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NFBPWC JUSTICE, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (JDEI) committee



Feel welcome to work cohesively and learn from each other

NFBPWC was organized in July 1919 to promote the interest of business and professional women regardless of industry or position. Today NFBPWC is proud to continue with that vision of seeing women from different backgrounds be able and feel welcomed to work cohesively with each other -- all over the country and around the world. 



WE BELIEVE...

Our organization is more innovative and successful if we infuse Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (JDEI) into all aspects of our culture, and have set our sights on:

  • Providing a clear understanding of what cultural competency is and what it is not,
  • Raising a greater awareness and sensitivity to diversity issues that go well beyond the assumed categories,
  • Recommending useful tools for fostering a welcoming and cohesive NFBPWC,
  • Discussing culture which is a strong part of people's lives. It influences our views, values, humor, hopes, loyalties, worries, and fears, and
  • Embracing, and being comfortable in, our dialogue and actions.

JUSTICE

NFBPWC is committed to dismantling barriers to resources and opportunities in society so that all individuals and communities can live a full and dignified life. We do this by intentionally asking ourselves how we can do better to respond to the needs of underrepresented, marginalized, and dis-empowered groups.

DIVERSITY

NFBPWC is committed to ensuring our local & virtual Affiliates and national Student programs attract, accept, and respect members from across all demographics. To us, diversity is the mosaic of people who bring a variety of backgrounds, styles, perspectives, values, and beliefs as assets to the groups and organizations with which they interact. It is the presence of a difference in each setting.

EQUITY

NFBPWC is committed to ensuring that our members have access to the same opportunities and require our leadership teams to understand the root causes of why disparities exist. Our members know there is a system of privileges and barriers at play. Because everyone is beginning their JDEI journey at a different point, we strive to meet people where they are.

INCLUSION

NFBPWC works to eliminate barriers to participation, too. We are committed to offering membership training programs for building inclusive environments, and inclusive practices for making people of different identities feel valued, welcomed, and invested within our groups.

UPCOMING EVENTS *All times are in ET unless otherwise noted


Committee Scope

The JDEI Committee works to build awareness for, and uphold the tenets of, the JDEI initiative that has a focus on: 
  • Encouraging a diverse membership across generations,

  • Cultivating leaders from all walks of life and at every phase of their careers,

  • Creating a more vibrant space for virtual interactions that span across the nation and globe, and

  • Increasing our relevancy by aligning with like-minded organizations so that we can achieve our mission more fully.


RECENT Articles / Useful links

The COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Contact Committee Chair, Sher Singh:


Sher Singh has facilitated Cultural Competency workshops for over 25 years. She was president of the Cultural Task Force of Orange County, NY. She guided trainings for non-profits, for profits, educational institutions, and civic groups. Sher served on a domestic violence and mental health board dealing with underlayers of cultural imbalances. She created the first ever School District Diversity Committee including students, staff, and community members. She is an Orange County Humans Rights Commission award recipient.

Her career was in human services with youth at risk, a county run program, people with disabilities, unhoused and socio-economic challenged community. Currently, Sher is a member of the Sacramento CoC System Performance Committee (Representing constituencies of unsheltered persons). She is BPW International Arts & Culture Standing Committee Chair.



As a lifelong volunteer, Sondra has served in many non-profit organization positions including various parent teacher associations, community services and chambers, where she led fundraising efforts, event production, volunteer services and other operational and administrative projects. Professionally, Sondra Nunez is a co-owner of her family business, Mountain Valley Petroleum, Inc., located in West Sacramento, California, where she currently serves as the company CFO.



Alia Ismail has substantially dedicated and continues to dedicate her time to enhance international commerce by building a solid foundation to start a cross-border American Middle Eastern Mediation Center with two office bases in the US and Lebanon.

With an extensive financial advisory background and solid relationship-building skills, Alia aims to stir businesses away from traditional ways to resolving disputes. In addition, she aims to enhance organizational culture through cultural transformation education.

Alia possesses two graduate degrees in Business Administration and Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University, a Certificate in Global Enterprise Management from the University of Oxford, and some Public and Private International Dispute Resolution education from Gevena and London respectively.

While getting trained at Los Angeles Superior Court, Alia was able to dismiss 90% of the cases she mediated. While Alia’s focus is on mediation, Alia is currently approved as a registered Arbitrator with FINRA Dispute Resolution Services.



Monique Lee, née Delaunay, was born in Paris in wartime France. She studied Law at the Sorbonne and English in London, where she met her future husband, architect Aalon Lee. In 1960, they moved to Hong Kong where she began a varied career as a French Teacher, Air France agent, Consular and Trade Commissioner staff, Public Relations representative, and French Interpreter/Translator for the Hong Kong Supreme Court. In 1972, she started her own company and became the Far East purchasing agent for several major European garment companies.

She has travelled extensively throughout Asia, from Pakistan to North Korea, and was one of the first western women to develop international trade with China. In 1979, she co-founded Business & Professional Women (BPW) - Hong Kong, and served as its president for two years. She retired in 1999 and moved with Aalon to London, where she ran the BPW Network London for twelve years. In 2012, they moved to San Jose, California, where she now lives close to her two sons, Pascal, a NASA space scientist, Marco, a neurosurgery professor at Stanford, and her two wonderful grandsons.



Daneene Monroe Rusnak started at Berea BPW Ohio in 2010 and Historian Chair. Daneene has held a variety of positions which included three terms as local President, PR/Social Media Chair, 2nd VP/Membership Chair and Region 2 President. Recipient of Berea BPW Woman of the Year, Legislation, Corresponding Secretary and Social Media, Co-Chair of Website Management, Social Media, and third term as the BPW/OH PAC Chair.

Member of NFBPWC/USA Virtual Chapter 2015 and current President of and social media/Technology, 2017 as NFBPWC/USA PR/Social Media Committee PR Chair from 2018-2020. She is a Business Solutions Specialist/Benefits Advisor with Consultative Business Solutions and lives in Parma, OH with her husband, Jeff, her daughter Maya and son Jerrod.

   



Emily VanVleck holds a B.A. from City College of New York majoring in International Studies with a double minor in Public Policy and Human Rights. She keeps politically current. Emily joined the NYC chapter of NFBPWC as their Advocacy/UN intern for the summer of 2021. Her passion to advance human rights and create a more equitable world for all, she was interested in joining an organization that fought for women’s rights and had consultative status with the UN. She is part of the Afghan Women Project and was elected the YBPW Representative for the NYC chapter. Emily established a project to create mini training videos

An Oregon native, Emily lives in New York. When she is not traveling, she can be found taking care of her plants, loves museums, and reading. Emily loves traveling and learning about other cultures. A flight attendant for eight years.

Equal Participation of Women and Men in Power and Decision-Making Roles


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