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May 21, 2013 – NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Inclement weather couldn’t keep the crowd of more than 100 committed corporate leaders, educators, administrators, students, and volunteers from participating in the 2013 Diversity Stride Walk-a-Thon titled “Pace Yourself for Change” on May 19. Individuals and teams of walkers, donning plastic ponchos and holding umbrellas, marched passed the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island at Liberty State Park, NJ, to support our work with schools throughout New Jersey. These programs are designed to promote community unity and ensure respect for people of all races, faiths, ethnicities, sexual identities/expressions, and ages.

“You are our diversity champions of the day and bring us sunshine,” said Elizabeth Williams-Riley, President and CEO of the American Conference on Diversity, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Not only is it our annual walk today, but it’s our 65th anniversary. We continue each and every year to work together to educate tomorrow’s leaders.”

New Jersey: It’s not too late to “Pace Yourself for Change!” Join the American Conference on Diversity and make a donation to end bullying and discrimination. Go to http://americanconferenceondiversity.org today!

A special thanks to New Jersey City University (NJCU), the top college for participation in this year’s event, as well as Dickinson High School and Berkeley College for their continued support. We would also like to thank the nearly 30 dedicated volunteers from Bank of America, Provident Bank, and NJCU for their tireless efforts. In addition, generous support from the following corporate sponsors helped make the 2013 Diversity Stride Walk-a-Thon a success: ADP, Atlantic Health System, Day Pitney LLP, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Liberty House Restaurant & Catering, New Jersey Natural Gas, and PSEG.

Proceeds from this year’s Walk-a-Thon, which have already exceeded $50,000 and are still being tallied, help train and prepare students throughout New Jersey to lead our increasingly diverse schools, workplaces, and communities. Our youth and collegiate programs engage middle, high school, and college students; focus on diversity awareness, anti-bullying, and social-justice issues; promote leadership, communication, and facilitation skills; enhance civic responsibility and character development; teach communication and facilitation skills; develop human relations skills.

The following programs teach students to become change agents:

►Lead for Diversity is a year-long initiative beginning with a summer residential retreat experience. The program brings teams of students from high schools across New Jersey together. Students create Action Plans specific to their school district, which they implement throughout the school year.

►Manytown Human Relations Youth Forums are regional one-day programs, which provide the opportunity for students from diverse backgrounds to improve the climates in their schools and communities.

►School Swap brings together two demographically different schools so students can explore the disparities and similarities that exist among them. This program allows participants to experience a day in the life of their peers from different schools.

About the American Conference on Diversity

The programs, services, and initiatives of the American Conference on Diversity are among the most important work focused on creating a more inclusive society. It is the unfinished business of living in a highly diverse nation: educating and empowering our next generation of leaders; enhancing our workplaces; and helping to create inclusive communities. The American Conference on Diversity, which has been serving schools, organizations, workplaces, and communities in New Jersey since 1948, builds on a historic mission and creates programs and activities relevant and vital to 21st Century life. It is a journey we can all take together. The American Conference on Diversity operates eight chapters to help us to educate and empower leaders and bring our messages of inclusion and respect to communities throughout New Jersey: Atlantic County Chapter, Bayonne Chapter, Central Jersey Chapter, Essex County Chapter, Greater Bergen Chapter, Hudson County Chapter, Jersey Shore Chapter, and Mercer County Chapter. Visit www.AmericanConferenceonDiversity.org to learn more.

Contact:
Gail Zoppo
Media Relations Consultant
109 Church Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
gail@AmericanConferenceonDiversity.org
732-745-9330

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NJ Educators: Help Identify Potential Award Recipients by Nominating Outstanding High-School Students in Passaic & Bergen Counties

The post American Conference on Diversity Greater Bergen Chapter Announces a New Youth Leadership Award! appeared first on American Conference on Diversity.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — The American Conference on Diversity and L’Oréal USA will be co-hosting an exclusive forum for diversity and inclusion professionals June 6 titled “Reflections on Diversity: Defining Moments.” To be held at L’Oréal USA New Jersey headquarters in Berkeley Heights, this invitation-only event is part of the American Conference on Diversity’s 65th anniversary celebration designed to elevate and educate. Attendees, including chief diversity officers, EEO and affirmative action officers, diversity recruiters and human resource professionals, will network and learn best practices of workplace diversity from leaders in the profession.

