Women's Inter-Cultural Exchange

Join the Women's Inter-Cultural Exchange at our Annual Multicultural Conference and Luncheon, this year in conjunction with the Southern Women's Show and Vision 2020.

The Power of Mentoring
September 19, 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Charlotte Convention Center

Featuring Keynote Speaker, Connie Lindsey, Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Northern Trust, Chicago and National Board President of Girl Scouts of the USA.

In her role at Northern Trust she is responsible for the design and implementation of the global Corporate Social Responsibility strategy for Northern Trust and the development of goals, policies, and programs appropriate to the brand and business unit strategies. In addition, Ms. Lindsey provides oversight and leadership to the firm's response to environmental matters as well as social issues within the marketplace, workplace, and the community.

Click here to view her BIO.

Panel of "Power Women"

Ann Caulkins, President and Publisher of The Charlotte Observer. Prior to joining The Observer in May 2006, Ann served as the first woman president and publisher of The State in Columbia, S.C., earning a reputation as an agent of positive change. Her career includes serving as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at The Herald-Leader in Lexington, KY. Ann started her career with Knight-Ridder at the Fort Worth Star Telegram. She graduated from Baylor University with a bachelor’s degree in Oral Communications. She also attended the Simmons Executive Graduate School Program. Click here to view her BIO.

Patricia Diaz-Dennis, Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel (Retired) at AT&T. Patricia was responsible for AT&T Corporate Litigation, Procurement, Corporate Real Estate, Environmental, Corporate Compliance, IT, Trademark and Copyright legal matters until she retired in November 2008. Before joining AT&T in 1995, Dennis was special counsel to Sullivan & Cromwell for communications matters in the international law firm's Washington, D.C. office. From 1989 to 1991, she was a partner and head of the communications section of the Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue law firm. She holds a law degree from Loyola University of Los Angeles and an undergraduate degree from the University of California at Los Angeles. Click here to view her BIO.

Debra Plousha Moore,  As Executive Vice President and Chief Human Recources Officer, Debra directs the human resources division of Carolinas HealthCare System. Her office oversees recruitment, compensation, benefits, employee relations and employee health, serving more than 48,000 full-time and part-time employees system-wide. Ms. Plousha Moore came to Charlotte from a comparable position at OhioHealth in Columbus, Ohio, where she served for more than seven years. Additionally, she held human resources positions with Genesys Health System in Grand Blanc, Mich., and Franciscan Health System of the Ohio Valley in Ohio. She is a member of the National Association of Health Services Executives and the Society for Human Resource Management. A graduate of San Francisco State University, she earned a master’s degree in education, counseling and human services from the University of Dayton. Click here to view her BIO. Click Here For The Conference Flyer

The Women’s Inter-Cultural Exchange started off 2013 with new Board Chair, Roberta (Bert) Harper. Bert is one of two Vision 2020 National Delegates from North Carolina and has been integral in the WIE-Vision 2020 partnership to continue and expand the Mentoring Across Difference Program. Recently retired from Bank of America, as a Business Support Executive leading the Program Management Office for the Advisory Growth & Development Group, Bert is heavily involved, not only with WIE but the Girl Scouts, Hornets’ Nest Council.

The Board of Directors also welcomes Monique Stamps, the second Vision 2020 National Delegate from North Carolina, and a Peer Advocate at Disability Rights & Resources, and Kavita Gupta, a Community Leader. Recently, Kavita worked as a Senior Vice President for Bank of America after being a Business Development and Client Relationship Management for Perkins & Will.

Thank you to all of our Board Members for your commitment to building trust across race and culture!

Thank you to those of you who joined us last week at the annual WIE Mentoring Across Difference Celebration Luncheon at Johnson C. Smith University. We had a magnificent turn out and I know that all of the participants enjoyed the delicious lunch and the day's events - it was stirring to hear from the Mentees who are participating in the program and learn about the profound impact this program has on their lives.

As you may know, I am an enormous supporter of the Women's Inter-Cultural Exchange and this mentoring program, and am proud of the fact that Fifth Third Bank is a financial sponsor. I know that this is the beginning of an extended relationship between me and WIE's mentoring program.

I am asking each of you today to consider mentoring a young woman through this program next year.

