Creating a Capable, Diverse Talent Pipeline
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2020 GlobalMindED Conference
June 6-8
Sheraton Denver Downtown
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GlobalMindED is a 501(c)(3) innovation network that closes the equity gap through education, entrepreneurship, employment and economic mobility to create a capable, diverse talent pipeline.
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Telisa Yancy, 2019 GlobalMindED Inclusive Leader Award winner, General Equity category. We are honored to share her story among the luminaries in the GlobalMindED community whom we will feature this month in honor of Black History and the heritage and history with which that culture enriches our world. Below is our interview with Telisa.
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First, I'd like to say how honored I am to have received the GlobalMindED Inclusive Leader Award in the category of Equity. I believe that representation matters-people cannot become what they do not see. Much of my commitment to this space revolves around letting the next generation of leaders know that I, and many others, exist and because we do, so can they- hopefully in greater numbers. The aspiration to create spaces where all people have a right to participate and have a seat at the table, is not just good for business, it is great for business, especially considering our changing demographics.
Hard work, dedication and the commitment to doing more and being more are part of the ethos of my family. This philosophy was instilled in me early by my grandparents, especially my grandmother, Mrs. Eva Mae Frazier. She was the daughter of sharecroppers and never had a formal education beyond the eighth grade, not because she was not capable, but because it was not required or available to black people in the south at that time. She was very proud of being valedictorian of her eighth-grade class and loved learning so much that she returned to that same school to repeat the lessons she learned there well after graduation. She and my grandfather, who learned to read as an adult because he had to work in the fields from the third grade, taught us that education was the great equalizer. While neither of them had a high school diploma, they dreamed that their three children would all go to college and they all did.
While I am not a first generation college graduate, I know that without someone like my grandparents and parents having larger visions for their children, I would not have been able to see beyond the images and conventional wisdom of what a kid like me could achieve through effort and commitment. I hold that belief now for others the way they did for me. Many people ask me how I define success-I define it by the impact and the difference that we can make on another person's life by showing them that we are all capable of much more than people generally think. We are each capable of doing more, being more, giving more, even if you have no examples of such achievement in your day-to-day life.
I was raised between two worlds. During the year, I went to school and lived in a south suburb of Chicago, Harvey Illinois. I lived and went to school in a community where all my teachers, friends and most people in our community were 100% black. In the summer, I went to Sturgis, Mississippi, where both of my parents grew up and saw a totally different culture and way of living in the rural south. The contrast of these two worlds, urban and rural, sharpened my compassion, my qualities of observation and perception. I learned that there are many worlds to walk in and through and that navigating those is connected to success. Between my teachers and my trips to the south, I learned that knowing our history and understanding our heritage is the foundation of strength, fuel for conviction, and a driving force behind passion and purpose. My city and country girl rearing has allowed me to understand, get along with and accomplish things through and with the most disparate audiences. That exposure was foundational to my life.
I went from almost a complete African American school in the seventh grade, to an eighth-grade year and high school that was barely 10% people of color. One pivotal moment in high school involved being placed into the remedial and special needs class on my first day of school. Everyone in there was primarily African American or Hispanic. Within a few minutes it was clear to me that I didn't belong in that class. I went to the teacher and said, " I don't belong in this class", and preceded to tell him every math fact I knew from memory. I persisted and eventually, we went to the principal and I was given a series of tests to prove I belonged in the advanced learning track. Without my parents, the grounding of my family, and all the many lessons of black history I learned from my elementary teachers, who knows if I would have had the courage to advocate and expect more for myself? I learned that there is incredible value in knowing your history, knowing your heritage and understanding your own talents. It is more powerful that what other people may or may not think you are capable of doing.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was a great school! I am honored to have spent my formative years there. I had a thirst for learning and I was curious and full of wonder. This outlook opened the doors for how I could see myself in the future and the life I could create through hard work, high hopes and experiential learning. How do I want to experience that world? Who do I want to be? Am I a minority because of my race or gender or majority based on other factors you cannot see with the eye: beliefs, capacity, passions? I've learned that you don't have to let either of these things be limiting factors, but by honoring your entire experience, you can create larger spaces for yourself and others.
After graduating, I went to work for Ford Motor Company. They paid for my MBA from Kellogg and I had a wonderful career there. Then I decided to take a risk, so I left to become a VP for Burger King. While it was an officer role, the fit was not a good one. A few years later, I took what was ostensibly a step back to join American Family Insurance in a Director Role. This decision was life changing in so many positive ways aside from the roles that challenged me to grow and serve in the company. That director position led to my being appointed to VP of Marketing and then Chief Marketing Officer. In June of 2019 I was promoted to Chief Operating Officer, the same month I received the Inclusive Leader Award.
