Inclusive Talent Strategies Essential for Business Success

Reimagining the Future of Talent: A multi-generational dialogue at Spelman College

ATLANTA, Sept. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — In partnership with Spelman College, Tapestry Networks brought together corporate leaders, faculty, and students for a knowledge exchange on Reimagining the Future of Talent. Held on Spelman’s Atlanta campus during National HBCU Week, the dialogue focused on how companies are adapting their talent strategies to shifts in workforce demographics, changing expectations from younger workers, and seismic developments in technology. Corporate executives and board members joined from over 40 organizations, including Accenture, AIG, Boston Scientific, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cigna, The Coca-Cola Company, Google, Novartis, Salesforce, Warner Brothers, Kohl’s, Honeywell, Celsius, LHH, Arthur M Blank Family Foundation, and Assemble.fyi. Leading academic administrators, faculty, and students engaged in the conversation, coming from Spelman College, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, Georgetown University, and Brown University.

“Corporations are seeking talent that challenges their thinking”, said Dr. Marsha H. Ershaghi, Managing Director, Tapestry Networks. “Companies are doubling down on talent. They realize that if they don’t make strategic investments in inclusive talent pathways, they will be left behind.” Participants said that curiosity and making a contribution were at the core of the career paths most attractive to today’s students.

Healthcare, as a sector facing an acute talent crisis, was profiled as a case study. “Who and how we educate matters. Improved health outcomes are evident when patient-provider relationships reflect similarities in race, ethnicity, and gender,” said Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, President and Dean of Morehouse School of Medicine. Dr. Elizabeth Cameron, Senior Advisor to the Brown Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health discussed the need for public private partnerships to create learning pathways across the healthcare ecosystem. Gabrielle Evans, Spelman alumna and Health Equity Scholar at the Brown University School of Public Health illustrated her personal journey, and the corporate leaders were impressed by the students’ career foresight.

Spelman President Dr. Helene Gayle reflected on the uniqueness of the knowledge exchange. “The global trends indicate we’re going to have a more diverse workforce and that the workers of the future expect and want diversity in their work environment. I think we will have the most productive workplaces when we value the unique contributions everyone brings and allow people to be their authentic selves.” Faculty leaders of Spelman initiatives such as Spelpreneur, the Center for Black Entrepreneurship, Spelman Health Careers, and Computer and Information Sciences all contributed to the conversation.

Participants agreed on the need for change. “The workplace experiences of Black Americans are different,” said one; “Oftentimes people of color, particularly African Americans, experience racial or ethnic discrimination, bias in hiring, or performance evaluations that don’t tap into what they contribute. And therefore, oftentimes there’s less opportunity for advancement. We can’t have that. We have to examine why that exists and think about the systemic things we can do to make a difference.”

About Tapestry Networks

Tapestry Networks brings world-class leaders together to tackle complex challenges and promote positive change through the power of connected thinking. Learn more at: https://www.tapestrynetworks.com/.

About Spelman College

Spelman College, a global leader in the education of women of African descent, is dedicated to academic excellence in the liberal arts and sciences and the intellectual, creative, ethical and leadership development of its students. For 18 years, Spelman has been number 1 in the US News and World Report ranking of historically Black colleges and universities. Its 2,100 students come from 43 US states and 11 countries. Learn more at https://www.spelman.edu/. 

Media Relations Contact:

Denise Ward, Spelman Associate Vice President for Communications and Marketing

[email protected]

Media Relations Contact:

Amy Christenson, Tapestry Networks Managing Director, Operations

[email protected]

SOURCE Tapestry Networks

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