Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council Meetings

Previous call topics, speakers and exclusive NRF retail member resources:

February 8, 2024 With new challenges to corporate DEI programs top of mind, the Council welcomed back Kevin White from Hunton Andrews Kurth to unpack recent developments and facilitate a deeper dive discussion into best practices retailers can implement to mitigate risks in this current legal and political environment. (Presentation)

January 16, 2024 The newly elevated NRF Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council convened in New York City, during NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show. In addition to benchmarking discussions and special networking events, the council conducted its first meeting of the new year—welcoming its new chair, Mecca Mitchell, Senior Vice President & Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer of Burlington. The meeting’s agenda focused largely on societal issues preparedness, featuring Edelman’s Global Chief Diversity Officer, along with its U.S. Chair of Employee Experience and its U.S. Head of Social Issues Engagement. The Edelman team facilitated an informative and interactive session on how to build stakeholder engagement techniques and issues management frameworks during a polarizing election year and in light of key findings from Trust at Work and Business & Racial Justice reports. (Presentation)

November 16, 2023 This end of year meeting focused on ways retailers can continue to support a diverse retail talent pipeline and cultivate a culture of belonging. Shay’na Fields, racial equity policy manager at Walmart, shared learnings and takeaways from Walmart’s recent and inaugural Belonging Summit. Members of the NRF Foundation team discussed the Foundation’s newly created Emerging Leaders at Work program, which aims to support and invest in retail early careerists. After a lively discussion about the overwhelming success of the Emerging Leaders’ first-ever two-day summit, several retailers volunteered to join an advisory group to help curate content and expand the program for 2024 and beyond. (No video available)

October 12, 2023 With so much happening and emerging in the retail sustainability space, we focused this month’s meeting on how retail DEI leaders can leverage the momentum around sustainability—which DEI is a critical part of. This meeting was one of our most robust ever, as we engaged with NRF’s in-house sustainability expert, Scot Case, VP, CSR and Sustainability. Thanks to all the retailers (Crate and Barrel, J. Crew Group, Meijer, The Container Store, Ralph Lauren, UNIQLO / THEORY and Urban Outfitters) who added their voice to this lively conversation, sharing successes and challenges and uncovering opportunities for collective industry action. (Video link) (Presentation)

September 14, 2023 Attacks on corporate DEI programs have been on the rise since the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that race can no longer be considered as a factor in university admissions. Attorneys Kevin White and James La Rocca from Hunton Andrews Kurth joined us to discuss recent legal challenges to corporate DEI programs and strategies for retailers to protect their DEI initiatives and continue positive impact and progress in this space. (Video link) (Presentation)

July 20, 2023 Given the impact of workplace trauma on women of color and the fact that women of color comprise a significant portion of retail’s labor force, this month we held a documentary prescreening and conversation with Jimi Okunbanjo, director and producer of Arise Firebird: Transcending Workplace Trauma & Finding Joy. Jimi delved into the prevalence of workplace trauma among women of color, its damaging effects, and actions that employers and colleagues can take to support healthier and more inclusive work environments. Due to copyright restrictions on the Arise Firebird film pre-screening, we are unable to share the full recording of our July meeting. However, the film’s producer created a special recap video for NRF and its members. (Video link

June 14, 2023 This month we commemorated Juneteenth with Michael Collins, former longtime chief of staff to the late-Rep. John Lewis—a civil rights icon. Michael shared learnings from the life and legacy of his colleague and friend, John Lewis. Michael also drew from his own experience as Special Assistant to President Joe Biden and Director of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs for Vice President Kamala Harris, in addition to his current journey engaging in government affairs for Starbucks.  This insightful and timely conversation was moderated by NRF Vice President and Deputy General Counsel Ceara Flake. (Video link)

May 11, 2023 Recognizing the significant role mental health plays in the DE&I landscape and overall wellness of everyone, we honored Mental Health Awareness Month this May with a robust conversation about workplace mental health and employee well-being. Kate Kennedy-Lynch, Director, External Relations at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) unpacked stats and shared helpful resources every retailer can use to support mental wellness in their workforces. Mark Dompier, Head of Belonging, PetSmart, paid it forward as he revealed how PetSmart is leading the charge in supporting mental health all year long for employees across the organization and in their stores. (Video link) (NAMI Presentation) (PetSmart Presentation)

March 15, 2023 We celebrated Women’s History Month with two of retail’s outstanding women leaders, Antoinette Carter, Burlington’s Executive Vice President and Alison Hiatt, Vera Bradley’s Chief Marketing Officer. Antoinette and Alison talked about their road to success and shared invaluable advice from their journeys. (Video link)

