Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr., president of The American Institute for Managing Diversity (AIMD), will address diversity issues at Penn State Great Valley on Thursday, January 15, from 7 to 9 p.m., as part of the graduate school’s Martin Luther King Day commemoration. The presentation will be held in the Warren V. Musser Auditorium on campus, and the event is free and open to the public.
Dr. Thomas is one of the foremost authorities on fostering workplace diversity in the United States, as well as founder and president of the AIMD, a research and education enterprise based in Atlanta, Georgia. He has authored several high-profile books on diversity including “Building a House for Diversity,” “Beyond Race and Gender: Unleashing the Power of Your Total Workforce by Managing Diversity,” “Giraffe and Elephant” and “Redefining Diversity.” In addition to these and other books, Dr. Thomas has written many articles for important journals, including the Harvard Business Review.
The visit by Dr. Thomas will not only mark Penn State Great Valley’s Martin Luther King commemoration, it will also serve as a springboard for the Delaware Valley Diversity Leadership Academy, which will be held at the graduate campus beginning in February. Founded in 2001 in Atlanta, Georgia, through a grant from Coca-Cola to AIMD, the Diversity Leadership Academy helps key community leaders work together to identify regional diversity issues and craft resolutions. Diverse organizations, including religious, education, non-profits, government agencies, and corporations spend one day a month for five months working together to achieve these goals. The Delaware Valley Diversity Leadership Academy is the first of its kind in Pennsylvania, and one of a handful held to date throughout the United States.
The Martin Luther King Day program featuring Dr. Thomas is free and open to the community, but those who would like to attend are asked to pre-register. To do so, or for information, call 610-648-3313 or email at vsm1@psu.edu.
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