Dr. Nikki Lanier

Nikki Lanier has been regarded by many as the "HR Transformation Queen". In her talk, she will detail the successful transformation of two public-sector HR departments into strategic business partners. By creating a cross-functional team of internal consultants, promulgating a strong sense of role clarity and guiding principles, aligning stakeholders around common strategic goals, and inviting media and public scrutiny, the two HR departments — The State of Kentucky and Maricopa Community Colleges — have moved from antiquated HR organizations into ones where innovation, transformation, cultural challenge and modernization are key hallmarks. Nikki will discuss the importance of transformation WITHIN HR as the foundation of accelerated transformation THROUGH HR in her engaging presentation entitled: Transforming HR by Any Means Necessary. 

When it comes to work, maybe even life, does "equal" have to mean "same?”  Let me clarify the plight that I see for women: For years we have sought equality in the form of “same treatment,” perhaps to the detriment of the progress we actually want. 

The truth is, we are not the same. Sameness suggests uniformity, it suggests a resigned expectation of identical needs, wants and expectations–in the name of equality. In order to be treated as equals in the workplace and at home, we don’t all need to burn bras to be treated as equals. Nor do we all even need to work outside of our homes to be treated equally. We don’t all need to climb the corporate ladder in the name of equality or have bank accounts separate from our spouses. Chasing the dream of “having it all” doesn’t help us move towards gender equality either. 

We are getting better at this but we have a ways to go, especially in the intentional and unapologetic uplifting of other women. Join me as I explore some positive ways that we can work towards equality, while we explore ways we are unique and the importance of that.

The browning of the working-class world, by 2045, will require the bold and unprecedented ascension of people of color into the middle class and beyond. This “fix” happens at work. This conundrum transcends the “right thing to do” argument of the past, and requires our demonstrative correction of the lingering impact of difference equating to deficit.

Racism is one of the most significant economic issues we face today and therefore must be addressed in every system, structure, and organization where it thrives

DEI is “belief” disrupting work. It first requires a thorough understanding of your already held individual, corporate, and communal beliefs about “different” people. Second, you must choose to presume, for all people who are different from you, the fullness of their humanity. This must include all of the rights and privileges that are attached to that designation, as a matter of fact, on every occasion and in every instance, without condition or caveat. This work is unprecedented. This has never described the human condition, in any setting, to include the workplace.