Deanna Singh wants to live in a world where marginalized communities have power. As an expert social entrepreneur, she is obsessed with making the world a better place, and she will build or break systems to create positive change. While tackling complex social challenges, Deanna gives audiences the tools and courage to imagine, activate, and impact the world as agents of change. She is described as a trailblazer and dynamic speaker who is at the forefront of social change. She is an award-winning author, educator, business leader, and social justice champion who speaks to over 50,000 people annually!
Deanna’s current projects include serving as lead instructor for the Professional Certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offered through University of Wisconsin’s Center for Professional and Executive Development and publishing two new books: Actions Speak Louder (Penguin Random House; released Spring 2022) and a new book for American Girl (released 2021).
Singh earned her Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Fordham University, a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University, and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She has been recognized by the Milwaukee Business Journal as one of the community’s most influential 40 Under 40 Leaders, the State of Wisconsin as a Women Who Inspires, and by Forbes as an African American Woman Everyone Should Know.
Introduction to DEI
The Power of Inclusion
Leading to Equity
Talking Across Differences
This introductory session will provide your team with foundational language, key terminology and concepts related to diversity, equity and inclusion. During this session, your team will gain an understanding of how diversity, equity and inclusion topics relate to the workplace and can help improve their organization.
This session will explore strategies for creating a more inclusive workplace culture. During this session, your team will consider common obstacles to inclusion and examine how inclusive practices benefit an organization. Your team will walk away with the tools to brainstorm methods for inclusion specific to your organization.
This session will explore common workplace exclusions that impact marginalized communities within all levels of an organization. During this session, your team will understand common reasons for exclusion, and walk away with strategies for identifying, preventing and overcoming them.
This session will provide strategies for acknowledging, celebrating, and conversing about differences in ways that improve workplace environments. During this session, your team will consider why leaders ignore differences, look at the benefits of talking across differences, survey best practices for structuring this conversation and brainstorm methods specific to your organization.
The Business Case for DEI
Personalizing Your Inclusion Plan
DEI Strategizing
Inclusive Leadership
Special Topic Workshops
We all are familiar with some common misconceptions of diversity, equity and inclusion, the most popular being that DEI is a political or moral issue and has no real benefit to organizations. This session will explore how DEI benefits not just marginalized groups, but everyone. During this session, your leaders will explore how diversity, equity and inclusion achieves business objectives, impacts organizational financials and brainstorm strategies for implementing DEI in ways that benefits everyone.
This session will help leaders take inventory of the responsibilities, skills, and interests they already have then figure out how to modify those preexisting characteristics so they are both more inclusive and more effective. Your leaders will learn how to personalize a plan that connects inclusivity initiatives and other organizational strategies in ways that improve both.
It is well documented that diversity, equity and inclusion has the ability to improve the productivity, profitability, and mission fulfillment of an organization. The organizations that see the greatest impact are those that translate learning into action. During this session, your leaders will identify which strategies to prioritize, pinpoint which ones align with organizational goals, specify which techniques are sustainable and articulate details for implementation.
For maximum impact, this session works best when the organization has had at least one previous session with Uplifting Impact
This session will provide strategies to review leadership styles, skills, and responsibilities through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion, considering how more inclusive approaches to strategizing, motivating, decision making, and leadership can improve entire organizations. During this session, your leaders will define DEI as a leadership value, survey the benefits of inclusive leadership and identify strategies for implementing it.
The Special Topic Workshops provides your leaders with an opportunity to strategize how diversity, equity and inclusion can be implemented operationally within your organization.
Moving beyond the conceptual, these sessions provide opportunities for drafting and reviewing specific techniques. Topics for these workshops are customizable to your organization. Session topics include, but are not limited to:
The KNOW Woman
100 Women to Know Across America
Milwaukee
Talking About Race as Young Teens
Thrive
Why Your Hustle Needs Purpose