The in-person conference will feature presentations, panel discussions, and networking opportunities to map out challenges and hone strategies for building economies that can better include all races, genders, newcomers, workers, and organizations.

“I am delighted that leaders in various fields who are currently addressing economic inclusion will take part in our first Guilford Dialogues conference,” says Kyle, who established the event in his first few months as President of the College. “We anticipate a very robust and productive conversation with actionable outcomes in June.”

Speakers committed to participating include:

• Colleen Thouez is senior fellow at the New School’s Zolberg Institute, where she directs the Global Cities portfolio. She is also senior visiting fellow at SciencesPo Paris where she advises French cities, and the Africa-Europe Mayors Dialogue on Growth and Solidarity. She was inaugural director of the Welcoming and Inclusive Cities Division at the Open Society Foundations, and served for 17 years in leadership positions at the United Nations.

• Chris Wheat, Co-president of JP Morgan Chase Institute, who directs research around economic equity, personal finances, taxation, savings, and trends in wealth, will be sharing his broad and deep understanding of that data as it relates to the many challenges we face in economic equity during a session on financial policy, data, and the challenges of economic equity.

• Dennis Quaintance, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Design Officer and Chief Storytelling Officer for the Greensboro-based Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants & Hotels, is a noted leader in sustainability and is expected to share his decision process regarding labor and transferring his companies to employee ownership during a panel on enhancing employee ownership. QW Restaurants & Hotels is now 100 percent employee-owned.

• Regina Malveaux, Executive Director of the Washington State Women’s Commission, appointed by Governor Jay Inslee, has more than 20 years of experience as a tenacious advocate for women and children as a nonprofit executive, victim’s services provider, community leader, and policy advocate. She is expected to moderate a conference panel on gender and race issues with economic inclusion.
   

• Simon Gifford, Chief Executive Officer of Mashauri Limited, an entrepreneurial education platform designed to support universities and other institutions in offering experiential entrepreneurial education to their students, has been involved in the creation and growth of several other new ventures and acts as an adviser to a number of early stage companies. He lectures on strategy and entrepreneurship around the world. 

• Esther Benjamin, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of World Education Services, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping international students, immigrants, and refugees achieve their educational and career goals, has been a global executive in the public, private, and civil society sectors for more than 25 years. She has had senior management roles with organizations including the U.S Peace Corps.

Several other conference speakers and panelists are expected to be announced this month.

Registration for the Guilford Dialogues is under way on the conference website. For more information, contact Conference Director Amanda Szabo-Huff at dialogues@guilford.edu.