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CLIMB Summit Spotlights Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

In February, the Gabelli School hosted its fifth annual Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) conference. Renamed the “CLIMB Summit” this year, the event attracted 140 prospective graduate students from as far away as Alaska, California, Africa, China, India, and the United Kingdom.

“We hope that [the event] is a reflection of how important we feel this community is,” said Lawrence Mur’ray, senior assistant dean of graduate admissions and advising. “It is our goal to commit to cultivating a community of engagement.”

Kicking off the day were keynote speakers Lance LaVergne, chief diversity officer and senior vice president of global talent acquisition at the global fashion company PVH Corp., and Bliss Griffin, MBA ’19, entertainment inclusion consultant and a current student at Fordham School of Law, who discussed diversity, sustainability, and the challenges those with marginalized identities face when entering today’s workforce.

For Morgan Matthews, BS ’13, a former DEIB manager at Peloton who spoke on the DEIB Leaders Panel alongside executives from iHeartMedia and Fordham University, joining organizations with other individuals who felt underrepresented at college encouraged her to advocate for herself and make connections through her peers. Now, as a DEIB practitioner at a sports and entertainment company, she inspires industry leaders to expand their own networks, emphasizing the value diversity brings to business teams.

“What usually happens is they see predominantly white men in their networks, and they start to see that their network isn’t as big as [they] thought it was, or as diverse,” Matthews said. “I find ways to educate people on why having a diverse network is important in a way that makes them comfortable.”

In a session on honing one’s personal brand, Jay Mandel, personal branding coach and adjunct professor of marketing at the Gabelli School, explained that by identifying one’s core values, an individual can determine what companies align with those values and ultimately, find meaningful careers.

CLIMB Summit banner
CLIMB Summit banner
“What usually happens is they see predominantly white men in their networks, and they start to see that their network isn’t as big as [they] thought it was, or as diverse,” Matthews said. “I find ways to educate people on why having a diverse network is important in a way that makes them comfortable.”

In a session on honing one’s personal brand, Jay Mandel, personal branding coach and adjunct professor of marketing at the Gabelli School, explained that by identifying one’s core values, an individual can determine what companies align with those values and ultimately, find meaningful careers.

“As people, our interests evolve, whereas our core values are steadfast and guide us over time,” Mandel said. “They become pillars that inform us of why you make certain decisions in your life, and in addition, it might help you make a decision on what you don’t do.”

The CLIMB Summit also featured a discussion among students leaders from the Black and Latinx MBA Association, Fordham’s Women in Business, Gabelli Pride, Veterans Association, Ascend, and the Student Management Consulting Group about what diversity and inclusion mean to them.

Kadeisha Weise, an attendee who will start the Gabelli School’s MS in Media Management program in the fall of 2022, said that the school’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging eased her mind about returning to higher education to pivot her career and make new connections. Weise, who holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the State University of New York at Albany, most recently served as a paralegal for the American Civil Liberties Union.

“The summit was a great display of community,” she said. “I have a personal quest to align myself with institutions that make diversity, equity, and inclusion a priority in their mission.”

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