2021 GlobalMindED
The Future of Work is Diverse, Inclusive, Just and Equitable
GlobalMindED closes the equity gap by creating a capable, diverse talent pipeline through connections to role models, mentors, internships for low-income students, returning adults, First Gen to college and inclusive leaders who teach them, work with them and hire them.
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As we celebrate International Women this month, we feature outstanding women every day. Today, we introduce Dr. Bernice Alston, an amazing role model for women the world over, as a pioneer in her ability to meet adversity head on and transform it into a reason to grow. Enjoy her story below.
Upcoming March Equity Events Celebrating Inclusive Women- 2:00 MST/4:00 EST click link to register, details below:
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Bernice, you are a PhD (EdD - Doctoral Degree in Education) from George Washington University and have been the Deputy Director for Education for NASA, among your many other leadership roles. What is your personal story and how did you achieve this level of success?
My personal story about my career journey is not an unusual story, my journey began with a strong foundation. I am the youngest of ten children so my siblings acted as role models and kept a watchful eye on me and my studies. My parents were not well educated but insisted that all of their children get a good education. With ten kids there was not a lot of money for education but we all had a lot of ambition and we persevered. My dad told all of us that we either go to school or get a job. As long as we were in school we could live at home and he would feed us. That was motivation in itself!
With my siblings, everyone finished high school, five of us have bachelors degrees, five of us have masters degrees, three of us have doctorate degrees, and one of us is ABD (all but the dissertation). Not bad for a large inner city family whose mother never had a job outside of the home and whose father always worked two and three jobs.
I believe my work ethic, ambition, perseverance and accomplishments are all due to being surrounded by a supportive family, a loving family and a Christian family. We did a lot of praying along the way.
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Thank you for your involvement with and leadership in the ability status movement. Tell us about your passion for special education and what we need to know most to help these deserving and often underrepresented students?
My family has always been a very close knit family. I had a painful experience in undergraduate school at D.C. Teachers College. My sister that is a year older than me worked for a year out of high school and then we both enrolled in DC Teacher College. My sister was a stutterer and at the end of our freshman year they advised her to not pursue a teaching career because of her stuttering. She was not approved for her sophomore year because passing a speech test was a requirement. The separation due to her disability was devastating for me so I pursued a degree in Speech Pathology to help her with career pursuits. It worked. I learned a great deal about treatments and therapies for stuttering. I tried them with her and after several years she was hired to teach in Job Corp. She did a great job and moved up the ladder over the years in the federal government. I was determined to make her a success and it propelled me along my journey as well.
I understood the challenges and the impact on life decisions when confronted with a disability. I loved it when a child that is blind completed travel training, a child with a speech impairment could read a poem in front of the class, or a child with cerebral palsy stands on his own. It brought me such joy.
You lead a very powerful organization of African American leaders. Tell us about this organization and your highest hopes for it?
I am an ex-Board member of the African American Federal Executive Association (AAFEA). I have the same desire to help others with their career aspirations as I did with my sister. Therefore I developed the AAFEA Fellows program. I used my experience, knowledge and wisdom to help develop the soft skills that are essential preparations for advancement in the government. Political savvy, managing up, interview techniques, professional writing skills, networking, executive leadership skills, business acumen and confidence to name a few areas of preparation that are essential to have when the opportunity arises.
As Chancellor for the Fellows program I had the opportunity to support and influence hundreds of civil servants. I developed the Federal Executive Webcast Series for GS 12-15 to use technology to provide this same type of support. My company, Royal Consulting Firm, continues to partner with AAFEA to support the development of leadership skills among federal government civil servants.
As one of the nation's wisest women leaders, what do you most want to ask of your colleagues as well as the emerging leader base to most make the change you identify a reality to improve the world?
Recognize that the ability to serve others is an honor. If you can help someone along the way, do it. This pandemic has taught us that we all have to look out for each other and this frame of mind should not end once the pandemic is under control. It should become a way of life.
