Unconscious Bias: You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

About this event

April Lewis & Carol French
Figure 8 Consulting

Continental Breakfast & Networking at 8:00
Presentation at 8:30

Deep within our subconscious, all of us harbor biases and that would make us uncomfortable on a conscious level—if we were to become aware of them. Furthermore, we often act on them, sometimes behaving in inexplicable ways that interfere with our ability to live up to our own values and to have consistently harmonious relationships with others.

This interactive and fast-paced session, facilitated by Figure 8 Consulting LLC, will examine how we develop our unique cultural identity and world view and will explore the mechanisms and the impact of unconscious bias.

About the Presenters

April Lewis’s 15 years of experience in organizational development, diversity, and cultural competency has given her a proven track record as a trainer, organizational consultant, and curriculum development specialist with diverse teams and groups in a variety of organizational settings. Her master’s degree in public administration from Lewis and Clark College provided her with the foundation for the work she does, but her passion is more a result of her experiences and who she is, beginning when she worked with people with disabilities when she was in high school. At the same time that she strives for authenticity in all of her relationships, April is committed to having fun whenever possible, which is reflected in her dynamic, unique, and completely engaging style, whether she is facilitating groups, doing diversity education, training others to be trainers, or teaching golf to inner city kids. April is at her most creative when she brings all of these qualities together to help clients respond to organizational challenges.

Carol French brings a broad range of experience to Figure 8. Carol has a BA in English and theater and an MA in psychology from Lewis and Clark College. Her years in the classroom teaching English, drama, and communication provided the foundation for her skill at curriculum development, her innate ability to connect with her audience, and her commitment to focus on the needs of those in her classes. What began as a way to challenge her fear of heights led Carol to do extensive training on the use of ropes courses, games, initiatives, and experiential activities as a way of augmenting the training that she does. This contributed to the training philosophy that is one of the guiding principles of Figure 8 Consulting—that the best training is interactive. Carol helped launch the diversity initiative for the Evergreen School District in Vancouver, WA, and her work with immigrant families in that area provided her with a passion for working with people from a variety of cultural backgrounds.

About the Network

Most nonprofit leaders want to create inclusive work environments, address social and economic disparities, and engage diverse communities in their programing, yet the path to achieve greater equity is not always clear, and the work can be isolating. Equity and Inclusion Leaders Network brings nonprofit leaders together to share best practices, connect among peers, and engage in deeper learning with thought leaders and practitioners in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion.