Blog

Back to Our Blog

2022 D&I Symposium: Meet Natalia Rice, Featured Speaker

Blog Categories

April 11, 2022

The BNP is pleased to welcome Natalia Rice, Chief Equity Officer, New View Alliance as a featured speaker at our 2022 D&I Symposium: DEI at Work.

We will be helping you get to know each presenter, panelist, and moderator in the weeks ahead, leading up to the 5th Annual D&I Symposium on June 16th – get your tickets here.

Presentation Highlights (what can the audience expect to learn or take away?):

The term tokenism appears frequently across the DEI space, but what is it, really? Why are token gestures so harmful?

This session will cover the differences between tokenism and inclusive diversity, as well as dispel common misconceptions around what tokenism is. We will examine ways to ensure that DEI is not defined by performative gestures and quotas, but rather by intentional action and transformative change.

Takeaways:

A deeper understanding of tokenism, as well as the differences between tokenism and inclusive diversity
Real-life examples of tokenism in the workplace
The “why” for prioritizing impact over percentages
The harm and consequences of tokenism and token gestures
Action steps to overcome tokenism and “check-the-box” approaches in order to achieve real equity and develop an intentionally inclusive culture

2022 D&I Symposium Speaking Topic: Beyond Tokenism: Quotas Don't Automate Inclusion

Creating a diverse culture is not as easy as ensuring your workforce meets a quota of diverse employees.

How do you ensure that your hiring practices go beyond tokenism and are truly inclusive?

This session will examine ways to make sure inclusion is not mere gestures and looks at impact over percentages.

Presenter:

Natalia Rice, Chief Equity Officer – New View Alliance

Advanced level

Learn more about Natalia and her topic, Beyond Tokenism in this video.

D&I Resources, Recommendations, & Inspiration

Book: The Diversity Gap: Where Good Intentions Meet True Cultural Change by Bethaney B. Wilkinson

Other Media (podcast, show, social, publication): The Pink Elephant Newsletter (Janice Gassam Asare, Ph.D.)

Advice for someone starting, or continuing, on their D&I journey:

“Don’t try to boil the ocean.” DEI is absolutely a journey – there are layers upon layers of structural inequities that we need to identify and address, but it will not be sustainable for one individual to try to take it all on at once. Prioritizing intentional, thoughtful action over check-the-box approaches is key to ensuring sustainability and transformational change.

More About You

Short Bio:

Natalia Rice is a certified DEI practitioner and Chief Equity Officer for New View Alliance, the parent company of Gateway Longview and New Directions Youth and Family Services. The Buffalo, NY native is a member of the Western New York Regional Youth Justice Team, as well as a Racial Equity Impact Analysis Coach. She has previously served as a representative on Syracuse University’s Council on Diversity & Inclusion, worked as an Implicit Bias Peer Educator, and served as a DEI Ambassador while working in the field of re-entry employment services.

In 2021, Natalia was recognized as a Changemakers 30 Under 30 Honoree for her work in the realm of DEI. She is committed to transcending the performative to achieve intersectional equity, transformative justice, and antiracism at the macro-level. Her research interests include race-related stress and trauma, restorative practices, and social identity formation.

Link to full bio or LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliaroserice

Attend the 2022 D&I Symposium

Our 5th Annual Diversity & Inclusion Symposium will feature national experts on D&I sharing their knowledge on subjects such as building an inclusive culture, and the best practices, cultural assessments, and dimensions of diversity.

KEYNOTE: Melissa Donaldson, Chief Diversity Officer, Wintrust.

This event will feature workshops and break-out sessions with actionable next steps for attendees to take away.