Connect & Collaborate
WDN Welcomes
We are a leading non-profit (501c3) dedicated to advancing the diversity, equity, and inclusion goals of our corporate, nonprofit and government members by providing high quality professional training programs and networking services.
The 2025 Program Calendar Dates and
Fees are Below
Announcements
The 2025 Programming Calendar
WDN's programming calendar is being finalized. and will be published in early January.
The 2025 programming topics are determined by the current membership's interests and needs, obtained through the regular assessment and interest survey/process.
Our goal is to create a standard for professional development and networking among our members, thus helping to enable positive impact regarding employee productivity, innovation, profitability, and services within the Rochester region.
The 2025 annual membership rates:
Nonprofit organizations: $925
Corporations: $1,700
For Membership Benefits: Click Here
**WDN memberships allow DEI and Human Resource managers to extend invitations and networking opportunities to other managers, members of employee resource groups, and stakeholders within their organization, thus also enhancing networking and professional development from within.
Dates for the 2025 calendar are listed below in the blue section.
The WDN 2025 Programming Dates
2025 Calendar
Mark Your *Calendars
January 23
February 20
March 20
April 17
May 15
June 26
August 21
September 18
October 16
November 20
December 18
*Locations will be announced internally among members.
Testimonials - 2023- 2024
"I really enjoy the presentations at WDN. They bring in DEI practitioners that are doing the work and share best practices that we can take back to our organization. By learning and sharing it allows me to adopt some of the practices to create a more inclusive, diverse and equitable workplace where everyone can thrive! "
Ebony Burgess
Deputy Director, Monroe County Department of Diversity; County of Monroe
Comments made from other anonymous evaluations during the Fall 2023 season:
"I loved the fact that we had case studies and was able to work together to resolve some of the challenges."
"Hearing about community initiatives; discussion about relevance to workforce."
"I want to implement this training in our leadership program so that employees can be trained that they have the power to interrupt inappropriate conversations."
"The practical application of the concepts taught."
"The fact that [there were] shared resources and showed us how we could do the same training in our workplace."
The 2024 Programming Calendar: A Sample of WDN Programs
WDN’s twelve (monthly) professional development and networking meetings are open to specialists and professionals in the fields of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Human Resources - whether full-time staff, Employee Resource group members, organizational champions, or stakeholders from each member organization.
- All programs are hybrid; in-person attendance is strongly encouraged.
- Programs are held from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (8:15 am. check-in)
- Membership allows access to the full range of member benefits including free job postings on the WDN website.
Sponsored in part by:
Wegmans
and Regional Transit Service
For Membership Inquiries,
Contact: ExecDirectorWDN@gmail.com
Or
Call : 585-734-6495
WDN's Complete Calendar of Professional Development - 2024
Spring Season
(January - June 2024)
January 18
Effective DEI Goal-Setting: Plan with the End in Mind
Location: Regional Transit Service; 1372 East Main Street, NY 14609
Panel:
Pamela Ayers; Sr. Director; Grants Management; Empreinte Consulting LLC
Marrlee Burgess; Higher Education Consultant
Dr. Laurie Clayton; Higher Education Assessment Consultant
Gregory T. French; Learning and Development Consultant
Program Description: Providing credibility in the working world of DEI is often challenged with the difficulty of demonstrating positive impact. This program is focused on (1) (re-)introducing simple and basic concepts that help professionals exhibit significant impact, and (2) examining ways to communicate it effectively. The panel of experts in assessment and program review will help participants envision at least one goal that they wish to both accomplish and demonstrate in the new year, and help them develop plans to define/ demonstrate impact in the upcoming year, 2024.
**Members are asked to bring 1-2 goals or outcomes for which they would like to demonstrate impact during their 2024 calendar year, and invite 1-2 stakeholders or champions from their organization.
February 15
Investing in Internships: Your organization and the
DEI profession
Location: The United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes; 75 College Ave, Rochester, NY 14607 (The Rochester Room)
Panel:
Kathleen Cramer, Career Development and Internship Specialist; SUNY Brockport
Dale Leyburn, Director of Internships; Nazareth University
Maria Richart, Director of Career Services and Cooperative Education; RIT
Karlee Robb, former intern; currently enrolled at Nazareth University
Program Description: Exploring the implementation and usefulness of internships in their workplace has been identified as an interest of WDN members -one that is admirable to not only provide work support, but to mentor a new generation of DEI and Human Resource professionals. However, starting an intern process is not always easy to implement. The panel of internship professionals from local university - and past interns - will help participants (1) identify the critical factors that suggest a viable internship experience; (2) operational aspects (pitfalls and strategic advantages) of implementing the internship; (3) methods of enhancing the learning outcomes for both the organization and the intern’s professional development.
