events calendar
Ongoing And Special Events!
- This event has passed.

Monthly Lunchtime Panel Discussions: Diversity and Inclusion Best Practices for the Workplace
November 23, 2020 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm PST
Free
Presented by
A panel featuring:
- Kisha Xiomara Palmer, Founder and Principal of The Institute for Inclusive Leadership
- MJ Jacques, Founder of Advisory Avenue
- Jennifer Broadus, Administrator at King County Information Technology (KCIT)
Location/ Date & Time
Online via Zoom only:
*****Zoom link and meeting password will be sent out to registered participants*******
Date: November 23, 2020
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Description
There is no doubt that the leadership in many organizations have realized that diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace are crucial to their organizations and that creating a strong corporate culture that invests in diversity and inclusion is essential to progress and can provide major competitive advantages for the organization.
Research has shown that to have successful diversity, organizations must focus on ways to have a more inclusive workplace. It is simply not enough to claim success with an organization’s D&I program by just hiring a large number of diverse employees, with the expectation that everyone will fit into the existing culture of the organization. People need to feel that their differing values, ideas and concerns are being heard and understood, and an inclusive workplace can empower its people by respecting and appreciating what makes them different, thereby providing motivation and greater job satisfaction. An organization’s corporate strategy and initiatives on D&I should therefore, include creating a workplace culture that will effectively embrace diverse perspectives.
Our speakers today will share their thoughts, experience and insights on what leaders in organizations need to consider in order to create a successful workplace culture of inclusion, why they think it is crucial to lead inclusively in order to drive effective leadership, and their suggestions on best practices for effective diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Fee
- Community event – open to everyone (whether members or non-members of The Koa Club)
- Free for all participants
- Zoom link for the event: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81265077085
To learn about membership at The Koa Club, go to Learn about Membership Benefits & Details
- Awesome Membership – free to join (Join Awesome Membership)
- Beyond Awesome Membership – monthly or annual fee to join (Join Beyond Awesome Membership)
Speakers
Kisha Xiomara Palmer is a Seattle based Diversity, Equity and Inclusive Leadership Consultant. Kisha focuses on capacity building through an equity and inclusion lens, and coaches individuals and teams through transformational change. Kisha focuses on self-awareness, values alignment and relationship building as core to understanding and leveraging differences.
Kisha has worked across sectors, including arts and culture, healthcare, and independent schools. Her interest in systems of power and privilege and her passion for equity and access inspired her to start her own consulting firm in diversity, equity and inclusive leadership. In the past two years, Kisha has focused specifically in helping businesses and organizations operationalize their values through coaching, learning sessions and strategic advising. Kisha’s practice as an inclusive leadership consultant is rooted in her values of truth, well-being and joy. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Vassar College and an MPA from the UW Evans School of Public Policy and Governance.
Kisha is a current Board member of the Burke Museum and serves as co-chair of the Diversity, Equity, Access and Inclusion (DEAI) Committee as well as the Nominating and Governance Committee. Kisha has also served as a community volunteer with the Dispute Resolution Center of King County and the City of Seattle Race and Social Justice Initiative. Kisha is the founder and principal of The Institute for Inclusive Leadership. http://www.instituteforinclusiveleadership.com
MJ Jacques, Founder of Advisory Avenue
MJ Jacques is a Human Resources Professional as well as Founder of Advisory Avenue. For the last ten years her main goal is to make the employee experience the best no matter what industry or career they are in. MJ’s vision of DEI in the workplace starts with an employee being treated respectfully and fairly in the workplace. Advisory Avenue was created through this passion. She consults people at an affordable rate on any work -related issue so they fully understand the situation. The more empowerment and knowledge an employee receives the more confident they will perform.
Jennifer Broadus, Administrator at King County Information Technology (KCIT)
Jennifer is a public servant that is passionate about social justice issues, continuous improvement, and affecting change. She believes in servant leadership, integrity, and impactful storytelling. She is a life coach, author, facilitator, LEAN practioneer, a veteran and a poet. She is a founder/administrator of two communities of excellence in the County that promote equity; Arts of Facilitation and Circlekeeping which looks at transformative healing circles that are rooted in ancestral and cultural practices.