Summit Aims To Eradicate Diversity Barriers In Community

Community members are gathering Wednesday to share ideas and develop workplace diversity and inclusion strategies to break down barriers of race, gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation. 

The 2016 Return on Inclusion Summit is taking place October 12, 2016, at the Doubletree Hotel and is expected to bring hundreds of executives, human relations professionals and community leaders together.

The summit will provide participants an opportunity to learn how to bring diversity and inclusion to their circles of influence and empower the business community to apply inclusion principles to foster more innovation and creativity, according to a news release from the ROI planning committee. 

"Our goal with this event is to deepen the conversation about what it means to truly live diversity and inclusion within our organizations and communities.

Research shows that the ROI of inclusive leadership is impressive, leading to increased engagement, innovation, productivity and safety. The challenge is how to truly bring those outcomes to the forefront. That is what we'll be exploring at this event." said Justice Waidner Smith, ONEOK Diversity and Inclusion Program Manager and ROI Chair.

The summit's keynote speaker is Verna Myers, a diversity consultant, who leads the Verna Myers Consulting Group in Baltimore, Maryland.