NAB Show Symposium To Tackle Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The National Association of Broadcasters will host a Diversity Symposium on Sunday, April 24, from noon to 3:00 p.m. at the 2022 NAB Show in Las Vegas. The symposium, designed to help broadcast organizations develop corporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategies and embrace diversity in media and the workplace, is open to all NAB Show attendees.

“As a reflection of our culture and communities, it is more important than ever that the media create a workplace that fosters understanding and provides opportunities to people from all backgrounds,” said Michelle Duke, NAB’s chief diversity officer. “In this highly competitive job market, we are hyper focused this year on helping companies navigate the recruitment process and attract a diverse workforce. We are excited to engage, discuss and collaborate with NAB Show attendees on these timely issues.”

The symposium will kick off with a session titled “Removing Bias From the Hiring Process to Diversify Your Talent Pool,” moderated by Danyelle S.T. Wright, vice president of employment and labor law and chief diversity officer at the E.W. Scripps Co. Featuring Kevin Johnson, SFC United States Army (ret.) and director of veteran recruiting at Hearst Television, the session will provide insights from a panel of experts as they examine some of the common missteps that organizations make during the hiring cycle and offer tips to remove bias from the process and ensure DEI is top of mind.

Tegna Chief Diversity Officer Grady Tripp will moderate a panel with George Spencer, chief development officer at the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, and Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, titled “Pipeline Partnerships: Building a Diverse Pipeline to Attract Top Talent to Entry Level Opportunities at Your Station.” Attendees will hear from broadcasters and partner organizations that cultivate top-tier, diverse, entry-level talent who are ready to start their careers in every function from sales to engineering to finance.

Julia Yarbrough, communications consultant at Magid, will moderate “Start with Inclusion to Build the Brand and Attract the Best Talent.” Panelists Deborah Barrett, president of DH Barrett Solutions, the E.W. Scripps Head of Talent Acquisition Karen Hite and Jessica McFadden, head of marketing at Stories Incorporated, will discuss how employers can assess and reframe their culture to create a fully inclusive environment that embraces the entire team.

The symposium will conclude with a panel discussion titled “Representation Matters: Intersectionality On- and Off-Air.” Panelists Renee Summerour, Jenn Auh, Le’Andre Fox, Cassie Soto and Carrie Roper of the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s 7@7 team will explore how having the most diverse anchor desk in the Las Vegas market has led to the success of the newspaper’s digital newscast and the importance of intersectional diversity on- and off-camera.