March 21
Circle Up: A Restorative Approach to Diversity and
Inclusion in the Workplace
Location: Regional Transit Service: 1372 E Main St, Rochester, NY 14609
Presenter:
Jazzmyn Ivery-Robinson, Assistant Director, Community & Belonging; RIT
Program Description: Conflict is a natural occurrence in interpersonal relationships and individuals differ in how they solve problems and manage conflicts. With their versatility and flexibility, circles can be customized to address the communication issues within your organization. This program will:
- Provide an overview of what a circle is
- How to prepare, set intentions, invite participants
- Gain an understanding of the four stages of a circle’s life
- How to measure circle success
April 18
‘Returnship’ Programs for Women
Location: The United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes; 75 College Ave, Rochester, NY 14607 (The Rochester Room)
Presenter:
Malar Hirudayaraj, Director of AdvanceRIT and Associate Professor; Management, Saunders College of Business; RIT
Program Description: At a time when businesses and organizations struggle to attract and retain employees, one of the major untapped pools of candidates includes women who are ready and willing to return to the workforce. Leaders and mangers can often harness this talent pool with simple and effective reshaping of the organization’s culture, services, and structure so as to accommodate not only women’s successful transition, but their potential for advancement to the benefit of the organization and its effectiveness.
This program will help participants begin to: (1) think outside of the box - to explore recruitment of women who wish to return to the workforce; (2) consider equitable adaptations to the workplace and job descriptions; and (3) consider ways to help retain women for consistency and leadership development.
May 16
Invisible Disabilities: The Challenges You Can’t Always See
Location: Regional Transit Service: 1372 E Main St, Rochester, NY 14609
Presenters:
Ebony Burgess, Deputy Director, Monroe County Department of Diversity; County of Monroe
Jennifer Geiger, Business Relations Representative at the ACCES-VR Rochester District Office; NYS Education Department
Program Description: This program is designed to educate and raise awareness about the various types of disabilities that are not immediately apparent to others. This includes conditions such as chronic pain, anxiety, depression, ADHD, and more. Through this program, participants will learn about the challenges and barriers that individuals with invisible disabilities face in their daily lives.
The training will cover topics such as understanding invisible disabilities, recognizing and supporting individuals with these conditions, promoting inclusivity and accessibility, and creating a supportive environment for those with invisible disabilities. Participants will also learn practical strategies for accommodating individuals with invisible disabilities in various settings, including the workplace, schools, and public spaces.
WDN's Three Part Summer Series
Simple Designs for Diversity Dialogue in the Workplace.
It is the goal that this series will:
(1) allow a deeper dive into the advantages and challenges of creating programs within your organization - and also
(2) build interpersonal connections with each other as regional professionals.
NOTE:
-Each program can be attended as a stand-alone program with its own goals,
-However, the learnings for this series will be maximized if participants attend all three.
-In-person attendance strongly encouraged to maximize small group interaction.
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The 2024 Summer Series: Simple Designs for Diversity Dialogue in the Workplace
June 20 - Part 1 of a three-part series:
Simple Designs for Diversity Dialogue in the Workplace:
Creating Programs or a Series based on Books, Print materials, and/or Videos
Location: The United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes; 75 College Ave, Rochester, NY 14607 (The Rochester Room).
Co-Presenter/Facilitators:
Jonathan Ntheketha, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Director/Title IX Coordinator; The Harley School
Dr. Michael D'Arcangelo, Executive Director; Workforce Diversity Network
Program Description:
How can we encourage safe places and constructive DEI experiences in the workplace? Fostering meaningful and safe dialogue is a critical component to help develop both knowledge and empathy, and can be even more so in the workplace.
This program will explore the logistical and educational values of creating dialogue programs within organizations focusing on book reading opportunities and/or video/film series in the workplace.
June 27 - Part 2 of a three-part series:
Dialogues in Diversity
Part 2 of a three-part series:
**WDN's Networking Program for Fall of 2024
Program Description:
This program is an on-going opportunity through September 30, 2024, for members to experience a dialogue series of their own, where they connect with other WDN members.
Dialogues in Diversity will:
The program will
(1) Match WDN members in pairs, triads, and other groupings to meet and dialogue about their personal diversity identities, journeys and experiences as professionals then re-match them approximately every 2-3 weeks, throughout the summer and early fall.
(Meetings may be virtual or in-person).
