Published: Sept. 29, 2017

Executives from Lyft, Comcast, Molson Coors and 5280 magazine, among others, will be on campus Friday, Oct. 13, for an interactive discussion and networking event addressing diversity and inclusion issues in the workplace. The event, titled Be Woke: Hacking Diversity in Corporate America,Ìýis open to CU Boulder students, staff and faculty and will be held from 1 to 4Ìýp.m. at the University Memorial Center.

If you go

Who: Students, faculty and staff
What:ÌýBe Woke: Hacking Diversity in Corporate America
When:ÌýFriday, Oct. 13, 1 to 4Ìýp.m.
Where: University Memorial Center, room 235

Event highlights:

  • Network with representatives fromÌýdiversity and inclusion departments of serveral national and local companies and organizations.
  • Learn about the hiring process for major companies and why an inclusive workforce is critical for company success.
  • Bring resumes and business cards to share during the networking session.
  • Question and answer session will follow the panel discussion.

Hosted by the CU Boulder Ìýand the startup , the event also includes representatives from FWD.us, Made Movement, Flatirons LGBTQ Tech Meet Up and Travelport.

"We will be having an active discussion about diversity and inclusion in the hiring processÌýand will hear from several executives who are part of the hiring process for some highly influential companies," said Andrea Guendelman, co-founder and CEO of BeVisible.

"Even if this doesn't affect you personally, these are important issues for anyone who wants to be a candidate for a global company."

Sarah Gilliard, student diversity coordinator with ODECE, has helped coordinate the event with the goal of helpingÌýdiverse studentsÌýview their differences as assets when it comes to the job search. She also hopes the event can be a learning experience for all CU Boulder students who want to learn about the value of a diverse workforce in today’s global economy.

"At the Be Woke event,Ìýcompany leaders will address the aspects of their identities that have been barriers in the job market," Gilliard said.

"These include anything from culture and religion to the way you choose to wear your hair to even your name. I believe all companies should be pushing their communities to embrace differences in people across all spectrums, whether it is identity, gender expressionÌýor sexual preference."

Be Woke panelists

Maria G. Arias

AriasÌýis the vice president of diversity and inclusion at Comcast Corporation. In this role, she leads the implementation of strategic initiatives for diversity and inclusion across the company. Prior to her current role, Arias served as vice president of operations for Comcast Cable’s southern Colorado systems, where she led technical operations and alternative sales channels. She also held various leadership roles at Comcast, including vice president of operations for Comcast’s West Division, interim vice president of technical operations for the West DivisionÌýand interim general manager for Comcast’s Colorado Mountain Area and Tucson, Arizona, cable systems.

Before joining Comcast in 2007, sheÌýhad leadership roles in law and government affairs at AT&T Corporation, AT&T BroadbandÌýand Adelphia Communications. Earlier in her career, sheÌýwas a partner with McDermottÌýWill & EmeryÌýin Chicago. HerÌýleadership has been recognized with the following honors and awards: Most Powerful Women in Cable, Multichannel News; Moves Power Women, Moves Magazine; Most Influential Minorities in Cable, CableFax; Top 50 Influentials, CableFax; and Donald McGannon Award, National Urban League.

Brian Clark

Clark is the chief people and diversity officer for Molson Coors International. HeÌýis responsible for building and sustaining organizational and leadership capability while ensuring the international division retains, develops and attracts top talent to deliver strong business results across 42 markets in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.Ìý

Originally from Oklahoma, ClarkÌýlaunched his career in human resourcesÌýin Tianjin, China. Since then he has lived in South Korea, Japan, India and Costa Rica, while also working in a number of countries on projects advising companies and institutions across several industries on how to navigate theÌýimplications of expanding internationally. HeÌýhas been with Molson Coors since 2010, supporting its growth into emerging markets. He is SPHRÌýand GPHR certified and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Asian studies from Oklahoma City University and an MBA in leadership and organization from the University of Southern California.

Mercedes Jenkins

Jenkins is the inclusion and diversity specialist at Lyft. She is a fierce advocate for social justice and quality education for all. With over 10Ìýyears in traditional and non-traditional educational spaces, sheÌýbroughtÌýher love for building inclusive environments to Lyft, where she focuses on elevating theÌýemployee resource groupÌýprogram and building partnerships with community organizations.

Tamara Hale

Hale, co-organizer ofÌýFlatirons LGBTQ Tech Meet Up,Ìýis an accomplished UX research leader and UX strategist specializing in empowering leading technology companies to build exceptional products, services and user experiences in digital transformation through deep understanding of their target audiences. SheÌýis currently principal UX researcher at WorkdayÌýand previously has led the UX strategy across mobile, desktop, web and enterprise applications for international clients in industry, public and non-profit sectors.

She has a PhD in cultural and cognitive anthropology from the London School of Economics and Political Science and is the author of numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and Market Research Society award-winning research reports. Flatirons LGBTQ Tech Meet Up, aÌýdiversity- and inclusion-focused tech meetup, is based in Boulder.Ìý

Jeff Waraniak

Waraniak is a writer, journalistÌýand currentlyÌýan assistant editor at 5280 magazine in Denver. Originally from Detroit,Ìýhis work has also appeared in places like National Geographic books, Thrillist.comÌýand recentlyÌýin a book of essays titled The Detroit Neighborhood Guidebook.

Kaitlynn Fidler

Fidler is a senior talent resource consultant at Molson Coors International. SheÌýis responsible for leading the recruitment efforts inÌýinternational emerging markets with a primary focus on the commercial function. SheÌýis also supporting the global recruitment strategy, social media planning and reporting. FidlerÌýjoined Molson Coors in 2015 as a talent resource consultant with fiveÌýyears of previous staffing and corporate recruiting experience. SheÌýgraduated from Marquette University with a bachelor of science in finance and in commercial real estate.

Kaytia King

King is a Colorado organizing manager for FWD.us, a bipartisan organization started by key leaders in the tech and business community to promote policies to keep the United States competitive in a global economy, focusing onÌýimmigration reform and criminal justice reform. SheÌýis responsible for recruiting tech and business voices to engage with their members of Congress and amplifying the need for immigration reform.

Scott Prindle

Prindle is founder and chief technology officer at Made Movement, where he leads the digital team in creating some of the most effective and innovative technology in the industry. HeÌýspent 10 years as a developer and technology director at R/GA Interactive in New York, where, in addition to working on IBM and Ericsson platforms, he led the development of innovative digital platforms, including NIKEiD.com and other Nike properties.

His arrival at Crispin Porter + Bogusky marked the beginning of the agency's expansion into the digital space, where he helped lead the build-out of agency digital capabilities, including software development, emerging media innovation, mobile socialÌýand digital strategy. He was instrumental in helping CP+B achieve Digital Agency of the Year three times in five years and was recognized by Adweek as one of the industry's top 10 technologists in 2012.