What is the Bluegrass Diversity Roundtable?
A day of discussion to improve communication and foster an environmental movement that works for everyone in our diverse community. This is one of six regional roundtable discussions taking place across the United States leading up to the national Summit 2011: Diverse Partners for Equitable Environmental Progress in Washington DC in June of 2011. One goal of these roundtables is to build toward a more cohesive, possibly national, environmental movement that has the capacity to hold a variety of different people working on a variety of issues.
 
Registration is required. Space is limited.
Contact Claude Stephens at cstephens@bernheim.org or by phone at 502-955-8512 to register or for additional information.

Cost
There is no cost for the Roundtable. A local-foods lunch will be provided.

Why you should attend:
This is an opportunity to join a national dialogue about diversity and working together toward solutions to shared environmental concerns. The roundtable is a discussion facilitated by a national environmental leader and diversity specialist, and is focused on identifying issues and opportunities around environmental concerns that affect everyone. The roundtable also creates an opportunity to meet other people and discover how groups and individuals in our region can work together now and in the future for our shared environment.

What to expect:
Participants from diverse backgrounds and fields with equally diverse perspectives on environmental concerns will gather to have an open dialogue around five guiding questions that are common to all of the regional roundtables leading up to the national summit. The roundtable will be facilitated by Iantha Gant-Wright who is among the leaders in the national effort and summit. The focus is on finding common ground and shared concerns, and identifying both barriers and opportunities that will allow organizations and individuals to work toward improved social and environmental goals.

The Five Guiding Questions for the Roundtable
These five guiding questions will focus the open dialogue of this regional roundtable and assist in the development of the national Summit 2011: Diverse Partners for Equitable Environmental Progress.

• What is needed to be able to work together across organizations    to build trust? • What is the most pressing environmental issue/need that you    or your organization should be addressing? • What action is needed so a movement for environmental    progress looks, sounds and is relevant to all Americans? • What needs to change in order for people and organizations    to be able to share resources toward the support of equitable    environmental progress? • What is needed to build, mobilize and sustain a broader, more    equitable environmental movement long-term?

Roundtable Facilitator – Iantha Gantt-Wright
Iantha Gantt-Wright is President and Founder of The Kenian Group Diversity Coaching and Consulting. She has been a successful practice leader in this field for the non-profit, government and private sector on issues of diversity and organizational development for more than 15 years. The Kenian Group has built a track record of success with organizations and individuals working to develop and institute long-term diversity programs that work, strategic plans that are inclusive, effective diversity and leadership trainings, facilitating productive and effective meetings and coaching to individual and organizational competency.

Before launching the Kenian Group, Gantt-Wright served as the Director of Diversity for the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) for more than 10 years. Under her leadership NPCA became the first national conservation organization to address race and diversity in the national parks. Gantt-Wright organized and convened three national conferences that broke many relational barriers for people of color and the national parks. As a direct result of the success of this work Gantt-Wright launched the National Parks Community Partners Program in six cities around the country. Her work at NPCA catapulted her to a national leader on environmental and social justice issues within the conservation and environmental community.