February General Membership Meeting – A Brief Introduction to Implicit Bias

Program Description: Most human behaviors are the result of choices and decisions that people make without conscious thought or with explanations that make perfect sense within their own mental models or frames of reference. Our minds gather some information and ignore other information based on what our experience has told us is important, relevant, or necessary for our success. Our assessments of other people often reflect this Implicit mental process.

This presentation will define implicit bias and how, without our awareness, it can influence our decisions and actions. It will also provide some practical tips and tools for recognizing and mitigating the influence of implicit bias.

Speaker: Gwen Crider is a leadership and organizational performance strategist with over 20 years of leadership experience in the private and non-profit sectors. A subject matter expert and deeply experienced facilitator in the areas of Diversity and Inclusion, Gwen is a coalition-builder, skilled at helping clients to establish and sustain diverse workplaces. She focuses on the design and delivery of innovative, strategic and transformative interventions that build engagement and involvement at all organizational levels, and among both internal and external stakeholders.

Gwen is a former Adjunct Professor at George Mason University where she taught Diversity in Organizations for the School of Management. Before that, she was the Executive Director of Diversity Best Practices in Washington, DC, where she provided strategic direction and oversight to 160+ members seeking to achieve their diversity, equity and inclusion objectives. Her passion for D&I was born when she served in Director roles at various museums, including The Austin Children’s Museum, The Science and Technology Museum of Atlanta, and The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Gwen has a Masters of Public Administration from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in Educational Psychology from the University of Connecticut.

Registration: Free for all ACECH members (but registration is required).

Register here by February 2, 2021. You will receive a Zoom invitation via email on February 3, 2021.