February 23, 2023 We wrapped up our Black History Month commemoration, with a hybrid lunch and learn.  Professor Cassi Pittman Claytor, Case Western University, led the discussion on “The demographic profile of the Black middle class and how retailers can promote and benefit from inclusion while recognizing intra-racial differences.” (Video link) (Presentation)

February 21, 2023 Continuing our celebration of Black History Month, we were joined by Shawn Coulter, Macy’s Chief DE & I Officer.  Shawn discussed Macy’s engagement during Black History Month as well as long-term DE&I programming. (Video link)

February 16, 2023 Our kickoff meeting for 2023 featured several retail members describing how their companies will be commemorating Black History Month through the programming they will be providing their employees, their marketing strategies to customers, and their public and civic engagement activities.  Speakers included:  Timothy Fair, Vice-President, Inclusion & Diversity, Burlington Stores- Black History Month from the company perspective; Trinicia Perch, Manager, Global Procurement, Packaging & Co-leader of Black Alliance Employee Resource Group- “Celebrating Black Triumph”- Tapestry; Shay’na Fields, Manager, Racial Equity, Global Public Policy, Walmart. (Video link)

July 9, 2022 We had dynamic conversations about strategic partnerships with LVMH’s Corey Smith and UnidosUS’s SVP for advancement and external affairs, Delia de la Vara. Corey shared valuable insights on integrating DE&I into business operations and innovations in luxury brands and Delia walked us through a fantastic case study on a multi-faceted partnership with Wal-Mart, the Spina Bifida Association and others, to improve health outcomes for Latinas.  Both speakers emphasized that strategic partnerships are much more than financial transactions. Some of the discussion focused on the importance of DE&I in both the public and private sectors and how partnerships can drive collective action on systemic issues and the change we want to see in communities. We plan to continue the conversation on strategic partnership in our July meeting and would like to include perspectives on disability inclusion. (No video available)

May 11, 2022 Our first in-person meeting of the council, we discussed engagement challenges and opportunities in marketing (Jackeline Stewart-Hawkins and Judy Alterado, Edelman), supply chain (Kimberly Smith, Marjani; Adeola Ogunneye, Arome; Timothy Fair, Burlington Stores), and throughout retail organizations. George-Axelle Broussillon Matschinga, Sephora and Calla Rongerude, Open to All, walked our participants through a presentation on mitigating racial bias in a retail charter.  NRF Foundation vice president, Adam Lukoskie, highlighted their work in promoting retail jobs – training and credentialing, scholarships, and talent acquisition.  Our colleagues at Mozaic Strategies lead us in breakout sessions. (Video Link)

April 21, 2022 Our partners from Mozaic Strategies presented insights and perspectives gathered from our council members on the evolving DE& I issues landscape. This was a great opportunity for interactive discussions about how retail – and our DE&I Council - can continue to advance strategies for engagement and collaboration in DE&I.  In advance of the meeting, we shared a summary of research findings from our colleagues at Mozaic Strategies. (Video Link)

March 29, 2022 This month we featured guest speaker Janis Bowdler, Counselor for Racial Equity, U.S. Department of TreasuryThis was a great opportunity to hear from a visionary leader in government, whose career has spanned local Community Development Financial Institutions work (CDFI), national advocacy and international corporate philanthropy. The press release announcing her appointment notes that her role includes coordination of all the Treasury Department’s racial equity initiatives. The insightful conversation was moderated by our new diversity consultant, Carolina Espinal of Mozaic Strategies. (Video Link)

November 18, 2021 Our meeting focused on the mission and effectiveness of affinity/employee resource groups as they have become a major tool for retail diversity and inclusion programs. Panelists were: Carmen Arocho-Blanco, Senior Director – Equity, Inclusion & Diversity, Tapestry; Diana Ng, Senior Director, Global People & Organization Development, Tapestry; Mecca Mitchell, Senior Vice President, Inclusion & Diversity, Burlington Stores, Inc.; Yvette Dueser, Director, Inclusion & Diversity, Burlington Stores, Inc.  (Video Link)

October 14, 2021 In commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month we featured four Latinx owned businesses who took part in a panel which discussed the achievements, influence and contributions of Latinx entrepreneurs. The panel described some of the challenges faced when starting out in business and staying in business – especially during a pandemic. The panel included:  Mei-Lon and Toni Jimenez of CHICA BEAUTYCarla Fonseca of Viva GreetingsJocelyn Ramirez of Todo Verde; and, Vivian Sayward of Vivacity Sportswear. (Video Link)

September 16, 2021 NRF presented and discussed the results of our Aug-Sep survey. Linked here is the analysis we shared at the meeting. We also held a panel discussion on issues such as diversity recruiting in colleges and universities, C-suite and corporate boards, employee retention, diversity reporting, unconscious bias training, improving corporate culture, and addressing social impact issues.  The panel included Dre Alicea, Director of Diversity Equity and Inclusion, David’s Bridal, Jessie Heath, Director of Inclusion & Corporate Human Resources, La-Z-Boy Corporate, and Audra Fry, Manager, Talent Acquisition- University Relations and Jamille Jones, Senior Manager, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Bath & Body Works.