Presenters will include:

►Award-winning Researcher Dr. Patrick F. McKay, Professor of Human Resource Management and Chair of the Human Resource Management department in the school of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. He will share data that reveals the value of diversity in bottom-line performance and how companies can engage all employees to gain a competitive business advantage. For example, Dr. McKay discovered in a large retail chain where both the manager and subordinates reported highly supportive climates for diversity, there was a 10 percent plus growth in annual sales.

►Honorable Rochelle Hendricks, New Jersey’s first Secretary of Higher Education, will discuss the intersection of diversity, higher education, and pipeline leadership. Secretary Hendricks has more than 20 years’ experience working on education issues in the Garden State. Appointed to the cabinet level post by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in May, she served previously as Acting Commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Education.

►Angela E. Guy, Senior Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion at L’Oréal USA, and Elizabeth Williams-Riley, President and CEO at American Conference on Diversity, will address defining moments in diversity management. Ms. Guy served as General Manager of SoftSheen-Carson, the number-one ethnic hair care brand in the world before being promoted to her current position in 2011. Ms. Guy is the newest member of the American Conference on Diversity Board of Trustees. She is the recipient of several awards and recognitions for both her business acumen and leadership. Ms. Williams-Riley has two decades of experience in diversity and inclusion and a wealth of insight on human relations and diversity initiatives for both adults and youth. She served as a key executive leader for the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), founded in 1927 as The National Conference of Christians and Jews.

To help spread the word about “Reflections on Diversity” via social media, please use the hashtag #DivReflections.

About L’Oréal USA

L’Oréal USA, headquartered in New York City, is the largest subsidiary of the L’Oréal Group, the world’s leading beauty company.  In addition to corporate headquarters in New York City, L’Oréal USA has Research and Innovation and Manufacturing and Distribution facilities across seven other states including Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey Ohio, Texas and Washington.  The company’s portfolio of leading brands includes Lancôme, Giorgio Armani Beauty, Yves Saint Laurent Beauté, Viktor & Rolf, Diesel, Cacharel, L’Oréal Paris, Garnier, Vichy, La Roche-Posay, L’Oréal Professionnel, Kérastase and Shu Uemura Art of Hair. The U.S. is the base for product development, international marketing and advertising of L’Oréal’s thirteen American brands: Maybelline New York, Soft-Sheen.Carson, Kiehl’s Since 1851, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Essie Cosmetics, Redken 5th Avenue NYC, Matrix, Mizani, Pureology, SkinCeuticals, Dermablend, Clarisonic and Urban Decay.  For more information on our brands visit www.lorealusa.com (https://mail.apptix.net/owa/redir.aspx?C=fd43bb931f794f3a…)  or follow us on Facebook at L’Oréal USA – Corporate Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/LOreal-USA-Corporate/26…) and Twitter @LOrealUSACorp.

About the American Conference on Diversity

The programs, services, and initiatives of the American Conference on Diversity are among the most important work focused on creating a more inclusive society. It is the unfinished business of living in a highly diverse nation: educating and empowering our next generation of leaders; enhancing our workplaces; and helping to create inclusive communities. The American Conference on Diversity, which has been serving schools, organizations, workplaces, and communities in New Jersey since 1948, builds on a historic mission and creates programs and activities relevant and vital to 21st Century life. It is a journey we can all take together. The American Conference on Diversity operates eight chapters to help us to educate and empower leaders and bring our messages of inclusion and respect to communities throughout New Jersey: Atlantic County Chapter, Bayonne Chapter, Central Jersey Chapter, Essex County Chapter, Greater Bergen Chapter, Hudson County Chapter, Jersey Shore Chapter, and Mercer County Chapter. Visit www.AmericanConferenceonDiversity.org to learn more.

Contact:
Gail Zoppo
Media Relations Consultant
109 Church Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Gail@AmericanConferenceonDiversity.org
732-745-9330

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — From the recent rash of hate crimes after the Boston Marathon bombing to the Oak Creek (Wisc.) massacre, senseless acts of violence against Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, and others because of the color of their skin, national origin, or religious beliefs are on the rise nationwide.

“Many of the issues we are facing today stem from a lack of positive interactions with differences,” says the American Conference on Diversity President and CEO Elizabeth Williams-Riley. “We need to provide more education to interrupt these negative attitudes and behaviors and prevent hate crimes. The Educators’ Institute gives teachers the tools and skills to effective implement multicultural education!”

Now in its eighth year, the American Conference on Diversity, in cooperation with the Peter Sammartino School of Education at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) and with generous support from Wells Fargo Bank, will offer “The Power of Educators: Creating Multicultural Learning Environments” through our Educators’ Institute in June and July. The intensive four-day course combines instruction, experiential activities, facilitated dialogue, and small group work for teachers, administrators, counselors, and teachers-in-training who are interested in building more inclusive and affirming classrooms.

