Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Resources 
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) requires intentionality. The WSIA Diversity Foundation promotes attracting and retaining diverse individuals into the wholesale, specialty and surplus lines insurance industry including, but not limited to, race, gender, disability, veteran status, those in the LGBTQ+ community, underserved or disadvantaged communities, and individuals experiencing hardships. We want to influence meaningful progress in the diversity of the wholesale, specialty and surplus lines insurance industry and its talent pipeline and to do this, we must have a variety of individuals that experience our world differently. WSIA is committed to providing tools to help members enhance this effort with ongoing learning and application. As a component of the WSIA Diversity Foundation's strategies, DE&I resources are available to WSIA members to assist and educate you wherever you are on your DE&I journey. Follow the WSIA Diversity Foundation on LinkedIn and WSIA on LinkedIn and for frequent updates.
Upcoming DE&I Webinars
Inclusion resources referenced in webinars
WEBINAR: Inclusion Through Collaboration
May 21, 2024 | 9:00 a.m. CT
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Hear about the impact of internal and external collaboration from where to start, having critical conversations, setting expectations and outcomes, and tracking progress to help you advance your disability inclusion efforts.
Presenters:
- Krista Gartelos, Dairy Farmers of America
- Pauline Schwanitz, Magna Electric Vehicle Structures
- Kathy Cooper, Enterprise Bank & Trust
Presented by the Center for Disability Inclusion (CDI) and available to WSIA members thanks to our partnership with CDI.
WEBINAR: Cultivating Inclusive Spaces: Addressing Microagressions
August 6 | 12:00 p.m. CT
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Cultivating inclusive spaces microaggressions are one of the most insidious practices shaping workplace culture. As leaders, it is our responsibility to leverage our influence and authority to create spaces that allow people to engage free of distress and disrespect. In the session, participants will explore the values that shape their behavior, apply new learning and hone the skills needed to cultivate cultures of respect, creativity and enjoyment.
Presented by:
Dr. Mylene Culbreath
WEBINAR: The Intersectionality of Disability
October 8 | 1:00 p.m. CT
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Presented by: Meaghan Walls
DE&I Webinars | Watch On Demand
WEBINAR: Emotional Intelligence - The Secret Ingredient to Your Success
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Move beyond the basics of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and uncover what gifted leaders know about how to build deep and productive relationships. Learn how EI starts inward before focusing on the key skills and habits to have a positive impact on people, teams, and company culture.
WEBINAR: Becoming an Inclusive Leader
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Every employee wants a mentor they can confide in and be their true and authentic self. This session provides practical ways to run inclusive meetings, signature traits inclusive leaders hold and steps to develop them, opportunities for personal growth and reflection and ways to be more intentional about the mentorship and sponsorship of your people.
WEBINAR: Disability Inclusion in the Workplace
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Presented by Darla Wilkerson, Center for Disability Inclusion, CEO, this session is focused on building a foundation of mindfulness for attendees by highlighting employment statistics for people with disabilities, a basic understanding of unconscious bias, myths and misconceptions about disability, accommodations and disability etiquette. This training is designed for all audiences such as new hires, work teams, HR, employee resource groups, DEI councils, managers, executives and those who are responsible for diversity strategies within the company.
WEBINAR: 7 Essentials for Creating Psychological Safety - The Leaders' Blueprint
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Being a leader comes with responsibility to create an environment where people feel open to discuss challenges, accelerate good ideas and make changes for the better. This session provides actionable tips to help leaders incorporate psychological safety into daily practice.
WEBINAR: The Empathy Advantage: Creating Inclusive Environments through Conscious Empathy
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This session provides leaders with the tools and insights to strengthen their ability to apply conscious empathy in the workplace. Practicing this behavior creates an environment which grounds employees in a culture of inclusion, belonging and value.
WEBINAR: Retaining Diverse Talent
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Join us for a 45-minute discussion of advancing opportunities for diverse talent in collaboration with The Institutes. While the insurance industry is making great strides in DE&I, it continues to be less racially diverse than other industries, and that creates challenges in retaining talent. During this webinar, the panelists will discuss corporate constructs that disable retention and advancement opportunities and offer insights into practices that reimagine both recruitment and retention.
Panelists:
- Vanessa Sims, WSIA
- Sean Kevelighan, Insurance Information Institute
- Rebekah Ratliff, Capital City Mediations, LLC
- Amy Cole-Smith, The Institutes (Moderator)
WEBINAR: Racial Injustice Stops With Me
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What is racial injustice? How does it impact persons of color in the modern world of work? Join this webcast for a meaningful conversation around how to recognize racial advantage and use your knowledge to become an ally for racial justice both personally and professionally.
To get the most out of this webinar, we recommend you check out these Terms to Know and pre-work as well as the webinar handout so you're best prepared to participate!
Blue Ocean Brain Microlearning Platform
The WSIA Diversity Foundation partners with Blue Ocean Brain to deliver customized microlearning content each month to help you and your firm enhance your DE&I culture and give you actionable tools to implement and share. These are resources that will help interested member firms elevate and develop their thinking on a variety of DE&I-related topics at any stage of their DE&I planning.
Blue Ocean Brain Microlearning Platform
Check out a platform demo here. If you are interested in becoming a full licensee so you can dive deeper into this content and share it with colleagues, contact Vanessa Sims, [email protected].
Other past DE&I webinars from WSIA and Blue Ocean Brain
Inclusion Themes and Resources for Members
WSIA compiles a chart of inclusion themes and resources to help you explore various diversity, equity and inclusion topics by month, either for your own interest or to share with others on your team. These are organized around cultural awareness months and include resources you can read, view or listen to, along with ally tips that create an actionable plan for you. Calendar and resources coming soon!
Cultural Awareness Social Media Banners
Check out this library of cultural awareness images that you can use on your own LinkedIn and Twitter profiles to help raise awareness and celebrate various social themes.
Mentorship Resource Suite
WSIA’s Diversity Foundation introduces resources for mentees and mentors. Mentorship is an effective way to develop talent in our industry. Creating effective and sustained mentorship through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion can be challenging, but WSIA and the WSIA Diversity Foundation have resources to help you increase awareness of self and others, which is key to a healthy and productive mentor/mentee relationship.
Become a CEO Action Signatory
WSIA has joined CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, a growing coalition of more than 2,000 CEOs from more than 80 industries pledging to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. WSIA has taken the CEO Action pledge, joining several other WSIA member firms, committing to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace and our industry.
WSIA and other CEO Action signatories agree to:
WSIA DE&I Practitioners Forum
WSIA hosts a quarterly, one-hour forum for diversity, equity and inclusion practitioners (DE&I) and anyone responsible for creating and guiding DE&I strategies for WSIA member firms. This is a safe space to collaborate, share best practices and learn from one another in a supportive, interactive setting. Learn more and check out recent meeting materials.