Doane University welcomes Dr. Dwinita Mosby Tyler, the chief catalyst and founder of The Equity Project, as the guest speaker for the ninth Robert L. Polk Lecture on Race and Social Justice. Mosby Tyler will present her lecture, “The Wisdom of Our Reflections: Exploring the ‘Mirrors’ in Our Lives” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9 in Heckman Auditorium on Doane’s Crete campus.
The event is free and open to the public. The lecture will be followed by a Q&A session with the audience.
“It’s incredible to bring Dr. Mosby Tyler to speak with our students, employees, alumni and communities in Crete and beyond,” said Dr. Marilyn Johnson-Farr, professor of education and Polk Lecture committee chair. “She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge on growing leadership, equity and diversity and her lecture will encourage audiences to think critically about themselves and the world around them.”
Mosby Tyler founded The Equity Project to support organizations and communities in building diversity, equity and inclusion strategies. She also founded The HR Shop, a human resources firm designed to support non-profit organizations and small businesses.
Prior to starting her businesses, Mosby Tyler was senior vice president and chief inclusion officer for Children’s Hospital Colorado and executive director of the office of human resources for the city and county of Denver. In both of these roles, she was the first African American woman to hold the title. She has a 32-year background in human resources, diversity and inclusion, training and operations management, and has held additional leadership roles at AT&T, Kaiser Permanente, the McKesson Corporation and Statline (a subsidiary of the Musculoskeletal Tissue Foundation.)
The Robert L. Polk Lecture on Race and Social Justice was established in 2016 to bring high quality, high-impact speakers to Doane in the fields of diversity, equity and social justice. The goal of the lecture is to provide an avenue by which important discussions surrounding race, racial healing and racial equity can be established and sustained.
“For the past eight years, this lecture has celebrated Dr. Bob Polk’s enduring impact on our Doane community. I’m deeply grateful that Dr. Mosby Tyler will join us in elevating his vision of a world with more racial harmony and equity,” said Luis Sotelo, vice president for the division of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Rev. Dr. Robert L. Polk was the first African American to graduate from Doane, in 1952. He says his Doane experience gave him the exposure, courage, wit and wisdom to build bridges between race and culture. Building a more inclusive society has been a lifelong cornerstone of his ministry.
