Join Equity in Architecture (EQiA) at the Ellis Hotel in downtown Atlanta to hear from AIA National’s Diversity + Inclusion team and a panel of dynamic women on creating a diverse workplace with equitable practices, that improves firm culture for all in the field!

This event is the culmination of our Research subcommittee’s work on the first two chapters of their Equity Toolkit.

TOPICS:

1. Legal Basics:
   1. What are your rights as an employee? As a firm?
   2. What procedures must a firm’s Human Resources department follow when an employee has a discrimination issue?
2. Recruitment:
   1. What is the “like seeking like” approach to hiring? How do camaraderie and predictability affect hiring decisions?
   2. What role does Human Resources play in hiring and retaining a diverse workforce?
3. Benefits:
   1. Generous policies around child care, parental leave, and flex time are cited as essential to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce. Is this actually true? What is the importance of benefits in increasing the diversity of a firm?
   2. How can small firms, who may not be able to afford generous benefits, recruit and retain a diverse workforce?
4. Retention:
   1. Beyond creating a diverse workforce, how do firms combat discrimination?
   2. How do principals and managers best support a diverse, inclusive culture?

PANELISTS:

MICHELLE MESINA | Regional HR Director | Gensler | Chicago

KANDIS WOOD JACKSON | Lawyer, Associate, | Alston & Bird | Atlanta

TRACY L. SCOTT | Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Director of Emory’s Quality Enhancement Plan | Emory University | Atlanta, GA