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Diversity 2020 // Setting the Vision for Diversity within the Legal Profession is a collaborative effort of members of the Tennessee legal community designed to bring attorneys together from across the state to set concrete goals and create actionable plans for increasing the number of diverse lawyers hired, retained, and promoted across business types.
During this day-and-a-half conference, Diversity 2020 will specifically focus on the importance of moving beyond achieving diversity in numbers toward the higher goal of inclusion within the workplace as we work to create actionable plans for increasing the number of diverse attorneys hired, retained, and promoted in Tennessee through keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and working groups.
Everyone is welcome to attend, including hiring partners, managers, organizational diversity and inclusion officers, human resource officers or anyone responsible for recruitment or retention within a firm or organization.
#Diversity2020
Belmont University College of Law
Hispanic Bar Association
Knoxville Bar Association
Lawyers’ Association for Women
Legal Aid of East Tennessee
Legal Aid Society of Middle TN & the Cumberlands
Napier Looby Bar Association
National Bar Association (Ben Jones Chapter)
Stonewall Bar Association
Tennessee Alliance of Black Lawyers
Tennessee Bar Association
Keynote Speakers
Ronald Harris, Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
Ronald’s role at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is to cultivate a corporate culture where diversity and inclusion are aligned with the company’s corporate strategies and values. He provides strategic leadership and counsel for diversity initiatives within the organization, including diversity awareness training, recruitment, cultural competency training, employee development and community outreach.
Ronald has served in various management roles at BlueCross for 30 years, and is also a co-founder of the BlueCross BlueShield Association Diversity Alliance. The Alliance acts as a resource to share best practices and address diversity awareness and community outreach across the country. Ronald frequently serves as an expert speaker at business functions and conferences nationwide on diversity topics that impact the workplace. His presentations address issues such as generational diversity, disability awareness, stereotypes, effective cross-cultural communication, religion in the workplace and the business case for diversity.
Colonel Linda Strite Murnane, United States Air Force, Retired
Colonel Linda Strite Murnane is a research consultant for Lexis Nexis in Miamisburg, Ohio. In her current role she provides assistance to Lexis Nexis clients relating to legal research on a wide range of topics. She also serves as an instructor for Continuing Legal Education courses offered by Lexis Nexis.
Colonel Murnane previously served as the Chief, Court Management Services Section at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in Leidschendam, The Netherlands until her retirement in May 2017. She has participated in training programs as an adjunct faculty member for the Defense Institute of International Legal Studies, training judges, lawyers, and civilian leaders in Liberia, Rwanda, Zambia, Argentina, Latvia, and Papua New Guinea, on a wide range of legal topics.
Colonel Murnane began her career as an Airman Basic, the lowest enlisted grade in the US Air Force, and retired as a colonel in 2004. Her military decorations include the Legion of Merit, and the Meritorious Service Medal with bronze and silver oak leaf cluster.
Friday, March 6
2:00pm | Registration @ Belmont University
3:00pm | Opening Plenary, Diversity & Action Plans (0.75 Dual)
Janice Brown, Brown Law Group
3:45pm | Diverse Student Expectations Entering the Workplace (0.5 Dual)
Elena Ferguson; Lesley Smith, Belmont College of Law
4:15pm | Corporate Panel, In-house Expectations of Diversity (0.75 Dual)
Chris Javillonar, Permobil; Terrence Reed, FedEx
6:00pm | Reception at Marriott Nashville @ Vanderbilt University
7:00pm | Dinner + Keynote Speaker (0.5 Dual)
Ron Harris, Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion, BlueCrossBlueShield of Tennessee
Saturday, March 7
8:00am | Breakfast @ Belmont University
9:00am | Morning Plenary, Setting & Shifting Business Culture, An Overview (1.0 Dual)
Sherri Neal, HCA
10:05am | Breakout I (1.0 Dual)
- Generational Communication & Bias
Kia Jarmon, MEPR Agency
- Recruiting Diverse Attorneys
Mark Baugh, Baker Donelson; Joseph McKinney, St. Jude
- You May Be More Diverse than You Think: Identifying Diversity in Your Organization and Harnessing it to Add Value
Jamaal Boykin, Asurion
11:10am | Breakout II (1.0 Dual)
- Helping Your Diverse Attorneys Navigate Your Organization: Specific Tools for Individual Development
Christy Pruitt-Haynes, Consultant
- Creating Inclusive Workplaces
Beverly Watts, TN Human Rights Commission
- Diversity as a Business Initiative
I'Ashea Myles-Dihigo, Bone McAllester Norton
12:15 pm | Lunch + Keynote Speaker (0.5 Dual)
Colonel Linda Strite Murnane, United States Air Force, Retired
1:30pm | Breakout III (1.0 Dual)
2:35pm | Breakout IV (1.0 Dual)
3:45pm | Closing Plenary, Strategic Plan (1.0 Dual)
Brad Palmertree, Director of Community Impact, Center for Nonprofit Management
4:45pm | Adjourn
