2020 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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Leanne Wheeler comes from a modest, blue collar background but she has never been held back. She knows who she is and she has never taken no for an answer. Her brave and bold leadership has taken her around the world and to the most impactful enclaves of city government. Today is her 34 year anniversary of enlisting in the armed services. As we recognize this month outstanding military veterans, Leanne is in a class by her self in her service to our country and in every other endeavor she has pursued. You can meet Leanne yourself next Tuesday in Dr. Ryan Ross’ monthly session: Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable. Registration and information below.
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First Gen to College
My parents were both hardworking people. The term at the time, and perhaps still is, blue collar. My Dad was an Air Force Veteran and confessed to being an average student. Unlike many who serve, his “primary” job was pitching for the Air Force baseball team. The man was a formidable athlete. My Mom lived in her father’s house until she married my Dad. She was a good student, although admittedly, shied away from math and science classes, beyond Algebra and Physical Science.
Both stressed the importance of a good education, and “making good marks”, as steppingstones to success. I was the quintessential over-achiever – there are theories about birth order along this line, and I was the firstborn – so, my choices in school always bordered on “advanced”.
My workload and grades did not go unnoticed by my biology teacher, who in my sophomore year put a package together for me, to enter a new STEM program in the Columbus (OH) Public School District, being sponsored by Battelle Memorial Institute. Ultimately, I was one of 32 students, district-wide, to attend. In retrospect, those two years set me on a path to higher learning, critical thinking, and some order of “risk-taking”, albeit it structured in nature.
Like many young women in high school, I fell in love with an athlete, and lost focus, perhaps even thinking that he and I would be together forever, and life would be fine. By the spring of my graduation year (1986), I had not landed on a plan for après high school, much less applied for scholarships – as my Dad was clear that he was not going into to debt to send us to college – or applied to any schools.
Panic set in, as my “over-achiever” flared up. With a Dad who had served in the military, my younger brother already in the Army Reserves, I made the decision to inquire about military service. After all, the Army was offering $25,200 in education benefits.
So, I arrived to the Air Force Basic Military Training Center, having worked since I was 12 years old (paper route), and otherwise scholastically ahead of my peers. The military offered a renewed focus, an opportunity to flex what I already knew, while learning so much more, with folks I would not have otherwise met. It was a perfect fit for me, and I loved every day of serving.
Besides, the military offered immense opportunity and responsibility, at a very tender and influential age. And it offered praise and rewards for the overachiever, and mentoring and structure for those who wanted it, and for those who needed it.
I was fortunate enough to have great leadership, and still model my own leadership style after those I have served under.
Segregation in the Armed Forces
I entered a fully integrated Air Force in 1986. My Dad, who served in the late 50s/early 60s, was subjected to a segregated force. He would often share stories of that time. When I shared that I would be entering the service, he was furious.
In retrospect, I believe it was more fear for me than anything else. Although, in his era, it was not common for women to serve in the Armed Forces; when they did, it was as a nurse or a trainer/educator. We both knew that I would not be doing either.
My enlistment date came on the heels of Tailhook, the notorious sexual harassment/assault event the Navy was working to navigate, at the time. The Armed Forces by its very structure was patriarchal. Looking back to the World Wars, and every conflict for the next 50 years, all were led by men. The draft only included men. The marketing and hullabaloo in recruitment centered men. To our society, everyone in the military was in the Army, and they were men.
I would go my entire enlistment not serving with another Black woman, in my specialty. But for an amazing supervisor at first duty station, it is not hard to imagine an exceedingly difficult enlistment. My sergeant all but ignored my gender and skin-tone. All he saw was a “sharp” Airman, and that is precisely how he treated me. I truly could not have asked for a better leader. That said, there are those who even now, have nothing but disparaging things to say about Technical Sergeant Bell. I truly experienced him differently.
By the time I moved on to my next assignment, I would model his leadership style, and do my best to “keep my nose clean”, as my father came to advise me before I shipped off.
But there was always innuendo, the occasional pass, and the initial assertion that I was prettier than I was smart. I learned to stay to myself, already knew to stand up for myself, thanks to my Dad, and focused on my career.
I have not experienced the military the way some women (and men) who have been assaulted have. There are times that I wonder if this is because of the role I had in the military. The men I served with were also “heady” and career focused. Although we were not without our own knucklehead moves, we tended not to engage in activities that could cost us our security clearances.
As for my own mentoring and tutoring, I have been intentional about engaging young Black and Brown girls, hoping to grab them before biology, crushes, and flirtations take over and undermine their focus and undercut their vision for their own lives. We are still a largely patriarchal society, with patriarchal systems. And none of it was built with Black or Brown girls in mind for success.
Problem Solving
I do believe in nature versus nurture as it relates to certain of our characteristics and abilities. I have one distinct memory from first grade that solidifies this belief. Though I get pushback on this a lot, I am an introvert, and was a shy child.
