Making change in the community is the impetus of the 2022 Conference on Opportunity, Diversity and Equity, hosted by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. With 15 breakout sessions ranging from inclusion, insensitivity, and building diversity to addressing burnout, “Paving the Way for Equitable Change" is the theme for the fourth annual conference, which will be held at CHI Health Center Omaha Oct. 6.

Providing underrepresented groups, such as BIPOC and LGBTQ people, an inclusive place within the business world, discussions become broader, and goals can be expanded.

“We want to make change in the community, to move forward on what has been promised, and to put into action what we have been working on to improve inclusion, and to help individual contributors or even people new to this space, and who are excited about the work and understand that it’s important,” said Dell Nared, Jr., Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the chamber.

While the Omaha business climate for BIPOC, LGBTQ and women has improved over the years, it can be better.

“We still have work to do, understanding that individuals entering the workplace are always expanding,” Nared said. “But, we need to keep educating ourselves about the changes that are happening, so that we are always creating an inclusive environment.”

The Conference on Opportunity, Diversity and Equity features two keynote speakers – Janet Stovall and Jeff Raikes.

Stovall, the global head of diversity, equity, and inclusion at NeuroLeadership Institute, works with organizations to improve inclusion in the workplace. A noted TED Talk participant, with her presentations attracting more than 2.5 million views, Stovall strives to create a positive work environment, embracing underrepresented employees.

A graduate of Davidson College, she serves on the school’s Board of Trustees, as well as its Commission on Race and Slavery. She also has a master's degree in marketing communications from Georgetown University.

Raikes, a Stanford University graduate, created the Raikes Foundation, along with his wife Tricia, which promotes an inclusive society for young people to reach their potential with the support of others. Raikes, an Ashland, Nebraska, native, is co-owner of the Seattle Mariners baseball team. He also serves on the board for the Raikes School of Computer Sciences and Management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is a former CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle.

The daylong conference is being held in person for only the second time since 2019, because the Covid pandemic moved the conference to virtual participation in 2020 and ’21, Nared said. However, the conference attendance has grown, he said. With 451 people attending the first year, the diversity conference saw an increase to more than 900 participants in 2020, while last year 772 people attended, he said.

Conference organizers believe they’ll reach this year’s maximum of 808 participants at the CHI Health Center Omaha, Nared said.

People have until today, Sept. 30 to register at the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce: https://www.omahachamber.org/theconference/.