WM Capstone: The Year That Changed Everything – Antiracism and the Urgency of Now

REGISTRATION IS CURRENTLY CLOSED. If you would like to register for this event please contact Anna Grace agrace@inforummichigan.org 

2020 has been a year of challenges, but also a year in which we have the opportunity to celebrate personal resiliency, community strength, learning, and activism.

This year’s theme is “The Year That Changed Everything – Antiracism and the Urgency of Now,” and the focus is on the urgency of acting now to create an inclusive, equitable, and antiracist society.

Our keynote speaker will be Kelley L. Carter, senior entertainment writer for “The Undefeated,” an ESPN website that explores the intersections of race, sports, culture, and more. Kelley is a Michigan native and has written for the Detroit Free Press, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Ebony, and Buzzfeed.

Kelley will be followed by a panel of West Michigan speakers who will discuss what steps individuals and community can take to be more equitable and inclusive.

Speaker

Kelley L. Carter 

Kelley is the senior entertainment reporter for ESPN's The Undefeated where she covers the intersection of race, pop culture and sports. She's also worked for outlets including USA Today, Vibe, BuzzFeed, Ebony, Essence, ESPN.com, MTV News, the Chicago Tribune, and the Detroit Free Press. Carter is a Michigan State University alum. To read more about Kelley click here.

Panel

Michelle LaJoye

Michelle became Sheriff of Kent County in 2018. She worked diligently during her career to implement processes which make the administration of the mission of the Sheriff more efficient. Michelle has worked for the Kent County Sheriff’s Office since 1989 in various roles within the corrections, patrol, communications, and support services divisions. She represented the office of the Sheriff starting in 2010 as the Chief Deputy and in 2015, the Undersheriff of Kent County. Some of those projects include a jail expansion project, jail management software implementation, electronic fingerprint and mug shot software implementation, law enforcement mobile computing initiatives and record management upgrades. To read more about Michelle click here.

Kelsey Perdue

Kelsey joined the Michigan League of Public Policy in 2019 as the Kids Count project director. She oversees data and advocacy work to increase economic security and racial equity for children across Michigan. Prior to joining the League, Kelsey managed and delivered direct service programming in the education, health and technology sectors in West Michigan, Washington, D.C. and abroad. Her diverse experiences inform her systems level thinking and equity lens. Kelsey is a recipient of the 2019 Grand Rapids Business Journal 40 Under 40 Business Leader Award, 2017 LINC UP Community Spirit Award and her work has been highlighted in online and print publications. To read more about Kelsey click here.

Milinda Ysasi

Milinda is the executive director of The SOURCE, an organization focused on reducing employment barriers and creating opportunities for mobility for employees that work for their partner organizations. The SOURCE began as an idea by local CEOs who wanted to retain talent in their companies and understood that talent is a differentiator for success. Prior to The SOURCE, Milinda worked in human resources at Cascade Engineering, Herman Miller, and Spectrum Health. Milinda is currently a city commissioner representing the 2nd Ward in Grand Rapids. She is a co-founder of the Latina Network of West Michigan, an organic collective focused on changing the Latina narrative in the region. To read more about Milinda please click here.

Moderator

Robyn Afrik

Robyn serves as the first director for the Ottawa County Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), established in 2019. With over 280,000 residents and the third fastest growing county, the office convenes key relationships with local community, business and policy leaders; including local units of government in order to lead and develop a DEI strategic plan. Robyn is responsible for assessing implicit bias in current polices and decision-making processes with a goal to operationalize DEI throughout the organization. Prior to this, Robyn led and pioneered Meijer’s Diversity & Inclusion efforts as a D&I Manager. To read more about Robyn click here.

Thank you to our sponsors: