MobilizeGreen launches 1st Annual Conference and Career Fair on Diversity and the Environment
Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) March 19, 2015 -- Today, MobilizeGreen, a D.C. non-profit organization that jumpstarts green careers for diverse youth through paid internships, launches its annual conference. The two-day event brings 100 talented and diverse college students with thought leaders in government, academia and the non-profit sector to facilitate honest and direct conversations for recruiting and hiring a diverse and talented workforce.
The morning keynote speech is by the director of diversity and inclusion efforts for the U.S. government’s Office of Personnel Management, Veronica Villalobos.
Her morning discussion on "Leading and Working across Generations" will highlight the federal government’s strategies and insights on recruiting and retaining a young diverse workforce. Other participants include Jerome Ford, Assistant Director for Migratory Birds at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The afternoon keynote by Dr. Derald Wing Sue, a Columbia University professor and a thought-leader on “unconscious bias” that hinders recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce, will speak to what this looks and feels like, and how to tackle it to bring about change.
The subsequent panel and question-and-answer period will feature Tina Hone, director of Education policy for the Committee on Education and the Workforce at the U.S. House of Representatives, and be moderated by Sam Fulwood, a fellow at the Center for American Progress and former reporter for the Los Angeles Times.
The event will combine thought-provoking panel sessions, workshops, keynote speeches, and high-impact networking opportunities to reframe how employers and diverse young people connect to solve some of the world’s toughest environmental challenges.
On Friday, March 20, there will be a career fair with non-profit, federal and local government employers. The day kicks off with a Green Careers panel featuring professionals sharing strategies on how to succeed doing work you care about and solidify a career in the environmental field.
The federal government and environmental organizations face a stubborn problem. While society becomes younger and more diverse, institutions remain older and far less diverse than the majority of the population. With 1/3 of the federal workforce eligible to retire in two years, and approximately seven percent of the federal workforce under 30, the problem remains. And in non-profit organizations, challenges to reflect the people they serve also persist. According to a June 2014 report, a “green ceiling” limits workforce advancement for diverse staff, and unconscious bias and insular recruiting remain persistent barriers to diversity recruitment and retention.
What: MobilizeGreen Annual Conference and Diversity Career Fair
When: Thursday, March 19, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Friday, March 20, 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Where: Polaris Room @ Ronald Reagan Building and Trade Center
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20005
For more information, please contact: (202) 253-0909 or conference(at)mobilizegreen(dot)org, or visit http://www.mobilizegreenconference.org
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About MobilizeGreen
Since 2011 we have been helping federal agencies recruit, place, and jumpstart green careers, particularly green STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers, for diverse young people. Through the use of mentoring, internships and engagement, we help green agencies build a talent pipeline of tomorrow’s diverse leaders. Our results-driven approach removes barriers, creates career opportunities, and then supports and follows the young person’s progress.
Media Contact, MobilizeGreen, http://www.mobilizegreenconference.org, +1 202-253-0909, [email protected]
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