2020 Northeast Cannabis Business Conference

KEYNOTE: Reimagining Diversity & Inclusion: A Pathway to Courageous Conversations (Room Veterans Memorial Auditorium)

19 Feb 20
10:15 AM - 11:30 AM

Tracks: Cannabis in the Northeast, Lightning Lesson, Regulations and Business Services, Seed to Sale, The Institutional Capital Forum

Has anyone ever calculated the total cost of a lack of diversity in the workplace? Derreck tackles the subject head-on by sharing how his organization found itself grappling with the issue. He takes his audience through an examination of how diversity and inclusion problems impact your corporate bottom line. From long-term harm to your brand and weakened stock prices to negative perceptions within the community, Derreck reveals the potential savings that come about when employees understand the cost of no diversity and the value of their fellow employees. He illustrates with eye-opening examples, how our upbringing and unconscious biases can become a net negative to organizational growth and have a negative impact on the bottom-line. The end goal of Derreck’s presentation is to birth into the bloodstream of the company’s culture what he calls a “Corporate Moral Aptitude,” an intriguing notion similar to Emotional Intelligence, but for corporations around cultural biases within the market place. 

A native of Uganda and former refugee who worked his way up to become a CEO of a major American cultural institution, Derreck has a great and noble story to tell about diversity and inclusion from an outsider’s perspective that you don’t want to miss. From executives to rank-and-file employees, audiences will walk away, inspired and positioned for success in today’s multicultural workplace.