CEO Action for Diversity & InclusionTM is the largest chief executive officer-driven commitment in the United States. Chancellor Ronnie Green signed the CEO Action pledge in 2018 and the university remains Nebraska’s only higher education institution to join the CEO Action movement.
CEO Action is intended to advance diversity and inclusion efforts in the workplace. It outlines a specific set of actions that the undersigned companies will take to cultivate a trusting environment where all ideas are welcomed and employees feel comfortable and empowered to discuss diversity and inclusion.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has made this commitment to elevate the dialogue so that together, we can become more inclusive leaders and ambassadors for diversity – on our campus, on teams and in our communities.
Chancellor Ronnie Green
Archived Events
April 28 - UNL presents A Husker Action Event: Fostering Belonging | 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.CEO Action Day of Understanding
Panel Discussion
This important conversation hosted by Vice Chancellor Marco Barker and facilitated by Chancellor Ronnie Green welcomed special guests Michael Slepian, the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Associate Professor of Leadership and Ethics at Columbia University, and Dr. Sarah Singletary Walker, Vice President for the Division of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and Full Professor in the Heider College of Business at Creighton University, to discuss the importance of belonging.
These leaders shared perspectives with members of our community on what it means to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion through belonging. The topic was inspired by Harvard Business Review article on belonging: Are Your D&I Efforts Helping Employees Feel Like They Belong? and the corresponding video: Understanding Inclusion: Why Belonging At Work Matters. This experience further expanded our commitment to diversity, equity, anti-racism, and racial equity. Learn more about our Journey toward Antiracism. This event also offered an opportunity to leverage scholarly research and voice to emphasize the critical importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our communities and workplaces.
View Event ResourcesMichael Slepian
Michael Slepian is the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Associate Professor of Leadership and Ethics at Columbia University. A recipient of the Rising Star Award from the Association for Psychological Science, he is the leading expert on the psychology of secrets. Slepian has authored more than fifty articles on secrecy, concealment, inclusion, and belonging. His research has been covered by The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, and more.
Sarah Singletary Walker, Ph.D.
Walker graduated summa cum laude while earning her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Dillard University in New Orleans. She has a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Rice University in Houston, Texas. Her training in Industrial/Organizational Psychology provides her specific expertise in diversity, recruitment, selection, training, testing and measurement. She is the Vice President for the Division of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Creighton University and is also a Full Professor in the Heider College of Business at Creighton. As Vice President, Walker is oversees the strategic direction of initiatives designed to attract and retain students, faculty, and staff. Her research interests are directly related to this and work and includes examining the experiences of marginalized individuals (e.g., racioethnic minorities, pregnant women, LGBTQIA, older workers) at work with a specific focus on individual and organizational-level strategies for creating more equitable workplaces.
Prior to joining Creighton University in 2018, Walker served as an Associate Professor in the Marilyn Davies College of Business at the University of Houston – Downtown (UHD) for ten years. While at UHD, Walker co-authored two federally funded grants which resulted in $1.1M in federal grant funds. The federally funded grants were designed to increase opportunities for underrepresented minorities in graduate degree programs.
She remains an active researcher and has published in a variety of applied psychology and management journals throughout her career including the Journal of Business and Psychology, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Industrial and Organizational Psychology Perspectives, and the Journal of Applied Psychology.
March 17 - A Conversation on Inclusive Leadership for Nebraska’s Future | 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Panel Discussion
The business world is changing daily — which means corporate leaders are learning and growing, too. It's important to take any and all opportunities to expand your knowledge base and learn from your fellow leaders. Join the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the Lincoln Community Foundation and Lincoln Journal Star as we dive into an engaging and informative moderated conversation highlighting the importance of inclusive leadership in our emerging business community. The event will also feature a presentation from Dr. Helen Fagan covering action steps and tips to fight against racism, injustice, inequity and inequality. You'll leave our panel feeling informed, refreshed and invigorated with new knowledge. All are welcome!
