{"id":89,"date":"2018-11-20T19:12:50","date_gmt":"2018-11-20T19:12:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nationaldiversityconference.com\/2019\/?page_id=89"},"modified":"2024-03-13T11:33:04","modified_gmt":"2024-03-13T16:33:04","slug":"founders-welcome","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/nationaldiversityconference.com\/2024\/about\/founders-welcome\/","title":{"rendered":"Founder&#8217;s Welcome"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\n#main-content {\n    background:#f7f7f7 !important;\n}\n.banner-ad-divi {\n    display: none;\n}\n.entry-title {\n    text-align:center !important;\n}\np > a:hover {\n    color: #ad1652 !important;\n}\nfieldset {\n    border: 1px dotted #333;\n    padding: 25px;\n    color: #303030;\n    line-height: 1.9;\n    font-weight: 400;\n    margin-top: 25px;\n}<\/p>\n<p>fieldset a:visited {\n    color: #455c7c;\n    text-decoration: none;\n}<\/p>\n<p>fieldset a:link {\n    color: #455c7c;\n    text-decoration: none;\n}<\/p>\n<p>fieldset a:hover {\n    color: #ad1652;\n    text-decoration: none;\n}\nlegend {\n    color: #333;\n    font-size: 1.1em;\n    font-weight: 600;\n}\nsup {\n    font-size: 0.7em;\n}\n<\/style>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/2021\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/dennis-obama.jpg\" title=\"President Barack Obama and Dennis Kennedy\" alt=\"President Barack Obama and Dennis Kennedy\" style=\"margin-bottom:15px;\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height:1.9;\"><!--<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/ndccdn.net\/sites\/nationaldiversityconference\/2019\/assets\/images\/dennis-kennedy-300x452.jpg\" style=\"float:right; margin: 0px 0px 25px 25px;\">-->Greetings,<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height:1.9;\">It is my privilege to welcome you to the 20th Annual National Diversity &amp; Leadership Conference &#8211; NDLC. This year\u2019s theme is <em>\u201cDiversity First.\u201d<\/em> The pre-conference will <!--take place--> include the <b><u><a href=\"http:\/\/nationaltrainingweek.org\/2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">National DEI Training Week<\/a><\/u><\/b> from March 18-21, with the full conference taking place on April 15-19.<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height:1.9;\">Building on the success of our past conference featuring former CEO of Hewlett Packard (HP) Enterprise Carly Fiorina, Actor Tony Plana, and Political Commentator Donna Brazile,former President Barack Obama, our four-day conference will include some amazing speakers. In addition, leading professionals will spearhead break-out sessions and training workshops that cover a wide range of topics and industries.<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height:1.9;\">Since the inception of the conference, we have made great strides in advocating for inclusivity in the workplace. The annual conference is the largest DEIB conference in the United States, with over 3,500 at our last in-person conference in 2019 and over 1,000 attendees at each of our virtual conferences in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. For 2024, we are expecting attendance to reach over 2,000. Our goal continues to be providing companies and professionals with the tools and resources necessary to remain competitive in a global economy. My hope is that this conference empowers attendees to share valuable resources and best practices in DEIB and leadership with their organizations, coworkers, managers, and senior leaders.<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height:1.9;\">In closing, I want to say a big \u201cTHANK YOU\u201d to our sponsors for their continued support. I also want to acknowledge our speakers, panelists, volunteers, and organizers who have worked diligently to bring our 2024 Conference to fruition. Without you all it wouldn\u2019t be possible. We hope to leave a lasting impact on both companies and professionals, as we continuously strive for a truly inclusive society.<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height:1.9;\">\n    Sincerely,<br \/>\n    Dennis Kennedy<br \/>\n    <em>Founder &amp; Chairman<br \/>\n    Diversity &#038; Leadership<\/em><br \/>\n    <a href=\"mailto:dennis.kennedy@denniskennedy.org\">dennis.kennedy@denniskennedy.org<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.denniskennedy.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Meet Dennis Kennedy<\/a><\/p>\n<fieldset>\n<legend>Articles on Dennis Kennedy:<\/legend>\n<p>    <ul>\n    <!--<li><a href=\"https:\/\/oilwomanmagazine.com\/article\/dennis-kennedy-founder-energy-diversity-inclusion-council\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dennis Kennedy, Founder, Energy Diversity &amp; Inclusion Council<\/a><\/li>-->\n    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/rebeccaponton\/2020\/06\/17\/new-energy-diversity-and-inclusion-council-launches\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In His Quest For Social Justice, Dennis Kennedy Launches New Energy Diversity Council<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/authority-magazine\/dennis-kennedy-founder-of-the-national-diversity-council-if-i-could-inspire-a-movement-it-would-39795bb7d330\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dennis Kennedy Founder of the National Diversity Council: \u201cIf I could inspire a movement, it would definitely be providing more opportunities for youth in inner cities to reach their full potential, while focusing on education reform.