The featured presenter will be one of our 2012 Greater Bergen Chapter Humanitarian Award honorees and published author, Fairleigh Dickinson University Associate Professor of Education Dr. Khyati Y. Joshi. “We all have biases and we have to learn to recognize them,” says Dr. Joshi. “This Institute aims to do just that.”

Educators receive 28 CEUs for participating in the Educators’ Institute series, which will be offered twice. From June 25-28, the series will be held at FDU’s College at Florham. From July 9- 12, the series will be held at FDU’s Metropolitan Campus. The Institute will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

The registration fee is $265. Breakfast, lunch, and all program materials are included. Advance registration is required at http://summereducatorsinstitute2013.kintera.org.  Non-refundable registration fees apply. Please register by 5 p.m. EDT May 24, for the June session, and June 21 for the July session.

What Have Attendees Said About Our Educators’ Institute?

“The Educators’ Institutes I attended were informational and provided me with the tools I need to face the problems that come with urban education in a multicultural setting. The American Conference on Diversity Educators’ Institutes have paved the way for me, as a teacher, to begin to do something about the educational gap that exists in my classroom. I am fortunate to have learned many valuable lessons and I have continued to direct this information to other teachers in my department.”

–Erma Percival, Dept. Coordinator, Applied Tech, Business, Family & Consumer Science, Dickinson High School, Jersey City, NJ

About Dr. Khyati Y. Joshi

Dr. Joshi’s work intersects racial, religious, and all other dimensions of diversity and inclusion. A passionate advocate for multicultural education, she has devoted her career to educating leaders and educators about the value of inclusive education. She has presented her research at the White House, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and as a host of academic conferences. Prior to joining FDU’s faculty, Dr. Joshi was a visiting assistant professor at the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race at Columbia University. She has written numerous publications, including her book, New Roots in America’s Sacred Ground: Religion, Race, and Ethnicity in Indian America (Rutgers, 2006), which won the 2007 Phillip C. Chinn Book Award from the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME).  She co-edited Understanding Religious Oppression and Christian Privilege (Sense, 2008). She has co-authored chapters on religious oppression and immigration, racism, and globalization for the second editions of Readings for Diversity and Social Justice and Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice. Dr. Joshi was the Religion, Schools, and Society section editor for the Encyclopedia on Diversity in Education.

About the American Conference on Diversity

The programs, services, and initiatives of the American Conference on Diversity are among the most important work focused on creating a more inclusive society. It is the unfinished business of living in a highly diverse nation: educating and empowering our next generation of leaders; enhancing our workplaces; and helping to create inclusive communities. The American Conference on Diversity, which has been serving schools, organizations, workplaces, and communities in New Jersey since 1948, builds on a historic mission and creates programs and activities relevant and vital to 21st Century life. It is a journey we can all take together. The American Conference on Diversity operates eight chapters to help us to educate and empower leaders and bring our messages of inclusion and respect to communities throughout New Jersey: Atlantic County Chapter, Bayonne Chapter, Central Jersey Chapter, Essex County Chapter, Greater Bergen Chapter, Hudson County Chapter, Jersey Shore Chapter, and Mercer County Chapter. Visit www.AmericanConferenceonDiversity.org to learn more.

Contact:
Gail Zoppo
Media Relations Consultant
109 Church Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
gail@AmericanConferenceonDiversity.org
732-745-9330

The post How to Stop the Cycle of Hate: Education, Education, Education! appeared first on American Conference on Diversity.

Apr. 25, 2013 - NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – The American Conference on Diversity extends a warm congratulations to the following companies for making The 2013 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity and specialty lists. We are proud to have executive leaders who are influential in driving diversity and inclusion success within each of these organizations as members of our Board of Trustees. Their unwavering commitment to change management and to promote the American Conference on Diversity mission in New Jersey is evident by their presence on this prestigious list.

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New Brunswick, NJ (April 24, 2013) – The American Conference on Diversity is proud to announce that Mitchell S. Landis, senior vice president and regional manager of Boston Properties’ Princeton office, is the recipient of our 2013 Commercial Real Estate Humanitarian Award. Please join us in honoring this extraordinary corporate and community leader June 5 (11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.) at Mayfair Farms in West Orange, N.J.

