The University of Nebraska–Lincoln will host its second-annual State of Diversity forum from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Oct. 22 via Zoom.
Hosted by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the virtual event will highlight the improvements the university has made over the past year to cultivate a more inclusive space for past, present and future Huskers.
Chancellor Ronnie Green and Marco Barker, vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion, will open the forum. Participants will view a video on inclusive excellence in action, learn more about diversity on campus through a data snapshot led by Barker and participate in roundtable discussions in breakout rooms.
A panel on diversity, facilitated by Barker, will close out the forum. Visiting panel members include:
Katrice A. Albert
Katrice A. Albert is a passionate national thought leader who has interwoven the areas of inclusive excellence, higher education, intercollegiate athletics, culture and engagement with a penchant for people-centered talent management and mission-driven visionary leadership.
A champion of access and opportunity, Albert is the founder and managing member of Third Eye Consulting Group, a diversity consulting firm. In this capacity, she helps educational entities, corporate and nonprofit outfits, governmental agencies and civic organizations reach their inclusive excellence goals.
With more than 25 years of purpose-propelled experience, Albert also serves as executive vice president of culture, innovation and inclusion at S2A Solutions. In this role, she provides transformational business solutions, sustainable equity and inclusion strategies, and culturally-responsive leadership development services steeped in a focus on diverse top talent and the communities they serve.
Rona Tamiko Halualani
Rona Tamiko Halualani is one of the founders of Halualani & Associates, as well as a leading presenter and author in the field of intercultural communication and diversity analytics. She and her brother created Halualani & Associates in 2008 and have served many higher education and private industry clients since then.
Halualani is a published intercultural communication scholar with two published books and over 30 academic journal articles and chapters in prestigious scholarly outlets. From 2007–2009, she served as special assistant to the president and director of institutional planning and inclusive excellence for San Jose State University, as well as spearheaded the creation, design, implementation and completion of the California State University’s first-ever Diversity Master Plan. She currently consults for other higher education institutions on diversity strategy, diversity mapping, planning and evaluation.
Daryl G. Smith
Daryl G. Smith is senior research fellow and professor emerita of education and psychology at Claremont Graduate University. Prior to assuming her current faculty position, Smith served as a college administrator in planning, institutional research and student affairs. Her research has been in the areas of organizational implications of diversity, assessment and evaluation, leadership, governance and faculty diversity. Smith is the author of “Diversity’s Promise for Higher Education: Making it Work,” “Diversity in Higher Education: Emerging Cross-national Perspectives on Institutional Transformation” and many more.
She has served as an evaluator and consultant to campuses and foundations such as the James Irvine Foundation, the Haas Jr. Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Smith was part of two U.S. delegations to Ford Foundation-sponsored tri-national conferences (India, South Africa, U.S.) on diversity, democracy, and higher education. She was a Fulbright Senior Specialist in South Africa in 2010 and 2012.
