Our January 12 webinar, “Diversity, What’s in It for Me?,” will look at opportunities for promoting greater diversity in today’s engineering workplace. This year’s social and political landscape has shifted diversity and inclusion from a "nice to do" to a "must do" for many companies. The changing demographics of our communities, socio-economic trends and an increase in racial justice discussions have created a heightened sense of interest and desire to impact change. As a result, companies everywhere are being challenged to speak out on inequity, incorporate inclusivity into their workforce and ramp up their impact on surrounding communities.
 
During our time together, we will discuss what diversity and inclusion mean in your workplace, industry and how you can show up as a more inclusive person in the world around you. We will review some of the compelling data and trends about the benefits of building an inclusive work culture and discuss unconscious bias, potential blind spots and their contribution to discord in work relationships. By the end of our discussion, you will walk away with the tools to cultivate an inclusive culture that celebrates and leverages diversity to propel innovation.

The webinar discussion will be led by Kenya Jacobs, Director of Diversity Recruiting & Workforce Development at Trane. Kenya serves as leader of Trane Technologies’ diversity recruiting and workforce development efforts to cultivate a workforce that is inclusive and provides opportunity for all. Kenya also leads Trane's external partnerships with diverse professional organizations including the National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers. Through these strategic partnerships, Trane generates opportunities to hire diverse engineers into the company and serve as a catalyst for positive STEM experiences for young children and teens.

Kenya holds a Masters in Instructional Technology from the University of Houston – Clear Lake and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Spelman College. She is actively pursuing her MBA from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. She is an active member of the Black Employee Network where she leads the career development steering committee.

Planning the January webinar are members of our Women in ASHRAE (WIA) group. All proceeds collected will be donated to an organization that furthers diversity in engineering (to be announced). We hope you will join us. This webinar will qualify for at least 1 PDH. Online registration is now open. Your registration will be confirmed via email that will furnish a link for entry into the January 12 Diversity webinar.