Employee Resource Groups host Summit on June 14

Minnesota Statewide Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are hosting their first summit on June 14. The Bold Voices, Bold Vision and Bold Strategy: Building Strong Community and Partnerships through ERGs Summit will be a virtual event.    

Minnesota Statewide Employee Resource Groups are employee-driven, identity-based  groups of employees building a broader culture of inclusion across state government. These groups embrace diverse cultures, professional development and community involvement.

“We want to promote the work of the ERGs as a way to attract, retain, engage and develop a diverse, inclusive and effective workforce,” Local 701’s Ellena Schoop said. Schoop is founder and co-chair of both the Women IT ChangeMakers and the Equity and Justice Black Caucus ERGs.

The five other Statewide ERGs are Black, Indigenous Women of Color, Minnesota Employees with Disabilities, Minnesota Millennials, MNClusive and Women Doctoral Network.

“The State is newer to ERGs than other organizations and we reached out to contacts in St. Paul and Hennepin County and invited them to the Summit so we could learn from each other,” Schoop said.

The Employee Resource Group Summit will be a virtual day of presentations, panel discussions and breakout sessions on topics including engaging ERG voices in times of crisis, working across generations, mentorships and many other subjects. All sessions will include ASL interpreters and closed captioning. To register and view the agenda https://mn.gov/mmb/ergs/ .

Speakers will include Diversity, Equity and Inclusion specialist Farzana Nayani, activist and attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong, MNIT Commissioner Tarek Tomes, representatives from the Gender Justice organization and many others. 

The Summit will also highlight the accomplishments and impact of the ERGs via an “Impact Award” ceremony on topics ranging from learning and development, innovation and energy, and recruitment, retention, culture and inclusion.  

The Summit is hosted by the Statewide ERGs, with sponsoring partnerships from the Department of Human Services, the City of St. Paul, Hennepin County and the Office of Inclusion.