(2) Provide dialogue questions that will be distributed for each session.
Ask that paired members in each session create dialogue questions for the next session, according to the criteria provided to them in each session, always within the parameters of promoting safe dialogue
August 15 - Part 3 of a three-part series:
Simple Designs for Diversity Dialogue in the Workplace:
Creating Partner Dialogue Programs in the Workplace
Location: The United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes; 75 College Ave, Rochester, NY 14607 (The Rochester Room)
Presenters:
Sandra Whitmore; SHRM-SCP. Executive Director for Marketing and Operations at RIT; Division of Diversity Equity and Inclusion and A Co-Creator of Person2Person; Membership Director, New York State Council – SHRM; Former Administrator of RIT's Partnerships in Pluralism
Dr. Michael D’Arcangelo; Executive Director for WDN; A Co-Creator of Person2Person; Former Director of Diversity Education at RIT ; Former Administrator of RIT's Partnerships in Pluralism
Program Description:
How can we encourage safe places and constructive DEI experiences in the workplace?
Fostering meaningful and safe dialogue is a critical component to help develop both knowledge and empathy, and can be even more so in the workplace.
This program will explore the logistical and educational values of creating dialogue programs within organizations, based on the presenters’ joint experiences in overseeing two programs designed to foster meaning dialogue: the past Partnerships in Pluralism program at RIT; and the past initial prototype for the Person2Person program at the YWCA.
hese kinds of programs can help to inform co-workers about sensitive DEI issues in their respective work and personal lives simply by talking and connecting, in a safe way.
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The 2024 Fall Season
(September- December 2024)
September 19
Transgender Issues in the Workplace
Location: Regional Transit Service: 1372 E Main St, Rochester, NY 14609
Panel:
Scott Fearing, Trainer and Consultant
Amy Reed, Independent Leadership & DEI Consultant
Patrick Pitoni Sr. Manager; Transgender Center of Excellence at Trillium
Gwenn Gates, Mechanical Engineer, Laboratory for Laser
Energetics, University of Rochester/Transgender Woman
And (*) Others
Program Description:
Understanding the issues of transgender identity can be a challenge for those cis-gender people who identify with their original birth assignment. Doing so as an employee, manager or team member in the workplace is a different process that involves a new way of thinking.
This program will help participants the complexities of those who transition or have transitioned in the workplace – to gain insight and a proactive mental model for creating an inclusive environment through the eyes of service providers and also professionals who have transitioned in the workplace.
(*) Due to the sensitivity and privacy of our panelists, not all potential members of the panel are listed at this time. Our website may list additional names, upon approval from our panelists.
October 17
Employee Resource Groups: Harnessing your Human Capital Within
Location: The United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes; 75 College Ave, Rochester, NY 14607 (The Rochester Room)
Panelists:
Aldi Priyani: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Specialist; ESL
Betsy Truax: Vice President, Equity and Compensation; First American Equipment and
Finance
Dan Sapper, Former Chair of the L3 Harris ERG; Former member, of former the Kodak
Lambda ERG
Emily Jones, Myotonic Dystrophy Support Group Facilitator; Former
member of the Lambda Network: Kodak
Whitney Heath, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program and Project
Specialist; Excellus BlueCross BlueShield
Program Description:
An Employee Resource Group in an organization can be an asset to organizational climate and productivity. However, there are numerous factors that determine the success of ERG’s.
This program will examine issues related to creating, sustaining, nurturing and effectiveness of ERG’s with both:
· regional professionals who have varying experiences with ERG’s in their organization, as well as
· other professionals who have been members of ERG’s who can speak to their experiences, and how it was enhanced, when effectively implementing these important structures for employee engagement.
November 21
General Forum: Intentional & Future Impacts; A Post Election Networking and Debrief Session Regarding the Future of DEI in Upcoming Decade
Location: Regional Transit System: 1372 E Main St, Rochester, NY 14609
This program will serve as a networking and general discussion event.
It will specifically address:
-the local shifting demographics of the Rochester region,
-the ideal organizational climate,
-the forces that can detract and enhance that climate and its productivity,
-strategic efforts that DEI professionals can take to capitalize on them,
-applications to the challenges that lay in the future regarding education and DEI work.
The program will specifically not:
-analyze election results or political parties, but will provide a safe
environment, as our participant guidelines have already established.
This will be an opportunity to creatively brainstorm, strategize, and
support DEI initiatives as connected professionals.
