Making your workplace more inclusive in 2023? You might consider this Indiana Tech course

“There are a lot of people who have gone through workshops that have given them ‘aha’ moments. We take those ‘aha’ moments and make them applicable.”  

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
Courtesy – Lisa D. Givan is Vice President of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Belonging as well as Senior Diversity Officer at Indiana Tech.
Courtesy – The first L.E.A.D. class that graduated in June consisted entirely of Parkview Health employees.
Courtesy – The first L.E.A.D. class that graduated in June consisted entirely of Parkview Health employees.
Courtesy – The first L.E.A.D. class that graduated in June consisted entirely of Parkview Health employees.
Courtesy – The L.E.A.D. Executive Certificate program is designed to help business managers who want to build inclusivity and equity in their organizations, but don’t know how to make change happen.
Courtesy – L.E.A.D. Executive Certificate program facilitators are, from left, Kevin Bottomley, Ph.D.; Lisa D. Givan; and Angie Fincannon, Ph.D.
Courtesy – Lisa D. Givan is Vice President of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Belonging as well as Senior Diversity Officer at Indiana Tech.

In August, we reported on a new DEI program at Indiana Tech, known as the Leveraging Engagement and Action in Diversity (L.E.A.D.) Executive Certificate. It is an immersive course designed to meet the needs of local business managers who want to build inclusivity and equity in their organizations, but don’t know how to make change happen. 

“There are a lot of people who have gone through workshops that have given them ‘aha’ moments,” says Lisa D. Givan, who designed the course as Indiana Tech’s Vice President of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Belonging. “We take those ‘aha’ moments and make them applicable. This is how you intentionally practice. This is how you shift cultures and transform institutions.”

The first L.E.A.D. class that graduated in June consisted entirely of Parkview Health employees.
The first L.E.A.D. class that graduated in June consisted entirely of Parkview Health employees.

Since L.E.A.D.’s launch, both the program and Givan have earned national recognition from HRO Today, an HR industry association and media company. 

“HRO Today honored L.E.A.D. as a Program of Distinction as part of its 2022 Inclusion Awards recognition,” an Indiana Tech press release says. “In addition, Givan was named a Leader of Distinction during the association’s 2022 DEI Executive of the Year awards.”

Lisa D. Givan is Vice President of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Belonging as well as Senior Diversity Officer at Indiana Tech.
Lisa D. Givan is Vice President of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Belonging as well as Senior Diversity Officer at Indiana Tech.

Registration for the Spring 2023 cohort of L.E.A.D. is now underway. The first two sessions of the six-session cohort are Thursday, Feb. 16, and Friday, Feb. 17.

To learn more and register, visit indianatech.edu/leadcertificate.

Author

Kara Hackett is a Fort Wayne native fascinated by what's next for northeast Indiana how it relates to other up-and-coming places around the world.

After working briefly in New York City and Indianapolis, she moved back to her hometown where she has discovered interesting people, projects, and innovations shaping the future of this place—and has been writing about them ever since. Her work has appeared in The Journal Gazette, Living Fort Wayne, Glo Magazine, FoxNews.com, and The Huffington Post.

In January 2018, Kara helped launch Input Fort Wayne, in partnership with its parent company, Issue Media Group, based in Detroit, Mich., and a coalition of regional sponsors.

Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @karahackett.

Our Partners

AWS Foundation

Solutions journalism takes time, trust, and your support.

Close
Psst. We could use your help today!

Don't miss out!

Everything Fort Wayne, in your inbox every week.

Close the CTA

Already a subscriber? Enter your email to hide this popup in the future.