The 2024 DEI Empowerment Conference will be held virtually over Zoom Wednesday June 5, Thursday June 6, Tuesday June 11 and Wednesday June 12.
(This will download a file in your browser. Open and save to add it to your Outlook.)
The goal of the conference is to help state government build more just systems, and foster a culture of inclusion and belonging with our state workforce. Sessions will highlight the lived experience of historically marginalized groups and ideas for creating inclusive Washington communities and workplaces.
Four sessions will be presented each day. Daily sessions will include a keynote (two hours) and three additional sessions (90 minutes each.)
The conference dates have been thoughtfully chosen not to overlap with important state Business Resource Group annual events. We encourage team members to attend virtual and in-person events being planned by WIN, BUILD, and RAIN during the month of June. We are excited to partner with our BRG community!
Attend the live sessions virtually or at designated watch events
Attendance is limited to state government workers and invited community members. While DEI practitioners and agency leadership will find the conference relevant to their work, all state employed workers have the power to promote diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in their workplaces. We encourage you to block time on your calendar to attend the live sessions. While we strive to provide accessible solutions like recorded sessions for later playback, some sessions may only be available live.
We will also have in-person watch events in Olympia and Spokane that will welcome state employees to gather in-person to watch our virtual sessions. More details will be available closer to the time.
Check with your agency leaders about workforce planning for the scheduled conference dates and how you can work together so you have time to attend.
Call to action for leaders
In our leadership roles we can support equity work by removing barriers to DEI learning and activities. Here are 5 ways you can help:
Look for ways you can adjust team schedules and workloads to allow each team member to attend at least one session of the conference.
Cancel or reschedule conflicting meetings.
Use your current communication tools to have agency heads encourage employees to attend.
Plan agency-specific reflection sessions for team members to discuss their key take-aways and “aha” moments from the conference sessions.
Have leaders register for several event sessions and share leaders’ schedule with teams to model attendance and to show leadership’s commitment to equity and learning.
Open call for presentation proposals / speaker applications
Do you have lived experience as a member of a historically marginalized group, or other expertise in equity work and want to share your knowledge and experience with state employees at the DEI Empowerment Conference? See our website on how to submit your speaker proposal.
For more information
See the conference website at ofm.wa.gov/deiconference
If you have questions, feel free to contact us at WAStateEmployeeDEIConference@ofm.wa.gov.
Registration will open May 1, 2024. Admission is free and open to all employees of Washington state agencies, boards, and commissions.
We look forward to seeing you in June!