Although I could read in the first grade, I was reluctant to do so. In the matter of days, I was placed in a different class, a class for children who had not yet learned to read. When I figured out what was happening, I exclaimed that I could read, then read my proverbial ass off, and insisted that I go back to my original class.
I solved my own problem, in that moment, at the ripe old tender age of 6 years.
I was the kid that would tear things apart and put them back together. I was the kid that figured out the new “technology” for my parents, when remote controls and cable television came online. Truly, my earliest memories were about how to “figure things out”.
One advantage I believe I had at the time was a phenomenal public education system. Brown v. Education aside, I always had access to a great education, enthusiastic teachers, and an opportunity to pick classes because they thrilled me, not because my college entrance was reliant on my choices. I took 5 years of French, and 4 years of Spanish, because I had visions of traveling abroad one day.
I am concerned about public education today. We have created a caste system, or more appropriately, reverted to the caste system that was public education before Brown. This intentional disinvestment in public education is diabolical. Privatizing tax dollars for “charter” under the auspices of “better”, then hobbling the ability of every student to access the “better”, is racist. I could go on. But this is not what you asked about.
Black parents have a different fight than most any white parent. There is an artificial and unnecessary pressure now. And that is certainly something we can do something about. I am hopeful now that Betsy DeVos is out on her can shortly.
One and Only
My roommate from my Aleutian Island assignment has me characterized as always for the underdog. It was only recently that I claim that she just may be right about that. I have been in more than my fair share of scrapes as a kid, defending my younger brother (who’s mouth was often the problem) and younger sister.
And back to nature versus nurture, I was a competitive person. But and this I have found is uncommon now, I wanted to fair up the fight. I wanted you to know what I know, and then best you. I am still this way. When I find out a tidbit, I want to share that knowledge. Time and experience have taught me that not everyone wants that tidbit, or that they will do anything with the knowledge. So, I am more effective and efficient with my knowledge management.
Time and experience have also taught me that a Black woman with knowledge, in majority White spaces, can be problematic for the patriarchy. We are often undermined, stripped of access and tools, and accused of unflattering patriarchal tropes, like angry or unfriendly.
As part of my career growth in defense contracting, I created the opportunity to certify as a Six Sigma Black Belt. Part of the training included a self-assessment on the tools in our tool chest. For me, two very strategic tools have been the fact that I am a Black woman, and a military Veteran. Both have opened an interesting array of opportunities. Both have also created tension in certain spaces. There is utility on both counts.
Last year, as I consulted to Second Chance Center as project manager for their Permanent Supportive Housing Development, Providence at the Heights (PATH), all my skill set would soon be brought to bear. I ultimately learned that we had a performance issue with the City of Aurora, that could only be solved by winning a seat on City Council. So, I ran for City Council At-Large, as an unaffiliated candidate. That opportunity made way for additional learning and an experience that I am currently writing about. Look forward to where this opportunity leads.
Military and Inclusivity
The Armed Forces are merely a microcosm of our society. You will find individuals from every walk of life, gender, creed, biases, and knowledge. What is critically different, and it must be, is that we have all sworn an oath to the US Constitution. That oath was not to a person. Nor was the oath to a political party. The oath was to defend this nation and its Constitution.
The culture within the Armed Forces is unabashedly conservative. With an early indoctrination (most enlist by 18), this is not difficult to accomplish. I left military service as a Colin Powell Republican, having entered with conservative notions and an ideology centered on fairness and equity, with the latter never being negatively affected.
The military does endeavor to address its issues with disparity in treatment. It has certainly been intentional about being more welcoming to women – having recently opened specific combat roles to women – and the LGBTQ community. I served under the ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ policy, an attempt to pivot away from a culture that was not only affecting esprit de corps, but mission readiness. Future Presidents would certainly do more to ensure military service was more inclusive, so that all who chose to serve, could serve.
And there have been several other policy changes that ensure service members can serve safely and equitably, most notably the work that is happening with Military Sexual Trauma. Like DADT, there are kinks to work out, but I am hopeful that under the right Commander in Chief, these policies will only grow stronger.
Having had the opportunity to travel to Israel and engage with the Israeli Defense Forces, I am aware there are stark differences in the way we execute national defense and national security, things we could benefit from, if we dared make the attempt.
Everyone in Israel serves in defense of their nation, whether it is militarily, through innovation, or through small business startups. There is no disconnect between a society that goes about its business every day, and those who serve in uniform for a prescribed amount of time.
We could benefit from such unity. Further, the transition back into community following service to country would be all but seamless.
