BNHRA Events:
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Equity in Action Leadership Forum and DEIA Awards
October 22, 2026
8:30 AM - 12:30 PM
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Northland Training Center
683 Northland Ave
Buffalo, NY 14211
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cast your vote! Equity in Action Leadership Forum and DEIA Awards
Equity in Action Leadership Forum
Advancing Workplaces. Strengthening Communities. Featuring DEIA Awards
📍 Northland Training Center
📅 October 22, 2026
🕣 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Tickets are $39.99 each, hot breakfast included.
Program Overview
The Equity in Action Leadership Forum is a dynamic professional development experience designed to equip Human Resources professionals, organizational leaders, and community stakeholders with practical strategies for building stronger workplaces and stronger communities.
As organizations navigate evolving workforce expectations, changing demographics, accessibility needs, employee engagement challenges, and increasing demands for inclusive leadership, HR professionals are uniquely positioned to influence culture, drive organizational effectiveness, and create environments where employees can thrive.
Two featured presentations:
Collin Gehl, Chief Human Resources Officer at Say Yes Buffalo, opens with Advancing DEIA: Where Do We Go From Here? — covering leadership accountability, sustainable culture change, and what it takes to keep DEIA work moving past the initial commitment.
Chuki Naylor, FNP-BC and co-founder of King of Ausome, follows with Autism, Accessibility & Overcoming Barriers. Drawing on her work in autism diagnostics and her own experience as a parent and advocate, she'll cover neurodiversity, accessibility, and what removing barriers looks like in practice.
Executive Leadership Panel
Moderator Kenya Hobbs leads a 45-minute conversation with five leaders from HR, nonprofit, education, and healthcare:
- Jay Marlow
- Colleen Reedy
- Patti Stephen
- Dora Jones
- Brielynn Bell
Topics include leadership accountability, employee engagement, and where community partnerships fit into workforce outcomes.
DEIA Awards
Six awards recognize individuals and organizations across Western New York who are moving equity work from intention into practice:
- The Diversity Leadership Award — for a leader who's expanded representation and built fair pathways to opportunity for people from diverse backgrounds.
- The Equity in Action Award — for a leader who's tackled systemic barriers and worked to create fair access to opportunities, resources, and advancement.
- The Inclusion Impact Award — for a leader who's built environments where people feel respected, valued, and able to contribute fully.
- The Accessibility Advancement Award — for a leader who's championed accessibility and removed barriers for people with disabilities or differing abilities.
- The DEIA Leadership Excellence Award — the summit's top individual honor, for sustained impact across all four pillars of DEIA.
- The Pillars of Equity Leadership Award — presented to two organizations (CEO-level) demonstrating leadership across diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
🗳️ Cast your vote and help us recognize leaders making real impact
Thank you to our Awards sponsor: HerHR Solutions, LLC
BNHRA is recognized by SHRM to offer professional development credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities. This program is valid for 1.75 PDC for the SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP®.
This program has been pre-approved for 1.75 recertification credit hours toward aPHR®, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™ and SPHRi™ recertification through HR Certification Institute® (HRCI®)
Tickets
$39.99 BNHRA Member
$39.99 Guests or Future Members
Volunteer Opportunities
Junior Achievement WNY Volunteer Opportunities
Nov. 5, 2018
Through in-class programs, volunteers from all walks of life enter local classrooms to teach students about business, economics, and the importance of staying in school.
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