Moderated by: Sarah Bekele
Channel 4 KSNB Hastings Evening News Anchor and Producer
Panelist include:
View Event RecordingPresentation
Dr. Fagan makes reflections on the executive panel and provides information on being an inclusive leader—giving action steps or tips that individuals can take to fight against racism, injustice, inequity, and inequality as individuals and explain how we have to do our part as individuals in order to facilitate change and live out our pledges.
Presented by Dr. Helen Fagan
Leadership and Diversity Scholar and Practitioner
Sarah Bekele
Sarah Bekele is the Channel 4 KSNB Hastings Evening News Anchor and Producer
Sarah is originally from Indiana, she attended Indiana University and graduated in May of 2017. The Media School at Indiana University is where she discovered her love for reporting.
Sarah’s first broadcasting job was right here in Nebraska! She began as a reporter at NBC Nebraska News 2 in North Platte, and quickly moved to an anchor/producer role as the station’s morning news anchor. She learned a lot about western Nebraska in a short time covering an array of events.
Her field experience is highlighted through her most recent coverage of the devastation left behind in western Nebraska as a result of severe weather. She recalls what it was like seeing the damage left behind and how community members came together. Sarah said, “I learned first-hand what #NebraskaStrong really meant.”
During her spare time, she loves listening to music, reading, trying new foods, exploring different cultures and learning new things.
Barbara Bartle
Barbara Bartle serves as president of the Lincoln Community Foundation. She has 48 years of experience in fundraising, program development, public engagement and teaching. Barbara serves on the Chancellor’s Board of Counselors for the University of Nebraska Medical Center, is a member of the Charitable Gift Planners of Nebraska and the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She is District Governor Nominee for Rotary 5650 and has served on numerous nonprofit boards in Lincoln as well as an ambassador for programs to China and India. Barbara is recipient of the Spirit of United Way award, Lincoln Independent Business Association’s Lincoln Community Impact award, the Lincoln Journal Star Woman of the Year Inspire Award and the Grace Abbott Award honoring her advocacy for children and families in Nebraska. She was recently inducted into the Association of Fundraising Professionals-Nebraska Chapter Hall of Fame.
Her favorite time is spent with husband, Bob, and their three children and families—just ask her about her seven grandchildren.
Ronnie Green
Ronnie D. Green became the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s 20th chancellor on May 8, 2016. Green previously served as the UNL Harlan Vice Chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and NU system Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources, and as UNL’s interim Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
Green received bachelor's and master’s degrees in animal science from Virginia Tech and Colorado State University, respectively. His doctoral program was completed jointly at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the USDA-ARS U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in animal breeding and genetics. Green has served on the animal science faculties of Texas Tech University and Colorado State University, and as the national program leader for animal production research for the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and executive secretary of the White House’s interagency working group on animal genomics within the National Science and Technology Council. Prior to returning to NU, Green served as a global executive for Pfizer Animal Health’s animal genomics business.
Green has published 130 refereed publications and abstracts, nine book chapters and 56 invited symposia papers; and has delivered invited presentations in 43 U.S. states and 21 countries around the world. He is a past-president of both the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) and the National Block and Bridle Club and has served in a number of leadership positions for the U.S. Beef Improvement Federation, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Board, the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, and Alpha Gamma Rho national fraternity. He currently is a member of a number of boards including the Big Ten Conference, Neogen Corporation, and Supporters of Agricultural Research, and was recently named to the Presidential Forum of the NCAA representing the Big Ten Conference. He was named a fellow of ASAS in 2014 and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2015, and was honored with the American Society of Animal Science’s Morrison Award, the highest international academic recognition for an animal scientist, in 2017.
Ronnie and his wife Jane, a double UNL alumna, are the proud parents of four children – Justin, Nate, Kelli and Regan Green – all UNL graduates – and one granddaughter, Charlotte.
Ava Thomas
Ava Thomas is the President and Publisher of the Lincoln Journal Star and has over 25 years of experience in the industry. Ms. Thomas began her career with the Journal Star in 1995, while attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Over the next 20 years, she worked her way up from a classified ad-taker to the president of the company. Along with her duties in Lincoln, Thomas is also a regional group publisher for Lee Enterprises, the Journal Star’s parent company. She oversees 11 other newspapers and websites in Nebraska as well as Agricultural publications and sites in 12 other States.
