Jason Daniels, President and CEO of JAYRAMON LLC, now has years of experience as a speaker, writer and strategist, but the University of Toledo has not forgotten all the people who helped guide him along the path.
“My wife and I, as African American professionals, have recognized that we had great mentors and great allies in the workplace,” Daniels said. “they saw our talent, saw our potential, and they gave us many opportunities to grow our leadership.”
Daniels and his wife Kelli had many young minority professionals coming to them seeking advice— the kind of advice Jason and Kelli received from their mentors when they were starting their careers.
“We said, we should create a platform where we can have a conversation and strategize together. Bring allies into the room, companies and individuals, who believe in the promotion of minority talent in the workplace. Let’s look at how we can come together and create a better workplace and community for all of us.”
For professionals and allies
Their thinking led to the L.I.F.T. Conference, an event that champions diversity in the workplace and offers advice and encouragement to both young professionals and allies who are looking for ways to bolster them. The third L.I.F.T. Midwest Conference will be held at the campus of the University of Toledo beginning on October 29.
“A leadership conference that focuses on how individuals at work, as well as in the community, can grow what we call their ‘L.I.F.T.’— leadership, influence, focus and talent,” Daniels said.
“The base of it is really, how can multiple groups of individuals, diverse individuals, minorities, come together, and how can allies, who want to help them grow in their leadership at work, support them in their work?”
Reginald Temple is the Vice President of Community Development at First Federal Bank, one of the sponsors of the L.I.F.T. Conference since it began in 2017. Temple has attended each yearly conference along with members of his First Federal team. “It just recharges you. You just get kinda worn down through that grind of every day at work, and that routine. And you kinda find yourself in this rut, and they kinda remind you of the responsibilities of being a leader, being in leadership, what it means to be a mentor, and I think that’s important for us.”
Diversity onstage and off
This year’s conference will take place over the course of two days and feature speakers including Toledo mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, March of Dimes Chief People Officer Darlene Slaughter, Eugenio Mollo, Jr. of Advocates for Basic Legal Equality and more. Daniels said that the diversity of the speakers, just as the diversity of their audience, is a key goal of the conference.
“What we hope we can provide this year is giving individuals the strategy, giving them the research, the expertise, to go back to their organizations to talk to the folks in the C-suite about what it will take to begin the process of creating and hiring a more diverse and inclusive workforce. If they’re already doing that, how can the company begin to share more with the workforce about what they’re looking for, in terms of diverse talent.”
$130-150
Tuesday, October 29 through Wednesday, October 30
Nitschke Technology Commercialization Complex,
N Westwood Ave.
jayramon.com
