Deborah ElamThe Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday hosted a half-day summit highlighting diversity and inclusion in the 21st century workplace.
The summit was held on June 19, also known as Juneteenth, the celebrated anniversary of Texas abolishing slavery in 1865, and featured breakout sessions led by industry professionals and a lunch program keynoted by diversity expert Deborah Elam.
“It is so encouraging to hear the focus the Chamber of Commerce is putting on creating opportunities for all the people in our community to thrive academically and economically,” WTVC-Channel 9 Anchor Greg Funderburg said ahead of the keynote. “We recognize that it hasn’t always been this way and we recognize that a legacy of a lack of access to prosperity makes the chamber’s inclusion initiatives even more welcomed and appreciated.”
Elam, who worked as General Electric’s chief diversity officer, shared her experiences as GE’s first black female corporate officer to offer advice on strengthening diversity to local professionals, emphasizing the importance of steady, intentional progress.
“One of the things that people say a lot is ‘They’re not walking the talk.’ I believe in walking toward the talk,” Elam said. “There’s a nuance to it, but it’s not absolute. It’s not ‘Did you do it?’ or ‘Didn’t you do it?’ it’s ‘Are you moving the dial?'”