NAACP Boulder County presents:
BLACK TALK: RACE IN THE WORKPLACE Recruiting in VIVID color!
Join us on Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
as we walk through some common race-based situations that occur
when recruiting for a more dynamic and diverse workplace.
The 2nd in the Ambassador Program’s Black Talk: Race in the Workplace series,
Recruiting in VIVID Color will offer businesses and HR personnel the skills necessary to both recognize and move beyond endemic bias when recruiting candidates and hiring for a more dynamic and diverse workforce.
Moderated by NAACP Boulder County Branch President Annett James, panelists include
Eric Hozempa, Director of the Longmont Community Foundation,
Margo Okazawa-Rey, professor emerita San Francisco State University, writer, and activist, and
Velveta Golightly-Howell, inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame and life-long champion for social justice and advocacy.
Annett James,
President of NAACP Boulder County
Annett James, is a mom, speaker, an advocate for social and economic equality, and president of NAACP Boulder County Branch.
A native of rural Mississippi, she found her way to Boulder, Colorado to study at the University of Colorado, and has lived in Boulder since.
Annett has always had a passion for education, economics and business. These interests bloomed during her studies. She was a member of Black Student Alliance, and supported the First Nations Committee. They were the catalyst to her membership in multiple nonprofit organizations and boards, including the Family Learning Center and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. A former chair of the United Black Women of Boulder Valley, she worked to promote the educational, economic, political and social welfare of Black people in Boulder Valley.
During her time as an investment broker, she taught training seminars for Black and People of Color that focused on the importance of financial planning that included knowledge of debt and equity instruments. She was one of a small group of investment brokers that lobbied fortune 500 companies to conduct some of their stock trades using Black brokers. Annett enjoys inventing and product development and has a granted utility patent.
Annett helped to found the Joan Washington Scholarship Fund which provided a monetary stipend to Black high school graduates from Boulder and St. Vrain Valley School Districts and the Charles and Mildred Nilon Scholarship which is awarded to a student majoring in education at the University of Colorado who plans to teach in diverse schools.
Eric Hozempa,
Director of the Longmont Community Foundation
Eric has more than 30 years of nonprofit experience and is devoted to raising resources that improve the community for all. In his current position as the Executive Director of the Longmont Community Foundation, Eric works to improve the community through philanthropy and charitable leadership. Prior to working for the Foundation, Eric was employed as a consultant with Richard Male & Associates (RMA), specifically in the areas of fundraising and marketing. Eric has presented at local and national trainings and facilitated nonprofit discussions and retreats on topics ranging from major gift fundraising to strategic planning. Prior to his work with RMA, Eric worked with a variety of small to large Colorado nonprofits that focus on volunteer management, health care, the environment, and arts and culture issues. His work experience includes: Program Manager for Metro Volunteers, Director of Development for Dental Aid, Development Director for Eco-Cycle and Membership Director for Rocky Mountain PBS. In addition to his work commitments, Eric serves on the boards of the Advancement Network and the Boulder County Estate Planning Council and Boulder County Business Hall of Fame Awards.
Eric grew up in Boulder County and graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a B.A. in philosophy. Eric enjoys hiking, fly fishing, roasting his own coffee, riding his scooter, and gardening.
Margo Okazawa-Rey,
professor emerita San Francisco State University
Dr. Margo Okazawa-Rey is a powerful example of a transnational feminist
dedicated to dismantling, challenging, and transforming systems of
oppression in the profound belief that another world is possible.
Among the first generation of mixed-race children born to a Japanese mother
and an African-American father, Okazawa-Rey has stood at the vanguard for
advancing cross-racial solidarities. She is a founding member of the Afro-
Asian Relations Council, the Institute for Multiracial Justice, and the
International Network of Women Against Militarism.
With an Ed.D. in education from Harvard University, she is a professor in the
School of Human and Organizational Development at the Fielding Graduate
University and professor emerita at San Francisco State University.
While it is critically important to acknowledge Okazawa-Rey’s long list of
accomplishments and her significant contributions to Black and women of
color feminist thought and behavior, it is her compassionate spirit; her
commitment to learning and working across differences; and her desire to
lead in love that are shining representations of what we should aspire to be as
activists, as human beings, and as a community.
Velveta Golightly-Howell,
Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame inductee.
At six-years-old, Velveta Golightly-Howell, a native Alabamian, realized her calling as a Civil Rights, racial justice, and social justice advocate, activist, and agitator. A graduate of The Tuskegee Institute, the University of Colorado School of Law, and the University of Colorado Graduate School of Public Affairs, Ms. Howell is a trailblazer. Her former professional legal positions include serving as Senior Deputy Denver District Attorney; senior employment counsel for the City and County of Denver; senior labor law and EEO lawyer to an international labor organization; and senior federal Civil Rights attorney. Additionally, Ms. Howell has led Civil Rights operations at the federal level, as a regional Civil Rights executive, and national senior Civil Rights executive. She is a passionate mentor, who gives back at every opportunity. Appointed or elected to various professional and community boards, commissions, and committees, she offers pro bono (free) legal services to a select few of nonprofit and faith-based organizations. Ms. Howell is licensed to practice law in Colorado, the Tenth Circuit, New York (Appellate Division), and before the U.S. Supreme Court. Most importantly, she is a blessed wife and mother.
The Race in the Workplace series is made possible by the Economic Opportunity Committee of NAACP Boulder County,
working to ensure our local economy leaves no one out!