July 29, 2021 Our panel had an informative discussion on “Setting up a corporate diversity program with an emphasis on supporting women & minority owned businesses.”  The panel included: Mecca E. Mitchell, Senior Vice President, Inclusion & Diversity, Burlington Stores, Inc.; and, Stacia Marie Jones, Esq.,Vice President, Global head of IDEA, Lululemon Athletica. (Burlington Presentation Slides) (Video Link)

June 10, 2021 At the June meeting, we were joined by career service representatives from four HBCUs: North Carolina A&T State University, Florida A&M, Bethune-Cookman University and Clark Atlanta University. Our guest speakers and retail members participated in a lively, interactive discussion on “Partnering with Corporate America to Develop Employment Pipelines and Foster Mentorships.” (Video Link)

May 25, 2021 The May 2021 council meeting featured NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay and Marc H. Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League. Shay and Morial discussed the critical work being done to address the racial disparities that exist in communities, both large and small, across the United States as we mark one year since George Floyd's murder. Pairing the breadth and scope of the retail industry with the expertise of the National Urban League, they addressed the importance of approaching these efforts with the resources, commitment and accountability that results in:

  • Economic opportunity for African Americans and all communities of color 

  • Equity in educational opportunity 

  • The elimination of health care disparities 

  • The removal of obstacles to equal justice 

  • Supplier diversity 

(Video link)

April 8, 2021 Results of NRF’s Diversity & Inclusion survey were released and discussed. Shawn Outler, chief diversity officer at Macy’s Inc., gave a brief overview of the company’s diversity recruiting efforts and the relationships Macy’s has formed with HBCUs. George-Axelle Broussillon Matschinga, vice president of diversity and inclusion at Sephora, provided attendees insight into Sephora’s ongoing efforts. Attendees discussed their interactions and successes in working with HBCUs. We received an update from Robin Wagher (wagherr@nrf.com) on programs and activities at the NRF Foundation including the Talent Acquisition GroupRISE Up (training and credentialing for retail careers), partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Foundation’s University Programs, which award more than $500,000 in college scholarships each year and help retailers connect with amazing talent.

March 11, 2021 Representative Alma Adams (NC-12), a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor and the founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Caucus, joined us to share her thoughts on ways the retail industry can incorporate HBCUs into their employee hiring and training programs.

We also featured representatives from the United Negro College Fund, who led a discussion on the importance of HBCUs and how graduates have added to the diversity and overall impact of the American workforce. They spoke of current and potential partnerships that corporations, particularly retailers, have with UNCF and HBCUs, their history, their importance and what’s next (presentation).

January 14, 2021 “Diversity Hiring and Recruitment in Retail America”: Ben-Saba Hasan, senior vice president and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer of Walmart Inc., was the featured presenter (presentation). We had an engaging and interactive discussion on industry best practices and strategies for ensuring diversity in our hiring and recruitment (report) (1/14/2021 call recording).

December 10, 2020 “Retention and Promotion in Retail America”: Featuring presentations from Shawn Outler, Macy’s chief diversity officer (presentation); Dr. Stefanie Johnson, author of INCLUSIFY (presentation); and Weldon Latham, leader of the Jackson Lewis Corporate Diversity Counseling practice group (slideadditional material).

October 8, 2020 Cassi Pittman Claytor, professor of sociology at Case Western University, and George-Axelle Broussillon Matschinga, vice president of diversity and inclusion at Sephora, led a dialogue on retail racism in America and its long-term effects on customers and business.

August 6, 2020 Representatives from Starbucks Corporation shared an overview of Starbucks’ D&I course which was developed in conjunction with Arizona State University (presentation). NRF also released and discussed the results of our D&I benchmarking survey (survey results) (8/6/2020 call recording).

June 24, 2020 Members of NRF’s Diversity & Inclusion team reviewed the council’s goals and purpose and led a discussion on some of the priority issues on which retailers would like to engage. The discussion included diversity from the top down, social impacts, employee education and hiring practices. Weldon Latham, leader of the Jackson Lewis Corporate Diversity Counseling Practice Group, was introduced as a co-leader of the council.