Thomas is the co-chair of the Mayor’s Economic Recovery Task Force and a member of the board of directors for the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development, United Way of Lincoln and Lancaster County, the Lincoln Community Foundation and RISE.
Dr. Helen Fagan
Dr. Fagan is a Leadership, Diversity, and Inclusion scholar and practitioner. She is the founder of Global Leadership Group, which provides consulting and leadership coaching to organizations, communities, and executives in the field of Diversity, Inclusion, Cultural Competence and becoming an Inclusive Leader. Since 2018, Fagan has been a faculty member and program lead for the Inclusive Community Leadership Fellows program at University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
In addition to a Ph.D. in Human Sciences with specialization in Leadership from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dr. Fagan holds multiple certifications in Diversity, Emotional Intelligence, and is a trained Executive Coach. Also, she is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory which she has used with developing thousands of leaders and healthcare providers. For the last 5 years she has also served as a faculty with the Qatar Institute for Intercultural Communication providing workshops for faculty, staff and graduate students working at 6 US universities in Education City in Qatar. Dr. Fagan’s expertise in developing inclusive leaders, organizations and communities has enabled her to speak is multiple nations and at last count 4 continents. Her book, Becoming Inclusive: A Worthy Pursuit in Leadership will be released in 2021 via Information Age Publishing.
Before Academia, she created and led the Diversity and Cultural Competence Initiatives at Bryan Health, in Lincoln NE. This initiative at Bryan was considered so innovative that it gained national recognition and was featured in a Joint Commission (hospital accreditation body) publication. During that time, Helen played a key role in the recruitment and resettlement of nurses from the Philippines to address the nursing shortage in Nebraska. Helen also worked diligently to address employment and healthcare needs of refugees and immigrants; and was a strong voice for eliminating the use of children as medical interpreters in healthcare settings. As an international student from Iran, who arrived as an unaccompanied minor to the United States at age 15, just two months before the Iran Hostage Crisis in 1979, Dr. Fagan has experienced a tremendous number of challenges during her life in the United States. She has used each of those challenges to inspire others, especially women, and as a result has received multiple awards for her contributions to the lives of others, including a key to the city of Lincoln.
In 2018, Dr. Fagan served as a Consulting Producer on a short film, The Healing of Harman. She consulted on the film during the writing, the filming, and editing processes. The film was directed by the Academy Award nominated Director, Seth Pinkster. This film has been used to create discussion with community leaders in relation to the process that communities can use to foster a spirit of inclusion in which people are welcomed and embraced in their healing. The film won Morehouse College’s best Human Rights Short film in 2020.
| 4/2/18 | 9/17/18 | 12/7/18 | 11/7/19, 12/3/19, 3/5/20, 3/19/20 | Feb 5th-Feb 28th 2020 | October 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chancellor Green signed UNL on as a Signatory CEO Act!on for Diversity and Inclusion campus | Check Your Blindspot tour bus event and First-ever Diversity and Inclusion Fair which included the Lincoln community Diversity and Inclusion centers | Day of Understanding | CEO Action Inclusive Excellence Staff Conversations: Check In, Speak Up, Show Up | Day of Understanding CEO-Action Education and Take the Pledge | My Husker Action initiative launches |
Pledge
The I Act On pledge is a personal pledge that any individual can take to help drive inclusive behavior in their everyday life. We invite you to take action in support of making our workplaces and community more inclusive.
The Pledge: I pledge to check my bias, speak up for others and show up for all.
I will check my own biases and take meaningful action to understand and mitigate them.
I will initiate meaningful, complex, and sometimes difficult, conversations with my friends and colleagues.
I will ask myself, “Do my actions and words reflect the value of inclusion?”
I will move outside my comfort zone to learn about the experiences and perspectives of others.
I will share my insights related to what I have learned.
As part of our commitment to CEO Act!on, we encourage Huskers to share their actions. My Husker Action is where individuals acknowledge and demonstrate authentic, genuine and intentional actions to eradicate systematic racism, injustice and inequality by celebrating actions taken that lead to addressing and changing racist and unjust practices, policies and behaviors.
Learn more and share your actionsContact us with questions