Upcoming 'Flourishing Under Fire' Event from Randstad USA Prioritizes Underrepresented Communities in the American Workforce

Forum will explore the experiences of and catalyze impactful changes for historically marginalized communities in the workforce

ATLANTA, May 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In today's labor market, a focus on diversity and inclusion (D&I) is increasingly important for both businesses and workers alike – and the landscape is changing fast. To help make sense of the rapidly changing corporate world, Randstad USA is bringing together major corporate executives and leaders for its second annual "Flourishing Under Fire" symposium for a meaningful discussion on how to help underrepresented groups thrive in corporate settings.

The event, which will take place from May 24 to May 26, will center on women, people impacted by the justice system, and the LGBTQ+ community. A robust agenda prioritizes conversations about the challenges facing these groups—including impact on health, happiness, and productivity—as well as best practices for advancing their participation in the workforce.

"As the economy continues to rebound, it's imperative that all Americans are able to benefit from the unprecedented opportunity of this era," said Keith Brown, Director, Community Impact, Randstad North America. "Businesses must persist in efforts to improve racial equity within their organizations and look to how they can expand their efforts. With our second Flourishing Under Fire: courageous conversations around diversity and inclusion in the workplace symposium, we hope to encourage businesses to elevate opportunities for career growth for individuals whose identities have historically made this difficult."

The symposium will feature a different area of focus on each day: women in the workforce on day one, second chances for people impacted by the justice system on day two, and LGBTQ+ communities on the final day.

"The strong performance of today's labor market leaves no room for exclusion in the workforce," said Randstad USA Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Audra Jenkins. "Randstad is proud to be a leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we're thrilled to convene our peers and partners on bringing these principles to every corner of the country."

Speakers and panelists will include some of the country's most influential and successful executives and corporate leaders, Mary Ann Scully, Retired Chairman & CEO Howard Bank and Dean, Loyola Sellinger School of Business and Management, University Maryland; Ginni Rometty, former CEO, IBM, and co-founder, OneTen; Ann Cairns, Executive Vice Chairman, Mastercard; Tammy Cohen, Founder & CEO, InfoMart; Stacy Janiak, Chief Growth Officer, Deloitte US; Dee Cusack, Executive Vice President, Dematic; Trisch Smith, Global Chief D&I Officer, Edelman; Dr. Marc Howard, Professor, Government & Law, and Executive Director, Prisons and Justice Initiative, Georgetown University; Sean Hosman, CEO, Persevere; Natasha Fapohunda, SVP & Asst. General Counsel, Mastercard; David Windecher, Executive Director, Rehabilitation Enables Dreams (RED); Dr. Dallas Dance, President, The DDance Group; Stanley Ball, Chief Litigation Counsel, Eaton Corporation; Carolyn Lee, CEO, The Manufacturing Institute; Danea Jones, Head of D&I Employee Engagement, JPMorgan Chase; Dwight Tostensen, CEO, The Redemption Project; Todd Sears, CEO, Out Leadership; Wesley Bizzell, Senior Assistant General Counsel, Altria Group; Suresh Raj, Global Chief Growth Officer, VIRTUE Worldwide; Alim A. Dhanji, President, Adidas Canada; Erik Day, Senior Vice President, Dell Technologies; Dr. Jerrica Kirkley, Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer, Plume; Allia McLeod, Head of Development & Partnerships, Yahoo.

The program will also feature Audra Jenkins, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Randstad North America; Cindy Keaveny, Chief People Officer, Randstad Global Businesses; Bob Lopes, Chief Human Resources Officer, Randstad North America; Jay Ferguson, Chief Legal Officer, Randstad North America; Traci Fiatte, CEO, Professional & Commercial Staffing, Randstad North America; Bob Melk, COO, Monster; Sander van 't Noordende, Global CEO, Randstad; Keith Brown, Director, Corporate Community Impact, Randstad North America.

More information about the Flourishing Under Fire program can be found here. 

About Randstad 

Randstad North America, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Randstad N.V., the world's largest HR services provider. Driven to become the world's most valued 'working life partner', supporting as many people as possible in realizing their true potential throughout their working life, we provide companies with the high quality, diverse, and agile workforces they need while helping people get rewarding jobs and stay relevant in the ever-changing world of work. In 2021, Randstad had on average 39,530 corporate employees and generated revenue of € 24.6 billion. 

Randstad's North American operations comprise 5,700+ associates and a deployed workforce of more than 86,000 in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to staffing and recruitment, Randstad offers outsourcing, consulting and workforce management solutions for generalist and specialist disciplines, including technology, engineering, accounting and finance, clinical and non-clinical healthcare, human resources, legal, life sciences, manufacturing and logistics, office and administration and sales and marketing. Global concepts available to North American client companies include RPO, MSP, integrated talent solutions, payrolling and independent contractor management and career transition services. Learn more at www.randstadusa.com or www.randstad.ca. 

SOURCE Randstad US