December 12
Examining Your Website & DEI Design – Impacts on Recruitment
Location: The United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes; 75 College Ave, Rochester, NY 14607 (The Rochester Room)
Co-presenters:
Sandra Whitmore; SHRM-SCP. Executive Director for Marketing and Operations at RIT; Division of Diversity Equity and Inclusion and A Co-Creator of Person2Person; Membership Director, New York State Council – SHRM
Devon Watters; Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications; RIT
Program Description:
The title of this program says it all. The ability of organizations to attract and recruit underrepresented populations is often based on not only who we are – but how we present ourselves. Now-a-days, our websites and social media platforms are not only major marketing and communication tools, but also cultural reflections of our corporate branding, which may not necessarily portray our true commitment to diversity and belonging in the workforce.
Presenters will help participants to re-think if, or how, their website truly reflects the corporate identity, their DEI philosophy, and commitment to not only the public, but to prospective and current employees.
WDN Supports Local Frederick Douglass Initiatives
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 6, 2023
From the desk of Dr. Michael D'Arcangelo, Executive Director
Rochester, NY – The Workforce Diversity Network (WDN) is proud to announce that they have selected three non-profit organizations in the Rochester area to receive a financial incentive from funds that were initially generated from the International Underground Railroad Conference in 2007. The conference, which was an original collaboration between Dr. David Anderson and the WDN, raised the funds with the intention of providing more programming opportunities for Dr. Anderson. However, as the frequency of programming decreased over the years, the decision was made to share the available funds with other non-profits that share similar values and will continue to champion for racial equity in our area.
“It was natural to reach out to Dr. and Mrs. (Ruth) Anderson to help us figure out a way to distribute the funds,” says Dr. Michael D’Arcangelo, Executive Director of WDN, “We are forever grateful for their suggestions, and hope that the $12,000 that will be allocated between them will serve to better their mutual missions to advance the legacy of Frederick Douglass in today’s world.”
As Dr. Anderson is a renowned Frederick Douglass historian and the former chairman of the Rochester-Monroe County Freedom Trail Commission, it only makes sense that the non-profits that have been selected to receive these funds all have deep roots to Frederick Douglass and the Underground Railroad: AKWAABA: The Heritage Associates, the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives and the 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse Museum.
Recently the leaders of each organization, Mrs. Ruth Anderson (AKWAABA: The Heritage Associates), Ms. Erica Mock (FDFI), and Dr. Judith Wellman (1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse Museum), met to assess and agree on how the funds will be distributed.
“It was important to meet in a collaborative and progressive way so that we could assess each of our organizational needs, but also measure the racial diversity needs of Rochester,” says Mock, Executive Director of the Frederick Douglass Family Initiative, “Together, we’ve created a robust educational experience and curriculum for elementary students in the Rochester area that showcases some of the best work of each of our organizations.”
On Thursday, June 15, 2023, WDN will commemorate the fund distribution by hosting a panel discussion between the three directors and Dr. Rebekka Boysen-Taylor, the Director of Field Placement and a Sr. Instructor in the College of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Idaho. The program, titled “A New DEI Business Model: Where Collaboration & Community Surpass Propriety”, will take place at the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives office at 140 W. Main St, Rochester, NY 14614.
“We’re thrilled to be able to create an experience that truly values the beliefs of Frederick Douglass and is continuing to advance his legacy, ” says Anderson, Executive Director of Akwaaba Tours, Inc. “And of course we look forward to Dr. Boysen-Taylor’s perspective on the curriculum itself. It should be a great program.”
About Workforce Diversity Network
Our Vision
Our Approach
Our Approach
Our vision is to become the leading provider of DEI professional development services in the industry, by delivering exceptional value to our clients through innovative programs and networking..
Our Approach
Our Approach
Our Approach
At Workforce Diversity Network, we take a holistic approach to HR services, focusing not only on compliance and risk management, but also on employee engagement and development. We believe that a happy and engaged workforce is key to business success.
News
Workforce Diversity Network (WDN) Announces New Board of Directors
Workforce Diversity Network (WDN) Announces New Board of Directors
Workforce Diversity Network (WDN) Announces New Board of Directors
Announcing the appointment of five new directors to the organization’s Board of Directors: Kimberly Braithwaite, Ebony Burgess, Ronieka Burns, Deanna Rose, and Terry Platt. They join WDN co-founders Mike Streeter and Clay Osbourne.
Announcing New WDN Executive Director
Workforce Diversity Network (WDN) Announces New Board of Directors
Workforce Diversity Network (WDN) Announces New Board of Directors
Dr. Michael D’Arcangelo will begin his role as the new Executive Director for WDN, effective May 1, 2022.