The systemic and structural inequalities that undergird the United States have become impossible to ignore over the last year. Businesses, aspiring to be good corporate citizens can’t ignore its crucial role in addressing crises involving racial, national origin, gender and age disparities in the workplace and in the communities in which they operate. Now more than ever, DE&I is in the spotlight and on the front lines of what may be transformational or tragic outcomes in the workplace.

In this training you will learn about the intersectionality of EEO laws and DE&I and how it impacts the Promise, Possibilities and Potential Pitfalls in the workplace.  We will discuss, how to talk about equity, and share best practices, recommendations and resources for successfully promoting equity in the workplace.

Jamie R. Williamson became the District Director of the Philadelphia office of the   Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in December of 2017. She is an experienced agency leader with a significant history of improving and transforming organizations.  Ms. Williamson was appointed by former Governor Deval Patrick to the Massachusetts Commission Against Dis­crim­ination (MCAD) in 2010 and became its Chair in 2014.  She served in that position until accepting the appointment as the EEOC's Philadelphia District Director. Prior to joining the MCAD, she was the exec­utive director of the Massa­chu­setts Fair Housing Center, a private non-profit fair housing organ­ization serving central and western Massachusetts. In 2005, she was appointed by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts to serve on the state's Access to Justice Commission. That commission was created by the Supreme Court to provide leadership, vision, and coordination in assuring access to civil justice for families and individuals in the Commonwealth. She is the Co-Founder of the Northeast Civil Rights & Fair Housing Conference.

Ms. Williamson has lectured and conducted seminars on fair housing, employment law and civil rights enforcement to public and private housing organizations, real estate agents, chambers of commerce, attorneys and government officials. She was a frequent guest lecturer at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Smith College and Western New England School of Law.  In 1995, Ms. Williamson became the first African American woman to serve on the Pittsfield City Council and the first African American to serve at-large. Over the years, she has served on the boards of several community and charitable organizations including the Red Cross, the Berkshire Medical Center, the Rotary and the Norman Rockwell Museum. She is a graduate of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.