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As employers look to cultivate more inclusive cultures, the Student Professional Development Center (SPDC) will host a discussion on the current state of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace on Tuesday, Nov. 9 in LaRose Digital Theater at 4:15 p.m.

Sheryl Battles, vice president of global diversity, inclusion and engagement at Pitney Bowes, will lead that conservation and looks to engage Elon’s students, faculty and staff to discuss “The Present & Future of DEI in the Workplace.” She will talk about the current state of DEI in the workplace, how to navigate the world of work as an underrepresented employee and how to be an ally in creating change for the future.

“Sheryl’s background is one that she has a pulse on what’s going on in diversity, equity and inclusion and the workplace,” said Brooke Buffington, director of the SPCD. Buffington added that Battles has an influence working for such a large organization and “can see where DEI is going in the future.”

This will be the second presentation from Battles for the �þ��� community. On Jan. 28, she delivered a presentation on navigating the hiring process from a DEI perspective.

Battles, an Elon parent, also serves on the School of Communication’s Advisory Board and Elon’s Parents Council.

The idea of programming surrounding the topic of DEI came from student feedback, Buffington said. When talking to the diversity ambassadors at the School of Business about topics students want to hear about, DEI “came up as one of interest.”

“This is something we hope students care about, and we want to build on this as a part of people becoming better colleagues,” Buffington said.

Buffington said the SPDC’s goal is to support Elon’s students from their first year and picking classes to networking, graduate school applications and job interviews. “With programs like this we hope they take one step closer to understanding their professional goals and their opportunity to be an impact towards positive change,” Buffington said.