Tag Archives: LGBTQ

Supporting a dozen (actually more) non-profits!

Posted on by

My major philanthropic work in the Kimer-Kamba Center in Kenya

I am a solopreneur diversity and career development consultant and trainer, and 2021 has been my best year ever. I truly believe that when a business succeeds, even a small micro-business like mine, I should give back to the community.

When I went back and looked at my financials, I saw that I contributed to over a dozen various and diverse nonprofits throughout 2021 in addition to continuing to give 5% of my gross billings to my community development work in Mtito Andei, Kenya.

So below is a quick summary of the various non profits I was proud to support in 2021 with links to the organization or a past blog I have published about them. Please do explore the links!

GROUP 1 – LGBTQ+ Diversity. Naturally since one of my core areas of expertise with my training and consulting is LGBTQ+ diversity, several organizations are in this arena
• The advocacy organization EqualityNC which helps assure equity and equality for all LGBTQ+ people in North Carolina
• Gay Sons and Mothers. I have recently been elected to the board of directors of this organization with the mission to collect, curate, celebrate, and preserve narratives that educate, inspire, and bring hope to audiences about the significance of this emotional bond. Earlier this year I published an interview I had with their founder Rick Miller.
• Qnotes, which is the bi-weekly LGBTQ+ printed and online newspaper for the LGBTQ community in North an South Carolina.
• The Trans Justice Funding Project, which I highlight in my 2021 blog about taking action on the Transgender Day of Visibility.
• Naturally the LGBTQIA Center at Georgia Tech, of which I am a proud graduate. FYI I was Georgia Tech’s LGBTQIA alumni of the year in 2018.
• And locally, the LGBT Center of Raleigh.

The North Carolina Councils of Churches brings people to faith to together to address societal wrongs like racism, islamophobia and homophobia

GROUP 2 – Organizations with a focus on racial justice equity
• I continue to provide financial support both personally and through my business to the North Carolina Council of Churches. I have served on their board for two decades and am currently on their racial equity committee
• As a long time figure skating fan and now adult skater myself, the FSDIA – Figure Skating Diversity and Inclusion Alliance.

I applaud and support US Figure Skating’s fund to support figure skaters of color.

• In addition, I have supported US Figure Skating’s Mabel Fairbanks Skatingly Yours Fund, which financially assists and supports the training and development of promising Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) figure skaters with the goal of helping them realize and achieve their maximum athletic potential.
• The Justice Theater Project, (link to my most recent blog about them) whose mission is to produce compelling theater experiences that create community dialogue and give voice to social concerns.

Bridge II Sports provides many opportunities for people of all ages and disabilities to participate in sports

GROUP 3 – Serving people with disabilities
• Bridge II Sports, a wonderful local NC organization that provides adapted sports programs for people with physical disabilities, both youth and adults.
• Theater Breaking Through Barriers, a New York City based theater which produces shows featuring actors with a wide range of disabilities.

GROUP 4 – General philanthropic work. Since I do have clients in the state of Texas, I made donations to emergency food organizations in Houston, San Antonio and Dallas following their February deep freeze and power crisis.

Perhaps you can join me in supporting one or more of these worthy organizations in 2022!

My 2022 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Trainings and Offerings

Posted on by

Doing what I love most on my 64th birthday – teaching a DiversityFIRST certification best practices session in Chicago (2019) prior to attending my 40th MBA class reunion.

This blog has lots of links to explore!

As we head into 2022, I thought it might be good to summarize in one of my blogs my growing portfolio of diversity consulting and training offerings.

Like the previous two years, I will continue to serve as the National Diversity Council’s Vice President of Training, where I facilitate several of their educational and certification offerings as well as serve as a consultant on staff; and I will also offer my services through my own consultancy, Total Engagement Consulting by Kimer.

Please contact me at any time to line me up to work with you in 2022, or with any questions about my National Diversity Council offerings.

My work with the National Diversity Council in 2022 will include:

• Continuing to serve on the faculty of the National Diversity Council’s intensive 5-day  DiversityFIRST™Certification Program, which prepares professionals to create and implement highly successful diversity and inclusion strategies. I will facilitate best practices in inclusive recruiting, diversity councils, employee resources groups and diversity awareness / training. The NDC plans to offer 14 virtual and 2 in-person sessions throughout 2022. You can view all the dates using this link and scrolling down.

• Facilitating our ERG Academy three times in 2022: February 15, May 17 and September 27. The sessions are ideal both for organizations that want to start ERGs and for those who have them and want to make them more effective. The target audience includes ERG leaders, HR teams supporting ERGs, ERG executive sponsors, and ERG members who want to help them grow. We also offer private ERG Academies if you want to engage all your leaders in your own customized session. Check out the ERG Academy page for information and to register using the schedule tab.

• Facilitating two of our half-day DiversityFIRST™ Virtual Suite offerings: “LGBTQ in the Workplace and Marketplace – Strategy and Execution” on May 11th, and “Inclusive Recruiting, the How and the Why” on August 17th. Link to the entire 2022 Suite description page … scroll down by date.

• In addition, continuing to consult with NDC clients on overall diversity strategy, customized DEI training, forming and growing employee resource groups, forming and training diversity councils, and more!

And my own Total Engagement Diversity Services include:

• Wholistic diversity consulting services including engaging your senior leadership, doing a diversity-focused employee survey, building a diversity strategy and DEI strategy and plan execution.

I frequently do workshops on the leading edge topic of gender identity and expression, and use of pronouns

• Customized DEI training that can be delivered in person or via zoom. Training and speaking topics include Introduction to DEI, Unconscious Bias, Diversity in Language and Communications, Inclusive Leadership and more.

• Leading-edge topics in the LGBTQ+ diversity realm including supporting gender transitioning employees in the workplace, supporting non-binary employees and use of pronouns.

• Customized training for your HR teams and managers around mitigating organizational unconscious bias and inclusive recruiting.

Please do get in touch … I look forward to enthusiastically working with you in 2022!