Mr. Landis works tirelessly to enrich lives, build communities, and promote social justice among the diverse population of New Jersey. When he isn’t overseeing a staff responsible for the marketing and leasing, property management and construction services, legal and lease administration of approximately 85 tenants in the Princeton region for Boston Properties, Mr. Landis serves as commissioner and chairman of the Highland Park Redevelopment Agency and the Recreational Advisory Committee. This follows two years as a founding director of Main Street Highland Park. In addition, at the commercial real estate development association NAIOP, he serves as treasurer and trustee of the Developer’s Political Action Committee, is vice president of Membership and Communications for NAIOP NJ, and is a member of the Public Affairs Committee.

Along with his wife, Linda and four children, Mr. Landis founded and continues to run Highland Park Buddy Ball, an organization that teaches sports to children with disabilities. Mr. Landis also serves as chairman of the board of New Brunswick Tomorrow, director of several local boards, including the Jewish Social Services Committee of Middlesex County and the Parkinson Alliance of Princeton, and chairman of the board of the Raritan Valley Workshop (a division of Easter Seals). He recently served as director of Prevent Child Abuse – NJ.

Mr. Landis’ passion to serve others began in college when he volunteered for five years as a Big Brother. He dedicated a significant amount of time coordinating and running the New York University Big Brother/ Big Sisters program, placing more than 100 students each year with children who needed mentors. After his sophomore year in college, following a tradition set by his parents and older siblings, Mr. Landis traveled to Ghana, building homes with Operation Crossroads Africa. During his 20s, he ran a children’s camp in upstate New York for four summers and served in the Coast Guard Reserves for 6 years. Mr. Landis joined Boston Properties in June 1998 when the assets of The Landis Group, for which he was chief operating officer, were acquired. For 19 years prior to that, he owned and operated Landis Food Services, a restaurant franchiser and owner in the Northeast United States and Canada.

“Mr. Landis not only helps to build New Jersey communities through commercial real estate, but he embodies our organization’s mission and vision by leveling the playing field for all through his outstanding philanthropic efforts,” says American Conference on Diversity President and CEO Elizabeth Williams-Riley. “We are honored to present him with our 2013 Commercial Real Estate Humanitarian Award!”

 To reserve your seat, register, and get directions to Mayfair Farms, please visit http://2013commercialrealestateluncheon.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1058863. Proceeds from this event will help support American Conference on Diversity programs designed to promote understanding and respect among people of all races, religions, and cultures.

Lead sponsors of our 2013 Commercial Real Estate Luncheon include T & M Associates, Elberon Development Co., The Landis Group, Mountain Development Corp., Sills Cummis & Gross P.C., Boston Properties, and Mandelbaum & Mandelbaum.

About Boston Properties

Boston Properties, a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT), is one of the largest owners, managers, and developers of Class A office properties in the United States, with a significant presence in five markets: Boston, New York, Princeton, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. The Company was founded in 1970 by Mortimer B. Zuckerman and Edward H. Linde in Boston, where it maintains its headquarters. Boston Properties became a public company in June 1997 and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “BXP.” Boston Properties is well-known for its in-house building management expertise and responsiveness to tenants’ needs. The Company holds a superior track record in developing premium Central Business District (CBD) office buildings, suburban office centers, and build-to-suit projects for the U.S. government and a diverse array of creditworthy tenants.

 About the American Conference on Diversity

The programs, services, and initiatives of the American Conference on Diversity are among the most important work focused on creating a more inclusive society. It is the unfinished business of living in a highly diverse nation: educating and empowering our next generation of leaders; enhancing our workplaces; and helping to create inclusive communities. The American Conference on Diversity, which has been serving schools, organizations, workplaces, and communities in New Jersey since 1948, builds on a historic mission and creates programs and activities relevant and vital to 21st Century life. It is a journey we can all take together. The American Conference on Diversity operates eight chapters to help us to educate and empower leaders and bring our messages of inclusion and respect to communities throughout New Jersey: Atlantic County Chapter, Bayonne Chapter, Central Jersey Chapter, Essex County Chapter, Greater Bergen Chapter, Hudson County Chapter, Jersey Shore Chapter, and Mercer County Chapter. Visit www.AmericanConferenceonDiversity.org to learn more.

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Apr. 16, 2013 - NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – The American Conference on Diversity Hudson County chapter is pleased to announce the 2013 Humanitarian Awards, honoring three diverse community leaders who will be recognized at our Annual Humanitarian Awards Luncheon May 2 in Jersey City, NJ. This year’s awards luncheon also marks our organization’s 65th anniversary of valuing diversity and promoting respect in communities, schools, and workplaces throughout New Jersey.

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