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Wednesday, November 18, 2:00 MT/4:00 ET |
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Monday, November 23, 2:00 MT/4:00 ET |
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Tuesday, November 24, 2:00 MT/4:00 ET |
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Monday, November 30, 2:00 MT/4:00 ET |
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Click to view the most recent webinars: |
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Catalyzing Change in Health: Equity for Native, Rural, and Veterans During and Beyond COVID-19: Dr. Pierre Theodore; VP Global External Innovation, Johnson & Johnson, Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis; President & CEO, Craig Hospital, Jessica Rothenberg-Aalami, PhD; CEO, Founder, CELL-MED, Dr. Sriram Shamasunder; Assoc. Professor, UCSF Medical Center, Dr. Mary Owen (Tlingi); Dir., Center of American Indian & Minority Health, UMN President, Assoc. of American Indian Physicians
Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable: African American College Presidents Share Realities Part II: Dr. Ryan Ross; Assoc. V. Chancellor Student Affairs, Equity, & Inclusion, Colorado Community College System moderates. Panelists include Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston President, Norfolk State University, Dr. E. LaBrent Chrite President, Bethune-Cookman University, Dr. Annette Parker President, South Central College, Minnesota State, and Dr. Michael Torrence President, Motlow State College
Courageous Conversations: Catalyzing Change in Health: Dr. Monique Butler; Chief Medical Officer, Swedish Medical Center, Samuel Yamoah, Jr.; Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company, Dr. Georges Benjamin; Executive Director, American Public Health Association, Dr. J. Nadine Gracia; Exec. Vice President & COO, Trust for America’s Health, Dr. Karen McNeil-Miller; CEO, Colorado Health Foundation, Dr. Pierre Theodore; VP Global External Innovation, Johnson & Johnson, and Dr. Elena Rios; President & CEO, National Hispanic Medical Association.
Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable: Diverse College Presidents Talk About First 6 Weeks of School: Dr. Ryan Ross; Assoc. V. Chancellor Student Affairs, Equity, & Inclusion, Colorado Community College System moderates. Panelists include Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston President, Norfolk State University, Dr. E. LaBrent Chrite President, Bethune-Cookman University, Dr. Annette Parker President, South Central College, Minnesota State, Dr. Miles Davis President, Linfield University, and Dr. Michael Torrence President, Motlow State College
Hispanic Language Heritage Language Assets for Career Preparedness: Department of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) and GlobalMindED, moderated by Lorena Orozco McElwain; OELA, Panelists include: Carol Carter; GlobalMindED, Felícita Solá-Carter; Excellence in Government Program, Oscar Fraire; University of Colorado Denver student, Patty Lopez; Intel Corporation, and Adrian Rosado; Cultural Clarity Experience.
Hispanic Language Heritage: Retention of Heritage Culture and Language(s) US Department of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) and GlobalMindED, and panelists celegrate National Hispanic Heritage Month. Lorena Orozco and Supreet Anand of OELA, Cristina Alfaro; San Diego State University, Luis Benitez; VF Corporation, Clotilde Dedecker; Circle of Women, Joe Garcia; Ohkay OwinghTribe, and Dr.Joel Comez; Center for Applied Logistics
Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable: A Conversation on Race, Isms, Justice, Moving Forward and the Role White People Need to Play: Ryan Ross; Associate Vice Chancellor: Student Affairs, Equity, and Inclusion, Colorado Community College System leads the conversation with Clifton Taulbert; President and CEO, Freemount Corporation and Roots Java Coffee, Javon Brame; Dean of Students, Arapahoe Community College, Chelsea Williams; Founder & CEO, College Code LLC, and Representative Leslie Herod; Legislator, Colorado General Assembly
Equity in Engineering Programs: Priming the STEM Pipeline During and After COVID-19: Dr. Dora Renaud, Sr. Director of Academic Programs & Professional Development, SHPE: Leading Hispanics in STEM, Melanie Suarez, Student, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Mechanical Engineering, Nicolas Valencia Diaz, Student, Florida International University, Biomedical Engineering, Sophia Plata, PhD Student, University of Southern California, Environmental Engineering
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To view the recent Rural sessions, please see our YouTube channel:
Native American Business Opportunities, Tribal Economic Development and Post-secondary Education/Workforce Participation: J.C. Whorton, Jr.; Consultant, Lecturer, Author and Adjunct Faculty, University of Colorado Boulder, Don Kelin; President, Fox Professional Services, Rocky Mountain Indian Chamber of Commerce, Matt Rantanen; Director of Technology, Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association, Tribal Digital Village Network Initiative, and Melvin Monette; CEO, Indigenous Education, Inc.
Fortifying Native Students, Faculty and Communities During and After COVID-19: Ron Lessard (Mohawk); Acting Exec. Director, White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education leads panel including Diana Cournoyer; Oglala Sioux Tribe, Executive Director, National Indian Education Association, Michael Chamberlain; Special Assistant for Rural Outreach, US Department of Education, Carrie L. Billy; President & CEO, American Indian Higher Education Consortium, and features a performance by Ava Rose Johnson; Student and Musician, Native American Music Awards Winner
Rural Innovations in Education During COVID-19: Anne Trujillo; Anchor 7News, Denver moderates the panel which includes Tina Goar; Executive Director, San Luis Valley BOCES, Dr. Robert Mitchell; Asst. Professor of Leadership, Research, and Foundations, UCCS, Luis Murillo; Principal, Skoglund Middle School, and Samantha Yocam; Superintendent and Principal, Kim School District
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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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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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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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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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