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Click below to watch the Inclusive Leader Award Ceremony featuring inspirational messages from the diverse Award Winners
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GlobalMindED and the SDG Impact Fund are delighted to announce GlobalMindED's Donor Advised Fund. 2020 is the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations and the 25th Anniversary of the Beijing Women's Declaration and Action Platform. Many from around the world are thinking of 2020 as the gateway to our most vital decade for delivering equity, the Sustainable Development Goals, and a world where all can thrive. Our key time for these outcomes is 2020-2030.
GlobalMindED DAF and the SDG Impact Fund are a powerful combined force for good as the 2019 year comes to a close and we reflect on the gratitude and the commitments we make to the causes we care most about. The DAF offers immense power and flexibility for giving prior to the year's end as you plant seeds of generous intention for 2020 and the decade ahead.
When you contribute to GlobalMindED, you support First Gen students. We have served more than 400 students by connecting them to role models, mentors, internships and jobs. Your generous support will allow us to take our work 10x and reach these talented students at scale who lack the resources and support we provide. Your support also helps teachers who can't afford the conference fees, faculty at colleges which are under resourced and students who persist at those universities despite food insecurity and/or housing insecurity.
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Links to read about Inclusive Leaders, many of whom are African American and people of color:
Curated sessions from GlobalMindED 2020 YouTube channel:
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From the Center for Positive Organizations:
From the Economist:
From Forbes:
From Harvard Business Review:
From the World Academy of Art & Science and UN; Geneva Global Leadership in the 21st Century econference:
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Listen here for an interview with Pam Newkirk, GlobalMindED speaker and author of Diversity Inc.: The Failed Promise of a Billion- Dollar Business.
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Meet GlobalMindED Founder, Carol Carter as interviewed by Tim Moore on his podcast Success Made to Last: From Success to Significance
Listen to Part 1 of Carol's interview
Listen to Part 2 of Carol's interview
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Recent GlobalMindED Newsletter Profiles:
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Since 2006 when the flagship TGR Learning Lab opened its doors in Anaheim, CA, TGR Foundation has had a lot to celebrate, including its most recent milestone of one million students impacted by TGR EDU: Explore, alone.
Developed in partnership with Discovery Education, TGR EDU: Explore is a free digital resource library that offers interactive web experiences, lesson plans, training videos and tools for educators, students and families to explore new disciplines and gain skills for a modern and expanding workforce.
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As you start the New Year, are you looking for ways to re-engineer your classroom culture? Check out Designing the Future: How Engineering Builds Creative Critical Thinking in the Classroom. The associated website has lots of activities, projects, and resources you can implement immediately. Our fall workshops using the book as a roadmap for change have been highly successful. Start designing the future today - try using the customized Study Guide for a book study in your PLC. Or contact ProjectEngin or Solution Tree to learn how you can bring professional development based on Ann's book to your school, district, or conference.
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THE FLYOVER NATION
Energy's Role in a Troubled Heartland
By J.C. Whorton
A unique and timely discussion of the challenging issues facing the country’s troubled Heartland.
Since the beginning of westward expansion into the Heartland’s vast regions, natural resource development has played a historic role in shaping its communities. Today, domestic oil and gas development offers one of the strongest prospects for the Heartland’s present and future prosperity as well as the nation’s re-emergence as a dominant player in the global energy economy.
The U.S. is now the world’s largest producer of crude oil and natural gas, two circumstances that are universally disrupting international geopolitical order. The earth has a finite supply of natural resources and a rapidly growing and over consuming population.
As America positions itself for a very uncertain and constantly evolving global marketplace, will the Heartland become America’s “great connector” or “great divide”?
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J.C. Whorton is a senior level energy and financial professional with over forty years of essential experience. Having a ranching and Native American heritage, Mr. Whorton is a strong advocate for rural education and economic development initiatives.
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