My CEO at American Family is an incredible leader who genuinely cultivates a culture of respectful difference and inclusive collaboration. While he is Caucasian (most CEOs are), I have never met or worked with anyone like him (and I've worked for some pretty phenomenal people). He is remarkably curious culturally and he challenged me to, not only do the work of leading my teams, but to also lead culturally. During my journey at American Family Insurance, he has taught and challenged me to share the known and the unknown truths of the differences I experience simply because of race with my peers and leaders. He's also taught me that to advocate for inclusive excellence requires courage and empathy, but it is well worth the journey and will pay the company and the community back in dividends now and hopefully for years to come.
Balancing my husband, my son and my work is all about prioritizing and doing what matters most, first. My son is 8 and my mom lives with us to help, which is a bonus for us. I want to successfully raise and participate in the life of my son and contribute to the next generation of leaders.
What I want to say to emerging leaders and young people is this: pursue your wildest dreams! I hope you have more than one. Write them down. Do the work. Honor and learn what it means to show up and contribute. Know your heritage, know it deeply and use it as a compass. You may be first generation college educated but you are not the first to struggle, overcome and dream. You are your parents and grandparents biggest and brightest gifts to the world. You can surpass your wildest dreams with intention and hard work. The odds of us finding super success via sports or entertainment is less than 1 in 100. The odds via college is far greater and it has the same potential to put you in the room with our sports and entertainment heroes. It did for me and it can for you too!
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Join us to recognize the most inclusive leaders in key industries for their innovations and bold actions to promote access and equity for women, people of color, and underrepresented populations in their recruiting, development, senior management on their boards, and in their pipeline strategies from education to employment.
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If you would like to nominate a student from your institution for the
2020 GlobalMindED First Gen Student Leadership Program so that they can meet role models and mentors while networking for internships and jobs with companies who are dedicated to creating a capable, diverse talent pipeline
, please encourage them to apply
HERE.
If you are an educator, you can
attend
by yourself, a team or with your First Gen student delegates. If you come with more than 5 people from your institution, you are eligible for the discount.
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GlobalMindED and the SDG Impact Fund are delighted to announce GlobalMindED's Donor Advised Fund for your year-end giving and planning your 2020 investment goals. 2020 is the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations and 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 students like Emanuel Walker whose story is below. He was in the class of 2018. Since 2015, we have served more than 300 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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The ILO is calling on individuals and organizations to share innovative ideas and solutions to address the skills mismatch challenge. The ILO Skills Challenge Innovation Call will recognise and support the development of solutions that aim to address the different forms and dimensions of skills mismatch.
Submission deadline: April 13, 2020.
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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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The climate crisis, rape culture, the wall-we think the patriarchy has done enough. Introducing "
When Feminists Rule the World", a new podcast series from the
Nobel Women's Initiative and producing partner
MediaStyle. Hosted by Nicaraguan-born comedian,
Martha Chaves, we're talking to badass feminist changemakers around the world about the future they are creating. It shouldn't be groundbreaking. But it is.
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Entertainment For Change creates original song and dance (#SDGGROOVE) to educate young people on the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Like any meaningful social change, the original song and dance is a collaborative effort between more than 20 singers, dancers, writers and choreographers. Lauded vocalists Natalie Weiss and Antonio Cipriano lend their voices to the powerful lyrics, while each SDG is danced by performers of all calibers.
To learn more about Entertainment for Change and #SDGGROOVE, visit our
website.
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Join the #NeedHerScience Campaign that is aimed at addressing journal-level gender bias. For decades, studies have demonstrated gender bias in publishing. This may occur at various stages in the process, including at the level of the
journals. The equitable inclusion of women editors at every level is long overdue. Addressing journal gender bias starts at the top.
The goal: To raise awareness about gender bias in publishing and share with stakeholders, including journal editors and owners, the overall number of scientists, healthcare professionals and others who have taken the pledge. The pledge can be taken anonymously. Educators and others are encouraged to take the pledge and share information about this issue with colleagues and trainees.
GET INVOLVED
Here are 3 quick and easy things you can do to join the #NeedHerScience Campaign: 1. Disseminate the infographic Tips for Publishing in Medical Journals.
2. Take the #NeedHerScience pledge.
3. Encourage others to take the pledge.
TAKE THE PLEDGE
PLEDGE: "As part of determining where to submit my manuscripts, I will look at the list of editors and consider whether a journal has equitably included qualified women at every level."
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The Conrad Challenge is an excellent opportunity for industry, government, research and academia to help support the youth of today and take an active role in shaping our future workforce. Students participating in the Conrad Challenge create innovative solutions to real-world challenges, while preparing for success in a global workplace. The competition encourages creativity, critical thinking and entrepreneurial collaboration among teams around the globe. Learn more and become a judge HERE.
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