Ofield Dukes Diversity Summit: Building Dialogue With Diverse Publics on Feb. 16

DETROIT, Feb.14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Everywhere you turn around the world businesses are facing scandals dealing with offensive slurs, racial and ethnic discrimination, and religious intolerance. How can a business navigate these muddy waters from a communications perspective? PRSA Detroit helps provide a path with its upcoming Ofield Dukes Diversity Summit on Thursday, Feb. 16.

PRSA Detroit, General Motors and The Wayne State Department of Communication present the Summit as part of PRSA Detroit's 2012 chapter theme of Embracing Diversity and in honor of distinguished professional, educator and journalist Ofield Dukes, APR, Fellow, PRSA, who passed away in Dec. 2011. The Summit, with content that will appeal to communications professionals and students of all levels, will define diversity beyond race and ethnicity and will offer strategies and tactics for communicating with diverse audiences. Planned sessions will look at the impact of generational diversity and tactics for building better dialogue, campaigns targeting diverse populations, diversity issues in crisis communication and how an inclusion mindset can lead to success.

Noted panelists from media and communications will come together for the Summit including: Jocelyn Giangrande, M.A., SPHR, CCDP, president and founder, SASHE, LLC and author of "What's In Your Sandwich? 10 Surefire Ingredients for Career Success"; Bill Laitner, writer, Detroit Free Press; Rodney Martin, diversity partner, Warner Norcross & Judd LLP; Walter Middlebrook, assistant managing editor, The Detroit News; Georgella Muirhead, APR, partner/president, Berg Muirhead and Associates; Alicia Nails, J.D., director, Journalism Institute for Media Diversity; Matthew Seeger, Ph.D., dean, College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, Wayne State University; Cristi Vazquez, communications manager, Chevrolet; Randy Walker, chief diversity officer, Henry Ford Health System.

The Summit will take place Thursday, Feb.16 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Wayne State University's McGregor Memorial Conference Center, 495 Ferry Mall, Detroit. Cost:  $30 for PRSA Detroit members and $45 for nonmembers (includes breakfast and lunch). Register on the chapter website and follow the conversation on Twitter #PRSADetroitDiversity.

About PRSA-Detroit
The Detroit Chapter of PRSA was established in 1947 and is one of six founding Chapters of PRSA, the world's largest organization for public relations professionals with nearly 32,000 professional and student members. PRSA Detroit is one of the largest chapters of PRSA with approximately 400 members -- from students to seasoned professionals, who represent business and industry, agencies, solo practitioners, associations, nonprofit organizations and government entities. The chapter is committed to education and diversity, and serves as a gateway to public relations professionals by providing educational and career opportunities for its members -- including conferences, professional development sessions, a consistently strong accreditation (APR) preparation program, extensive new professionals' development and other supportive activities. Visit www.prsadetroit.org, follow PRSA-Detroit on Twitter (@PRSADetroit) and Facebook (PRSA Detroit Chapter), or e-mail [email protected] for more information.

SOURCE PRSA-Detroit