Effective Ways of Merging Inclusive Practices into Course Curriculum | Faculty Session

This session shared best practices and resources to help faculty, course instructors and administrators develop course curricula focused on inclusive leadership and establishing a welcoming and belonging learning environment.

Facilitators

Lauren Cunningham, associate professor of accounting and information management, Keith Stanga Professor of Accounting and Cheryl Massingale Faculty Research Fellow

Ashley King, lecturer in accounting and information management

Identifying Your Leadership Working Styles | Staff Session

Participants engaged in an assessment of their learning, thinking and working characteristics and styles. The analysis provided insights into individual leadership working styles and identified ways for participants to enhance work groups and their unit’s ability to build effective and productive teams.

Facilitators

John Cherry, Leadership Knoxville vice president for community leadership

Beth Hamil, Cancer Support Community East Tennessee executive director

Using Inclusive Leadership Practices to Exceed Desired Goals | Student Session

In this session, facilitators led discussions on leadership development as a professional competency as students explored holistic approaches to inclusive leadership development. Theory-based strategies to enhance multicultural competency were shared, and students learned ways to implement and apply the Diversity Scorecard, using step-by-step instructions, worksheets and examples, to examine their own leadership development.

Facilitators

Madison Howard, junior majoring in sociology with a minor in social justice and diversity educator with Multicultural Student Life

Maya Hall, junior majoring in therapeutic recreation with a minor in business administration and statistics and diversity educator with Multicultural Student Life

Corporate Panel Discussion: Value Proposition of Inclusive Leadership | Student Session

Corporate representatives spoke on the impact of collaborative and inclusive leadership in their respective corporate cultures and discussed the importance of building and strengthening inclusive leader skills. The panelists included Aaron Snyder, Haslam’s executive director of strategic partnerships; Nzinga Shaw, CEO of Attack Glass Inc.; Jefferson Johnson, diversity and inclusiveness campus lead for EY LLP; and Tyler Horne, DEIB strategist for Insight Global.

Moderator

Neeraj Bharadwaj, Proffitt’s Professor in Marketing, Charlie and Carolyn Newcomer Faculty Research Fellow and Neel Corporate Governance Center Research Fellow

Amy Cathey

Associate Dean for Graduate and Executive Education, Distinguished Lecturer

Clarence L. Vaughn III

Director, Office of Access and Community Connections

Chad Autry

Associate Dean of Faculty and Research; Daniel and Karen Myers Distinguished Professor

Lane Morris

Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Student Affairs, John W. Fisher Professor of Innovative Learning

Lauren Cunningham

Keith Stanga Professor of Accounting, Cheryl Massingale Faculty Research Fellow, Haslam College of Business, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Lauren Cunningham joined UT’s Department of Accounting and Information Management after receiving her PhD in accounting from the University of Arkansas. Lauren serves as the director of research for the C. Warren Neel Corporate Governance Center and the coordinator of the Neel CGC Distinguished Speaker Series, which hosts corporate executives, board members, regulators and other industry leaders. She is an associate editor at European Accounting Review and also serves on the editorial and review boards for Contemporary Accounting Research, Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory and Accounting Horizons.

Cunningham serves as the audit curriculum coordinator and has taught auditing to both undergraduate and graduate students. She also teaches a PhD seminar on current topics in auditing and corporate governance. Her teaching cases are published in Issues in Accounting Education and Current Issues in Auditing. She earned her undergraduate degree in accounting from Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Texas.

Ashley King

Accounting and Information Management Haslam College of Business, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Ashley King is a lecturer primarily in the information management group in the Department of Accounting and Information Management. She is nearing the completion of coursework for her PhD in Educational Psychology: Learning, Design and Technology. Prior to coming to UT, Ashley worked as a senior auditor for LBMC in their Knoxville office. During her experience in public accounting, King worked on engagement teams to audit both financial statements and information systems for many companies.  As a precursor to her public accounting experience, Ashley earned a BS in accounting, as well as a Master of Accountancy degree, from UT.  

John Cherry

Vice President for Community Leadership, Leadership Knoxville

John Cherry is the vice president for community leadership at Leadership Knoxville. In this role, he is responsible for various aspects of Leadership Knoxville programs, specifically the flagship program, which is in its 40th year of producing strong leaders for the greater Knoxville region. He also oversees the consulting services business line for Leadership Knoxville, as well as the newly created Encore Program for seasoned leaders who are at or near retirement.

Cherry’s servant leadership passion is children’s theatre. He has volunteered as the artistic director for the Primary Players Children’s Theatre Group in Blount County since 2005.

