By Emily Evans
The Truth Reporter
The fourth annual DEAI ALLiance Summit conference was held on March 20 at the Delta Marriott. The summit highlighted how DEAI has been victimized recently with fear tactics. The meeting/summit provided insight and encouragement to let people know that they won’t have to go back to the past and can look for strategies to move forward.
The DEAI ALLiance of Northwest Ohio was formed in May 2022 after Toledo’s first annual Diversity Employment Career Fair. The event was largely successful, but the organizers agreed that it was clear that more work was necessary to make Toledo a better, more inclusive place to work and do business.
A committee was created, and meetings were held monthly throughout the year. In 2023, the committee formally named itself the DEAI ALLiance of Northwest Ohio and held its second annual event alongside the Ohio Minority Supplier Diversity Conference. This two-day event included a Supplier Diversity Conference, a career fair, a panel discussion aimed at educating local CEOs on the importance of DEAI initiatives, and breakout sessions for regional DEAI and HR professionals.
After the second annual event, The ALLiance continued meeting, sought formal 501(c)3 status and continued efforts to plan a third annual summit. That summit was held in April 2024.
DEAI is passionate about commitment and proven solutions. The group members work together with the community to provide proven outcomes. What’s next for the group is to help companies in the region. They are a team of masterminds, professionals with collective expertise. They push for corporations and organizations to become members of the DEAI organization so intentional work does not remain stagnant. They best help the community by providing resources and the annual conference helps create a space for education for the community about DEAI practices and workplace fairness, development and equity.
“DEAI is about Humanity, and there is a return on Investment for diversity,” said Felica Clark, president of DEAI alliance of northwest Ohio. “This alliance works with teams who provide strategic plans and memberships so the community, creates a space for education, hiring practices, workforce development , fairness and equity etc.
“They want to be thought of as an educational tool to align themselves, have strategies and to remain mission driven, said Rhonda Sewell one of the founding members of the DEAI alliance.
The alliance desires to encourage the community to stay the course, don’t make everything political since there are always paths forward and use the conferences as an educational tool to help people align themselves with strategy. Stay mission driven and believe in your organizations mission. DEAINOW.Org is the contact information for the group of anyone has any questions or concerns or if you would like to become a member of the organization.
The Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council (OMSDC) is one of 23 affiliates of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), a nonprofit corporate membership organization that advances business opportunities for its certified Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American business enterprises and connects them to its corporate members. One of the country’s leading corporate membership organizations, NMSDC was chartered in 1972 to provide increased procurement and business opportunities for minority businesses of all sizes.
George Simms, president and CEO of the OMSDC, stated: “They wish to achieve economic equity in the state of Ohio. It’s important to partner with the community in a great way with the DEAI and have an impact with minorities in the state of Ohio, contributing to the population at the same percentage to the GED. Giving young people the best opportunities . Plant trees even if you cannot enjoy the fruit but so the generation after you will see the returns on your investments.” The best is yet to come”.
OMSDC shared plans with the DEAI at the summit by improving relationships with minority businesses as well as corporate businesses. The work is for future generations to prosper in business and economic development .