Pre-Conference Diversity Session: How to Be an Inclusive Leader for Justice and Equity
By Hugh T. Ferguson, NASFAA Senior Staff Reporter
The 2022 NASFAA Virtual Conference kicked off its first session on Monday with a conversation geared toward promoting student success by focusing on inclusivity within the financial aid profession and the higher education community.
Attendees learned how to use their leadership skills to build an inclusive workplace, combat bias and learn key lessons about fostering community.
The conversation was spearheaded by Dr. Artika Tyner, the founding director of the Center on Race, Leadership and Social Justice at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, who has organized policy campaigns, fostered restorative justice practices, developed social entrepreneurship initiatives, and promoted assets-based community development.
Tyner’s presentation provided practical strategies for participants to effect change through reflecting on, and grappling with, unconscious and implicit biases, encouraging honest discussions, and taking action to change organizational behavior for the better.
Really appreciating the Inclusive Leader pre-conference session for the #NASFAA virtual conference this morning. Thank you @DrArtikaTyner
— Melissa (she/her) (@melissahaberman) July 11, 2022
Each participant was presented with a toolkit that will help them develop the insights needed to reimagine their roles as innovators, builders, and change agents.
In the presentation Tyner also defined leadership, outlined policy solutions, and prompted an interactive dialogue, where participants could respond to the presentation to leverage their strengths in ways that can help inclusion at their institutions come alive.
Tyner’s presentation offered financial aid administrators strategic plans and critical thinking exercises to help them use their influence to model inclusive behaviors that can promote better environments on college campuses.
“When we are on this journey, what we are really realizing is that it is not just one gathering,” Tyner said. “What we are embarking on is a leadership journey that's often mistaken for a destination, that it's one more course, one more class, one more conversation, one more assessment. But truly I am talking about a way of life and community building.”
You can still register for the 2022 Virtual Conference through Friday, July 15. For the cost of just $250, everyone on your NASFAA roster can participate, and have access to session recordings for one year. Stay tuned for highlights from the conference this week!
Publication Date: 7/12/2022
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