\u201d<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/news\/politics\/2019\/04\/12\/barack-obama-touts-tolerance-inclusion-texas-barbecue-at-dallas-diversity-conference\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Barack Obama Touts Tolerance, Inclusion, Texas Barbecue at Dallas Diversity Conference<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/dallasinnovates.com\/the-recipe-to-individual-success-barack-obama-says-innovation-hard-work-and-resilience\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Recipe to Individual Success? Barack Obama says Innovation, Hard Work, and Resilience<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/server.ndcmail.org\/dennisarticles\/southwest-embracing-diversity.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embracing Diversity - Southwest Airlines Supports Inclusion and Equality at Every Level.<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"http:\/\/money.usnews.com\/money\/careers\/slideshows\/how-to-leverage-generational-diversity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How to Leverage Generational Diversity<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"http:\/\/newscenter.berkeley.edu\/2012\/02\/03\/diversity-conference\/\" target=\"_blank\">&#39;Justice Will Prevail,&#39; Chancellor Tells Campus Diversity Conference<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"http:\/\/news.rice.edu\/2008\/05\/09\/hispaniclatino-summit-to-address-pressing-social-issues\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hispanic\/Latino Summit to Address Pressing Social Issues<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationaldiversitycouncil.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/LifetimeAchiev.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dennis Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationaldiversitycouncil.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/ColinPowell.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dennis Kennedy Meets Colin Powell, 2007<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.denniskennedy.org\/v1.0\/docs\/DiversityFirstScholarship.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dennis Kennedy Gives $20,000 To Fund College Scholarships<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"http:\/\/sanantonio.bizjournals.com\/sanantonio\/stories\/2004\/03\/08\/story4.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Diversity Awareness Council Formed by Professor at UTSA<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"http:\/\/server.ndcmail.org\/dennisarticles\/LearningCurve.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Learning Curve<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/232814-athletic-star-who-could-not-read-speaker-at-youth-program\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Speaker at Youth Program<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/denniskennedy.org\/photo-gallery.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dennis Kennedy's Photo Gallery<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><br \/>\n<\/fieldset>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Greetings, It is my privilege to welcome you to the 20th Annual National Diversity &amp; Leadership Conference &#8211; NDLC. This year\u2019s theme is \u201cDiversity First.\u201d The pre-conference will include the National DEI Training Week from March 18-21, with the full conference taking place on April 15-19. Building on the success of our past conference featuring [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":87,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/nationaldiversityconference.com\/2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/89"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/nationaldiversityconference.com\/2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/nationaldiversityconference.com\/2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nationaldiversityconference.com\/2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nationaldiversityconference.com\/2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89"}],"version-history":[{"count":57,"href":"http:\/\/nationaldiversityconference.com\/2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/89\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6447,"href":"http:\/\/nationaldiversityconference.com\/2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/89\/revisions\/6447"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nationaldiversityconference.com\/2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/87"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/nationaldiversityconference.com\/2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}