Opening Keynote Speaker
DR. TAHAREE JACKSON

Dr. Jackson is the Senior Advisor for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility at the Department of
Defense. Prior to her role in the federal government, Dr. Jackson was the inaugural Diversity, Equity, and
Belonging Officer at the American Institute of Physics. She also served as the Expert Consultant to the
President and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program Manager at the National Defense University. She
joined public service after a 17-year career in academia, most recently at the University of Maryland
College Park. There she served as a professor, teacher educator, and researcher of Minority and Urban
Education in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership. Dr. Jackson a certified
Trainer of Diversity Trainers, a certified federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) counselor,
certified Alternate Dispute Resolution Mediator, and Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Program
(SHARP) Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC).
Closing Keynote Speaker
DR. CORI WONG

Caring Through the Why Behind Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Before we dive deep into equity, diversity, and inclusion, we ought to know why it matters within the broader context of the world we are trying to create. Too often we are encouraged to adopt practices intended to support greater equity, diversity, and inclusion without developing a fuller understanding of the purpose behind these efforts in the first place. This requires starting with a vision for liberation, imagining how the world we want to create looks and feels, and then recognizing everyday opportunities for incorporating that into all aspects of our lives, including how we approach our professional work. By connecting to diversity, equity, and inclusion in this way, we can uncover and develop more meaningful ways to advocate for equitable and inclusive systemic change, how to care for the most marginalized, and ways to build a culture of care throughout the nursing profession.
Wong's presentation will provide a conceptual framework for grounding EDI efforts in a vision of liberation, which will be useful for nurse educators themselves and how they teach others about the nursing profession, particularly through an EDI lens. Part of the distinction will be around the assumption of “resistance as a response to oppression” versus “liberation as a creation of alternative realities.”
There will be an opportunity for individuals to practice developing this vision of liberation with examples of how the liberation framework can ground everyday choices on multiple levels for individuals, groups, and within systems.
Attendees will:
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Develop deeper understanding of the connection between EDI and transforming the outcomes of existing oppressive systems
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Practice grounding themselves in a vision of liberation
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Begin make connections around how to understand challenges within the nursing profession through a lens of liberation that reveals everyday opportunities for doing things differently