JJ just moved from Washington, DC to Atlanta, GA, leaving a familiar place and a familiar industry. As a Black woman who is also part of the LGBTQ+ community, she knows how difficult it can be sometimes to fit into a new community and to find meaningful work. Before the pandemic, her job prospects in Atlanta would have been hard to come by as she was seeking employment outside of an industry she had been very happy and successful in previously.

Because of the pandemic and a global shift to remote work or a flexible work model, the opportunity to align her own passions with a company and a role that would truly be meaningful to JJ became a possibility. And for companies, the opportunity to hire someone like JJ opened the door to possibilities that again would not have existed prior to the pandemic.

We find ourselves at a unique point in history, a global community situated to address two key areas where the world is currently experiencing rapid change: COVID has created a new way of working, a new way of hiring, a new focus on remote capability, and many challenges around reskilling and hiring overall. Second, the conversation around social inequality, unconscious bias, Black Lives Matter, and a need for systemic change has truly created an opportunity for real action. We find ourselves with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to emerge stronger and better as people, as organizations, as a country, and as that global community.

Our panel of experts will talk about their own experiences and how this point in time can give companies a chance to truly realize more diversity and inclusion, but with intentional action. Gone are the days of performative black squares or annual donations to a cause. Leaders are prioritizing sustainable and scalable strategies to build more inclusive places of work that will attract more diverse talent from all over the world. The opportunity is in front of us. It's time to work together for a better future of work.

The panel will be moderated by UB Ciminieri, cofounder and CMO of interviewIA, who will be joined by Jocqueline Johnson, Project Coordinator of interviewIA, Joe Thurman, cofounder and CEO of interviewIA, and Mike Hess, Executive Director of The Blind Institute of Technology.