Description

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: 

Investing in Your Employees: From the Inside-Up!

This is our second Workshop in our Unlocking the Hidden Talent Pipeline Series, where we will highlight three regional businesses; Turning Pointe Advocacy Center, Belco Forest Product and Sound Learning. 

Belco and Sound Learning will share, with you, how they partnered together and created equity at the Belco Forest Products workplace by providing an opportunity for their staff to gain adult basic education and literacy training. Watch this creative video to learn more about their partnership.  Belco-V5-1080p.mp4

Learn how Turning Pointe Advocacy Center utilized the Future of Work Program, accessing a $15K grant to help train a staff person in Accounting to move up within the company. 

Megan Fiess, with the Thurston County Chamber, is excited to unveil, for the first time, the new Career Pathways Playbook: Actively Recruiting and Coaching Your Employees to Develop Skills to Achieve their Career Goals. This vibrantly new, Playbook will significantly help businesses with NEW strategies for locating talent, hiring, upskilling current employees and increasing retention. It contains business resources and data to assist in implementing new strategies, attracting skilled employees, increasing retention of top talent and adjusting problem areas of your business. 

Vivian Johnson, Vice President of Human Capital with Belco Forest Products

Meet Vivian Johnson | For the past two years, Vivian has served as Belco’s Vice President of Human Capital. She has worked as a Human Resources Business Partner and Leader in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Before joining Belco, Vivian worked at General Dynamics, General Atomics and Sony Electronics. She earned her Undergraduate Degree from Boston University and Graduate Degree from Penn State University in Human Resources and Labor Relations.

Belco Forest Products | Belco Forest Products, Inc., located in Shelton, has been in the forest products industry for over 42 years. Belco manufactures and distributes exterior wood trim and decorative and structural wood products for the building industry. Belco exists to provide opportunities that enrich the lives of its employees and their families.

Shannon Klasell, Executive Director of Sound Learning

Meet Shannon Klasell | Shannon Klasell became Executive Director of Sound Learning in 2019. In 1999, she chose to change her career to adult literacy/education.  In 2005, she moved “home” from New York City to the Seattle area and quickly found herself in Shelton, WA, working for Sound Learning as a Basic Studies Instructor/Program Manager.  Workforce education has always been a passion, and she spent 9 years working in the Automotive Division at South Puget Sound Community College as their IBEST (academic skill) Specialist. She has a B.A. from the University of Washington; a Teaching Adult Literacy Certificate from the New School University (NYC), and a Master’s in Public Administration from The Evergreen State College.

About Sound Learning | Sound Learning is a community-based nonprofit 501 C 3 located in Shelton. In the late 1980s, Simpson Timber Company started a Workplace Literacy/Education Program for their workers within their mill.  In 1991, that Program was “gifted” to the community and became a stand-alone organization.  For 30 years, Sound Learning has provided adult and out-of-school youth age 16+ education programs in English as a Second Language, Citizenship Preparation, Basic Academic Studies to prepare for work, college or training, preparation for the GED, and most recently, the High School+ Diploma.  Instruction is tailored to the participant's needs and goals, standards-based, and rigorous.  We meet people where they are and enable them to reach their education goals, find family wage work and live the life they want.

Gina Blanchard-Reed, Turning Pointe Advocacy Center

Meet Gina Blanchard-Reed | Gina became the Executive Director of Turning Pointe in 2018, growing programming, local partnerships, and capacity. She holds a Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Leadership from Seattle University and is currently working on her CAP designation through the American College of Finance. She has over 20 years of nonprofit experience, including volunteer work, direct service, development, and leadership. Gina worked for CareNet of Puget Sound and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County. She resides in Pierce County and holds an elected position as a Graham Fire & Rescue Fire Commissioner.

About Turning Pointe | Turning Pointe has served survivors of domestic violence since 2000. Turning Pointe opened one of the largest domestic violence shelters in the state, located in Shelton, WA, in 2009. Advocacy services are also offered in Belfair at a satellite location. In 2017, Turning Pointe was accredited to serve survivors of sexual assault. Around 600 individuals are served each year, including about 200 children.

Megan Fiess, Thurston County Chamber of Commerce

Workshop Moderator, Megan Fiess, is the Vice-President of Workforce and Strategic Initiatives at the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce. She will facilitate questions you need to know so you, too, can upskill your employees and provide equity within your workplace. 

This Workshop is brought to you by:

In Partnership with:

INNOVATE the Workplace is a series of workshops delivered by engaging and nationally-sought-out speakers and teachers whose trainings will ignite employees to implement new and innovative strategies in the areas of employee care, human resources and community engagement. We’ll focus on enhancing workplace unity, minimizing organizational division and improving company cultures.