A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, theatre program, Cherry also he received his commission in the U.S. Air Force in 1984 through the university’s ROTC program. He retired from service in the Air Force in 2005 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Chapman University in Orange, California.

Beth Hamil

Executive Director, Cancer Support Community East Tennessee

Beth Hamil is the executive director of Cancer Support Community East Tennessee, a nonprofit that uplifts and strengthens people impacted by cancer, as well as their loved ones. Previously, she was the program director of Leadership Knoxville, where she managed the flagship program and consulting services. Hamil has been a master facilitator with Leadership Knoxville for over 20 years and enjoys working with groups to help them perform at the highest level to achieve their goals. She is active with, and has served on, numerous professional organizations and community boards, including Executive Women’s Association, Leadership Knoxville and Tennessee Cancer Coalition, among others.

Hamil has earned degrees from the University of Georgia and Western Washington University. She is also a graduate of the Consortium for Social Enterprise Effectiveness through the Haslam College of Business.

Madison Howard (she/her/hers)

Diversity Educator

Madison Howard is a junior majoring in sociology with a minor in social justice. She has been part of the Multicultural Student Life Diversity Educators initiative for two years. Her professional and career interests include diversity educational program management and social justice coordination. 

Maya Hall (she/her/hers)

Diversity Educator

Maya Hall is a junior majoring in therapeutic recreation with a minor in business administration and statistics. She has been part of the Multicultural Student Life Diversity Educators team for two semesters. After graduation, she is interested in becoming a certified therapeutic recreation specialist and continuing her education in social work.

Moderator: Neeraj Bharadwaj

Proffitt’s Professor in Marketing, Charlie and Carolyn Newcomer Faculty Research Fellow, Neel Corporate Governance Center Research Fellow, Haslam College of Business

Neeraj Bharadwaj (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin) is Proffitt’s Professor in Marketing, Charlie and Carolyn Newcomer Faculty Research Fellow and Neel Corporate Governance Center Research Fellow at the Haslam College of Business.

Bharadwaj’s scholarly pursuits combine academic rigor with practical relevance, and his current research addresses sustainability, innovation, branding and livestream retailing. His published articles appear in such leading outlets as the Journal of Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, International Journal of Research in Marketing and Journal of Product Innovation Management, among others.

He is often recognized for his research, including being named recipient of multiple Haslam Summer Scholars Program Research Awards and a Harold H. Maynard Award finalist for an article published in the Journal of Marketing. He is also an award-winning teacher, including being recognized among the Top 40 Undergraduate Business Professors by Poets & Quants in 2017, and as recipient of the Chancellor’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 2022.

He is the founding member of the Sustainability Research Network, an interdisciplinary community of scholars at the Haslam College of Business and beyond who strive to understand the business implications of firms’ environmental, social and/or governance initiatives. He also chairs the American Marketing Association Sustainable Marketing and Innovation Special Interest Group (SUSTSIG).

Previously, he served as a consultant for government clients and multinational corporations, and on the faculty at Babson College, Temple University, University of Chicago and University of Texas at Austin. Prior to earning his doctorate at the University of Wisconsin, he worked in brand management at Miller Brewing Company.

Guest Panelist: Tyler Horne

DEIB Strategist, Insight Global

As our DEIB Strategist, Tyler is committed to creating inclusive and equitable teams leading to better business results. He specializes in developing inclusive hiring strategies, DEIB training, and DEIB consulting for Insight Global’s clients. He is passionate about both creating access to opportunities for candidates from historically marginalized communities and fostering inclusive cultures. Tyler has over six years of experience in staffing and has hired 500+ candidates in his time at IG. He currently leads inclusive recruiting efforts within Insight Global’s Diversity Council, creating inclusive recruiting processes across IG offices. He is also a dedicated father and proud of his African American heritage.

Guest Panelist: Aaron Snyder

Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships, Haslam College of Business

Aaron J. Snyder recently became the first executive director of strategic partnerships for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business. In this role, Snyder will enhance Haslam’s ability to connect at high levels with select, leading firms and leverage advantageous employment and career opportunities for Haslam students and graduates. His activities will expand Haslam’s scope and increase its effectiveness in assisting students in their career advancement endeavors.

Guest Panelist: Jefferson Johnson

Diversity & Inclusiveness Campus Lead, Ernst & Young

A graduate of Brigham Young University, Jefferson Johnson serves as EY’s Diversity & Inclusiveness Campus Lead and has been with the firm for 13 years. He formerly served as the State of Florida Campus Recruiting leader for 8 years where he spent countless hours engaging with students on campus. Adjacent to his passion for promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace, Jefferson loves coaching baseball, football and spending time with his 4 children and wife at their home in Clearwater beach.