Opening Keynote Speaker: Omékongo Dibinga, PhD, MA, BS.

"Finding Common Ground in Uncommon Times"

Wednesday, August 5, 2020 | 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM EDT

Description: The purpose of this keynote session is for participants to explore what unites them as opposed to what divides them. We live in a society that is becoming increasingly polarized but even in our darkest moments, there are areas where we can all shine. Participants will learn how to have difficult conversations, how to challenge implicit biases, and how to build a community where differences are not just tolerated but celebrated!

This program is valid for 1.00 PDC for the SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP®.

Omékongo Dibinga, PhD, MA, BS.
The UPstander
UPstander International

“Why settle for outstanding when you can be UPstanding?” 

Dr. Omékongo Dibinga is the UPstander. His life’s mission is to inspire all across the globe to take a stand when they witness an injustice, no matter how small or large. He is a motivational speaker, trilingual poet, TV talk show host, rapper, and professor of cross-cultural communication at American University. His Urban Music Award-winning work has best been described by Nikki Giovanni as “outstanding, exciting, and new while being very old.” His book, From the Limbs of My Poetree, was described byEssence Magazine as “a remarkable and insightful collection of exquisite poetry that touches sacred places within your spirit.” He was one of 5 international recipients out of 750,000 to win the first-ever “CNN iReport Spirit Award.” He has received over 1,000,000 views on CNN.com. 

Omékongo’s writings and performances have appeared in O Magazine, as well as on TV and radio fromCNN, BET, and the BBC to NPR, Music Choice, and Voice of Americain millions of homes in over 150 countries. He has also written songs for major motion pictures as well as organizations such as NASA and the Enough! Project. He has spoken before the United Nations, partners with the State Department to conduct youth leadership trainings overseas, and speaks to leadership and youth student conferences across the country. Omékongo’s music and writings have appeared alongside artists such as Sheryl Crow, Angelina Jolie, Norah Jones, Damien Rice, Angelique Kidjo, Don Cheadle, and Mos Def. He has shared the stage with Wyclef Jean, OutKast, Sonia Sanchez, Dennis Brutus, Emmanuelle Chriqui, The Last Poets, and NFL great Aaron Rodgers. Internationally, he has shared his work in over 20 countries on 3 continents. 

Omékongo has studied at Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Georgetown, Morehouse, and The Fletcher School, where he earned his M.A. in Law & Diplomacy. He earned his Ph.D. in International Education Policy at The University of Maryland (UMD) where his dissertation centered on the global hip-hop phenomenon and Jay-Z. At UMD, he also worked with the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Teaching Diverse Students Initiative.” He worked for four years as the lead Teaching Assistant to Dr. Michael Eric Dyson at Georgetown University. He provides leadership, educational and diversity empowerment as a consultant and motivational speaker for organizations, associations and institutions. He has featured/lectured nationwide in venues from TEDx and Harvard to Russell Simmons’ Hip-Hop Summit and the Nuyorican Poets Café. His rap mixtape series “Bootleg” promotes positive hip-hop with remixes of songs by Tupac, Notorious BIG, Jay Z, Nas, 50 Cent, and others. His 1,000,000 Youth Campaign has directly impacted over100,000 youth across the globe to date. He has also partnered with Intel on its campaign to make their computer processors free of minerals that come from the war in the Congo. 

Omékongo has published and produced 7 books, 7-fusion music and motivational CDs, and one independent DVD. His motivational book G.R.O.W. Towards Your Greatness! 10 Steps to Living Your Best Life has received praise from great motivational speakers such as Willie Jolley. His most recent book “The UPstander’s Guide to an Outstanding Life” is a life balance book for students. For more information, please visit www.upstanderinternational.com.

 Closing Keynote Speaker: Farouk Dey, PhD 

"#ReimagineU - Designing Equity in Higher Education and Talent Acquisition"

Thursday, August 6, 2020 | 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM EDT 

Description: Economic changes, technological advances, and generational trends are the impetus behind the rapid paradigm shifts we are witnessing in education, career development, and the world of work. These shifts are changing how people design their lives and careers, how universities structure curricula and academic experience, and how organizations hire and retain talent.

Based on his research and extensive experience at Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, and Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Farouk Dey identified inequities in life and career outcomes for under-represented minorities that are largely due to the transactional systems in higher education and talent acquisition. In this provocative keynote about the future, he shares the new themes that define how people achieve their life purpose and recommends future directions for educational institutions and hiring organizations in order to achieve equity for all graduates.

In the new and evolving digital age, equity must be our ultimate vision and outcome, scale should become our main value proposition, data drives our decisions and resources, and the path to one’s life purpose must transcend conventional transactional approaches in order to be accessible to all regardless of background or social capital.

This program is valid for 1.00 PDC for the SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP®.	The use of this seal confirms that this activity has met HR Certification Institute’s® (HRCI®) criteria for recertification credit pre-approval. (1.00)

Farouk Dey, PhD
Vice Provost of Integrative Learning and Life Design
Johns Hopkins University

In his inaugural role as Vice Provost for Integrative Learning and Life Design at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Farouk Dey leads programs and services that bridge curricular and experiential learning with life aspirations for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and alumni across the university’s schools and divisions. In his former role as Dean of Career and Experiential Education at Stanford University, he successfully built and scaled career and experiential learning by creating a vision of meaningful work and a networked approach of personalized connections and inclusive communities. He is now working with education and industry leaders at Johns Hopkins University to launch a new vision of equitable access to life purpose for all students regardless of background or social capital using principles of integrative learning and life design.

Dr. Dey has held senior leadership and board roles at Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, the University of Florida, the National Association for Colleges and Employers (NACE), the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), and various startups and non-profit organizations. His credentials include a PhD in Higher Education Administration, EdS in Higher Education Administration, MBA, MEd in Counseling Psychology, and BBA in Finance.

A native of Algeria, Dr. Dey has been involved in education since a young age and has developed a passion for helping people and organizations achieve their ultimate potential. He was named one of LinkedIn’s Top Ten Voices in Education and is recognized in higher education circles for his thought-provoking writings, engaging speaking, and transformational leadership. Dr. Dey has served as a consultant for many organizations and universities, faculty at several institutes, and keynote speaker at many conferences in the US and around the world. Most notably, he led a four-year Department of State initiative to build career education and talent development programs at universities throughout the Philippines, taught transformative leadership courses for the Ministry of Education in Singapore, hosted dozens of international delegations from around the world, and delivered keynotes at conferences in Austria, Algeria, Egypt, France, Germany, Korea, Russia, and across the United States. The central theme of his work has been inclusion and equity of access to education and opportunity for all people regardless of background or social capital.