The Mentoring Across Difference Program not only helps shape the lives of young women, but adds enrichment to the lives of the mentors! As a mentor, you will provide these exceptional young women access to your wealth of experience in the workforce and wisdom gathered throughout your life around a wide variety of topics-from the importance of education to how to navigate the working environment-all while perpetuating the mission of WIE, building trust across race and culture.

If you cannot participate as a mentor, I ask you to support the program financially, either as an individual member or as a corporate sponsor. This program makes a difference-the more young ladies' lives we can touch-the greater the impact.

For more information on becoming a mentor (click here for Mentor Application) or becoming a Corporate Sponsor please contact Laura Everett at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit WIE's website at www.wi-ce.org. You can also join or renew your WIE Individual Membership online.

I thank you once again for your belief in this program that builds trust across race and culture in Charlotte and North Carolina!

Click on photo to see all luncheon photos

Sincerely,

Jada Grandy

Senior Vice President, CRA Officer &

Manager of Community Development

Fifth Third Bank

Last month, the Women's Inter-Cultural Exchange officially became one of the newest Regional Allies to Vision 2020. Regional Allies are associations and professional organizations that endorse Vision 2020's mission and agree to participate in the Campaign for Equality.

As a Regional Ally, WIE will receive invitations to Vision 2020 National Congresses and meetings; will be recognized in Vision 2020 promotional materials, including annual feature in Vision 2020's social media and a permanent link on the Vision2020 website to our website; the opportunity to participate in the Vision 2020 Blog, "Equality in Sight," and have our work featured on the Vision 2020 website and social media pages; and the opportunity to connect with the National Delegates and collaborate with other Vision 2020 National Allies.

What a great way to showcase the wonderful work of WIE! For more information and to see all National and Regional Allies visit www.drexel.edu/vision2020/who/partners/.

“An Authentic Conversation Among Men Who Lead”
Featuring Lee Mun Wah

The Champions first community dialogue to strengthen human capital in Charlotte was a huge success that attracted over 50 corporate professionals and educators diverse in gender, race, and ethnicity. What does it mean to Face an Ethnic Charlotte and authentically discuss racial fears embedded in work interactions, education, and public policy, that erodes cross-cultural trust?

The evening dialogue session kicked off with introductory and welcome comments from Nick Wharton, Chair, Champions and host sponsor Dr. Arthur Jackson, Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, respectively. Dr. Patrick Graham, President/ CEO Urban League of Central Carolinas (ULCC) ignited the dialogue with a review of the State of Ethnic Charlotte Study highlighting the intractable ethnic cohort graduation rates of Charlotte Mecklenburg School students and efforts to address job unemployment. In 2011, an encouraging sign of progress was that the ULCC job-training graduates earned $700,000 in salaries and contributed $7.5 million to the tax base of Charlotte. Additionally, in 2012, the ULCC was awarded the Innovator Champion CEO of the Year Award for its cutting edge Fiber Optics/ Broadband Training Program and its first in the nation, Bank of the ULCC by the National Urban League.

Largely in response to the tragic and senseless murder of his mother by an African American man in Berkley, California, our featured speaker, Lee Mun Wah, Founder StirFry Seminars and Consulting, became committed to the arduous work of racial reconciliation in organizations and companies across the United States. Mun Wah dispels the myth that a post-racial America exists and argues that a learned fear of the “diverse other” permeates many aspects of how one lives, works, plays, and also votes in elections, but is rarely openly acknowledged or confronted in polite circles. Through a process Mun Wah terms “Mindful Facilitation” participants were masterfully led through a series of exercises, anecdotal stories, and dialogue to unearth explicit and implicit biases that fuel distrust and conflict. Mun Wah’s disarming and honest facilitation allowed diverse perspectives and fears to be heard with clarity, sincerity and mutual respect. At the conclusion of the three-hour session, participants departed rejuvenated and hopeful with new insights into race, gender, class and privilege, and an urgency to interrupt mental scripts that interfere with personal accountability to communicate honestly across difference.

We thank all the participants and program sponsors: Urban League of Central Carolinas, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte Latin School, Charlotte Country Day, and the Delhaize Group. Stay tuned for our next event! Be sure to vote!

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