforts allows us to reach and engage a much larger audience, beyond what each organization can do on its own.”
Stephanie A. Smith, Senior Vice President and Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer for Fifth Third Bank, will serve as the keynote speaker, to be followed by a panel discussion about how key stakeholders are working on both the supply and demand side to break down barriers to employment through DEI efforts. Breakout sessions will tackle topics such as multicultural generations in the workplace, cultural competency in customer care, the legalities of hiring second-chance and immigrant workers and building an inclusive organizational culture.
“Fifth Third Bank is excited to support the IDEA Summit as part of our partnership with the NKY Chamber and its DEI efforts,” said Smith. “We believe that building an inclusive business community is fundamental to our region’s ability to grow, attract and retain the diverse talent necessary to be globally competitive.”
Registration for the IDEA Summit is $55 for NKY Chamber members, $70 for future members, and $50 for those with the NKYP Event Pass. More information and registration are available at NKYChamber.com/IDEA.
To learn more about the NKY Chamber’s DEI initiatives, powered by Fifth Third Bank, visit NKYChamber.com or contact Ashleigh DuBois at adubois@nkychamber.com.
To learn more about St. Elizabeth Healthcare’s DEI initiatives and strategies, visit www.stelizabeth.com or contact Alieu Nyassi at Alieu.Nyassi@stelizabeth.com.
Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
