Shape the Future: Inclusive Leaders Summit 2024 | Uplifting Impact | 5 March 2024 | The Arts Hotel, Milwaukee, WI, 139 E Kilbourn Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202

Join us for an inspiring 2-day In-Person Summit as we gather to explore innovative strategies and cutting-edge tools that will empower Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Leaders to shape the future. By attending this Summit, you will develop a future-forward mindset, while building strong connections with other like-minded professionals in the field. Our highly-interactive sessions, led by esteemed industry experts, delve into five essential areas that are crucial to the success of DEI initiatives.

DEI leaders currently face the following challenges in their work:

• Lack of Time: Given that 59% of respondents cited this as a barrier, DEI leaders often don’t have sufficient time dedicated to DEI initiatives and managing their workload.
Insufficient Resources: DEI work is often under-resourced, both financially and in terms of human capital, as highlighted by 43% of respondents.
• Creating a Unified Strategy: About 38% of DEI leaders struggle to develop a comprehensive plan that aligns all aspects of an organization’s DEI efforts.
• Lack of Data: In order to make informed and effective decisions, DEI leaders need access to adequate data points. However, 34% reported a lack of such data.
• Lack of Leadership Support: Even the most dedicated DEI leaders can struggle without the backing of organization leaders. This was cited as a challenge by 29% of respondents.
• Diversity Fatigue: This term describes the stress associated with efforts to diversify the workforce. Managers and employees may become overwhelmed with the ongoing efforts to recruit and retain diverse talent, which can lead to burnout.
• High Turnover: According to a study by Russell Reynolds, about 60% of diversity officers in S&P 500 companies moved on from their positions between 2018 and 2021, indicating a high turnover rate.

As for the non-paid volunteer level within these organizations, similar or even magnified challenges exist. Volunteers, lacking financial compensation, can be even more prone to lack of time devoted specifically to DEI, greater resource scarcity, and severe diversity fatigue, which may lead to lower persistence and higher turnover rates.