Inclusive Impact Conference

Inclusive Impact Conference Description

While the threat of anti-DEI legislation and the weaponization of DEI floods our headlines, DEI practitioners, change agents and those empowered to speak from within the margins are ready and activated to decenter fear and continue creating more diverse, equitable and inclusive environments.

How do we reframe DEI that centers allyship, solidarity and opportunities to empower our communities? How do we flip divisive narratives, reclaim spaces and unite for strategic alignment? How do we offer an urgent support of "I see you. I feel you. I get you." for those that continue to do this important work?

The Inclusive Campus Initiative, under the Office of the Senior Vice President for Student Life & Engagement, serves as the executive sponsor for the Inclusive Impact Conference. This conference offers a space for DEI practitioners at Michigan State University (MSU) to join forces working towards advancing DEI education while proactively preparing for an uncertain future. The conference will transcend MSU’s boundaries fostering partnerships, sharing knowledge and co-developing solutions with colleagues across Michigan and beyond.

Highlights

Reception with Tim Wise, July 10 (5-6 p.m.), Centennial Room, Kellogg.

Tim Wise, Kick-Off Speaker, July 10 (6-7 p.m.), Kellogg Auditorium

Tim Wise is one of the country's leading anti-racist authors and educators. He has spent the past 25 years speaking to audiences in all 50 states, on over 1500 college and high school campuses, at hundreds of professional and academic conferences, and to community groups across the country.

Wise is the author of nine books, including his latest, Dispatches from the Race War (City Lights Books). Other books include Under the Affluence, Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority and Colorblind (all from City Lights Books); his highly-acclaimed memoir, White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son, (recently updated and re-released by Soft Skull Press); Affirmative Action: Racial Preference in Black and White; Speaking Treason Fluently: Anti-Racist Reflections From an Angry White Male; and Between Barack and a Hard Place: Racism and White Denial in the Age of Obama.

Melissa Isaac, Opening Speaker, July 11 (9:15 a.m.) Big 10 BC

Melissa Isaac, a proud member of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan and belongs to the sturgeon clan, is an esteemed educator and advocate for Indigenous education. Her academic journey includes earning an Associate of Arts Degree in Elementary Education from Mid-Michigan Community College, a Bachelor of Science in Education from Central Michigan University, and a Master of Science in Administration with a concentration in Leadership, also from Central Michigan University. She is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the same institution, Melissa's commitment to learning and leadership is unparalleled.

In her role as Gizhwaasod: Protector of the Young at the Michigan Department of Education’s Indigenous Education Initiative, Melissa works tirelessly to empower tribal communities through education. As the founder of Edukwe Consulting, she extends her expertise to strengthen tribal nation building. Melissa's dedication to education and student welfare was recognized when she was appointed to Governor Whitmer’s Return to Learn Advisory Council in 2020 and later named to the Student Recovery Advisory Council in 2021 to address the challenges posed by the pandemic. Her outstanding contributions to youth mental health awareness were further acknowledged with a site visit from First Lady Dr. Jill Biden in 2021 and invitations to special events at the White House, including the State of the Union Address and the Native American Heritage Month Celebration in 2022.

Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Closing Speaker, July 11 (3:15 p.m.) Big 10 BC

Khalil Gibran Muhammad is the Ford Foundation Professor of History, Race and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. He directs the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project and is the former Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a division of the New York Public Library and the world’s leading library and archive of global black history. Before leading the Schomburg Center, Khalil was an associate professor at Indiana University.

Khalil is an award-winning teacher at Harvard and has received numerous honors for his commitment to public engagement, including BPI Chicago’s Champion of the Public Interest Award (2018), The Fortune Society’s Game Changer Award (2017), Ebony Power 100 (2013), The Root 100 of Black Influencers (2012-2014), and Crain’s New York Business magazine 40 under 40 (2011).

Registration

Cost for non-MSU professional is $75.00 until June 16th at Midnight. After June 16, the cost is $115.00.

Registration covers opening reception and kick-off speaker, Tim Wise (July 10) with Breakfast Buffet, Lunch and dynamic speakers, breakout sessions and more (July 11).

Michigan State University (msu.edu)

Hotel Block

Reserve a hotel room at conference venue.

Kellogg Center Home Page | Kellogg Center

Address: 219 S. Harrison Road, East Lansing, MI 48824

Front Desk: 517-432-4000 | Reservations: 800-875-5090

Hotel Block 2407DIVISI

For general conference questions, contact Meaghan Kozar.

Email kozarmea@msu.edu | mobile 517-449-9148.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Broad College of Business, Chicano/Latino Studies, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College of Human Medicine, College of Natural Science, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Department of History, Department of Police & Public Safety, Graduate School, International Studies & Programs, Native American Institute, Office for Civil Rights and Title IX Education and Compliance, Office of the Provost, Office of Undergraduate Education and University Health & Wellbeing.