Ascent: Inclusion & Diversity

Ascent strives to motivate and to educate decision-makers on the business case and best practices for inclusive workplaces and events. Learn more about this initiative.

Pragya Agarwal

Agarwal, a Forbes magazine contributor, works with organizations and individuals to help them think outside the box and make mental health and equality a priority.

January 2, 2019

Amy Blankson

TechWell collaborates with innovators, thought leaders, coaches, and educators to balance well-being and productivity in the technological age. Blankson is also the bestselling author of The Future of Happiness: 5 Modern Strategies for Balancing Productivity and Well-Being in the Digital Era.

January 2, 2019

Lisa Wang

SheWorx is a global collective of female entrepreneurs who are redefining leadership. A U.S. champion gymnast turned “serial entrepreneur,” Wang hosts the podcast “Enoughness.”

January 2, 2019

Vernā Myers

A Harvard-trained lawyer and veteran culture expert, Myers is the author of “Moving Diversity Forward: How to Go From Well-Meaning to Well-Doing.”

January 2, 2019

Whitney Johnson

Johnson is an expert on disruptive innovation and personal disruption, a framework she codifies in her books “Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work” and “Build an A-Team: Play to Their Strengths and Lead them Up the Learning Curve.” She’s a frequent contributor to the “Harvard Business Review.”

January 1, 2019

Wanda Johnson: ‘My Leadership Style Starts with Respect’

In November, Wanda Johnson, CMP, CAE, was appointed the CEO of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN), following a 26-year career at the Endocrine Society, where she

BY Michelle Russell December 28, 2018

What 5 Meeting Trends Will We Be Keeping an Eye on in 2019?

Five Convene editors looked back over 2018, asking this question: What’s one meeting trend we’ll be keeping an eye on in 2019?

BY Convene Editors December 27, 2018

Geena Davis to Give Closing Address at PCMA Convening Leaders 2019

Academy-award winning actor and gender-equality activist Geena Davis will be the closing keynote speaker at PCMA Convening Leaders 2019, PCMA announced Dec. 24.

BY Cristi Kempf December 26, 2018

Leila Hoteit

Named last year as among the 100 most influential women in the Middle East by Forbes, Dr. Hoteit leads Boston Consulting Group’s education and human-capital development work in the region.

December 23, 2018

Omar Johnson

Johnson is the former CMO at Beats by Dre, and former VP of marketing at Apple. Adweek named Johnson a “Brand Genius” in 2013, and Business Insider named him one of the “Most Innovative CMOs” in 2016. He attributes part of his success to the diverse team he assembled at Beats.

December 23, 2018

Bizzabo Finds ‘Pretty Big Discrepancy’ in Speaker Diversity

A new study uses AI facial-recognition technology to spotlight gender inequity among speakers at events around the world.

BY Casey Gale December 20, 2018

Why Elizabeth Shoesmith Launched The Inclusive Foundation

One bad conference experience led Elizabeth Shoesmith — one of PCMA’s Ascent Luminaries, a series made possible by VisitDallas —to launch The Inclusive Foundation. Is your event guilty of the same thing?

December 13, 2018

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