Florence Chamber hosts diversity summit
By: Tonya Brown, WPDE
Florence, S.C. (WPDE) — More than 60 people took part in the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce’s 2018 “Building Bridges Diversity Summit” Monday at the Floyd Conference Center on the campus of Carolinas Hospital.
This year’s event featured a day-long group experience on racial and cultural diversity and competence.
The keynote speaker was President of Claflin University Dr. Henry N. Tisdale.
Panelists included Toyinda Smith with Leadership Strategy and Consulting, LLC, Octavia Williams-Blake with McLeod Health and Florence City Council, Dr. Erica James with Francis Marion University, Doris Lockhart with AccuStaff and Michele Pridgen with Honda of South Carolina Mfg., Inc.
The topics of discussion included racial and cultural sensitivity issues and women in the workplace.
Dr. Tisdale also talked about the impact of inclusive leadership in the business community across the state of South Carolina.
Chamber officials said “Building Bridges” serves as the premier diversity and inclusion program in the Pee Dee region and allowed for more in-depth discussions focused in a one-day event, rather than a multi-week program as in years’ past.
“With practical solutions that we are offering in this training, we feel very confident that this will go a long way in actual practical use,” said Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce Director, Community and Minority Enterprise Les Echols.
