Conference Updates

Maren Greathouse serves as Director of the Tyler Clementi Center, a research center examining the impact of bias, peer aggression, and campus climate on students holding marginalized and/or stigmatized identities. Ms. Greathouse oversees all strategic planning, research efforts, academic initiatives, external partnerships and operations. She was the founding Director of the LGBTQ and Intercultural Resource Center at Rutgers University-Newark and LGBT Student Development at Towson University. She holds a Masters of Science degree in Social Responsibility from St. Cloud State University, a program grounded in the study of social identity politics, structural oppression, and the social responsibility of individuals, organizations, governments and the private sector. She is currently pursuing a terminal degree in Higher Education with the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education. Her research interests include equity and diversity, student affairs praxis and class dynamics in higher education.

Maren is the featured speaker for the Interactive Session titled “Working While Queer: Common Challenges LGBTQ Students Face in their Career Development” on day 2 of #SoACE19. While the LGBTQ movement has made great strides over the last 50 years, it is still legal in 17 states to be fired because of your sexual orientation or gender identity.  This interactive session will explore some of the common concerns and challenges that LGBTQ-identified students experience in their career development and offer attendees guidance on how best to respond and mitigate barriers that limit professional opportunities for LGBTQ students.

You can register for the SoACE 2019 Conference here: https://www.soace.org/conference-registration- 

The SoACE Conference Committee is excited to host best selling author and business consultant, Lindsey Pollak, for a virtual breakout session at the #SoACE2019 Annual Conference.

Lindsey Pollak is the leading expert on Millennials and the multigenerational workplace. Often called a “translator,” she advises both young professionals looking to succeed in today’s work environment and the organizations that want to recruit, retain and engage them. Lindsey’s passion for mentoring young people goes back to her student days as a resident assistant at Yale University. Her advice and opinions have appeared in such media outlets as The TODAY Show, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC and NPR. Lindsey also appears on several lists of Best People to Follow on Twitter (@lindseypollak), including Mashable’s list of top non-fiction authors. Forbes named her blog one of the Top 100 Websites for Your Career.

Join Lindsey on Thursday, December 11^th to discuss her new book: THE REMIX: How to Lead and Succeed in the Multigenerational Workplace.

Conference attendees are encouraged to read the book prior to in order to actively participate.

Shannon A. Brown is the Senior Vice President of Eastern Division U.S. Operations and Chief Diversity Officer at FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company. In this role, Brown is responsible for station, hub and ramp operations in the eastern U.S. region. As Chief Diversity Officer, his work also includes maintaining an effective diversity and inclusion environment where every team member is valued and has an equal opportunity to succeed. Brown embodies the company’s shared commitment “to make every FedEx experience outstanding” and through his leadership has established a workforce dedicated to delivering the best customer service.

He began his career at FedEx in 1978 as a package handler at the Memphis World Hub. As he advanced in his career, he continued to demonstrate exceptional leadership qualities and a strong commitment to service. His executive achievements also include serving as Senior Vice President and Chief HR/Diversity Officer at FedEx Express and as Senior Vice President of HR at FedEx Ground. He has attained many honors, including multiple FedEx Five Star Awards and the CEO Five Star Award.

Brown is actively involved with a variety of corporate, academic, and nonprofit institutions. He currently serves as a director of BancorpSouth, Inc., a financial holding company. Additionally, he was appointed by former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam to the Advisory Board of Western Governors University. He also holds board memberships with the Intermodal Transportation Institute at the University of Denver, and the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas. His dedication to community service includes membership on the Central Board of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis. His background also includes service as past Chairman of the Board for United Way of the Mid-South.

His outstanding professional and civic leadership achievements have brought him to the forefront of media attention. Brown has been named to Black Enterprise magazine’s lists of “100 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America” and “Top Executives in Corporate Diversity,” as well as Savoy magazine’s “Top 100 Most Influential Executives in Corporate America.” He is also a member of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC) and was featured in Forbes magazine’s “Diversity at the Top” edition honoring the ELC’s 30^th anniversary.

Brown is a recipient of the National-Louis University Distinguished Alumni Award and was inducted into the Memphis City Schools Alumni Hall of Fame. His educational background includes a bachelor’s degree from National-Louis University in Chicago and a master’s degree from the University of Denver. He currently resides in Memphis, TN.

You can register for the SoACE 2019 Conference here: https://www.soace.org/conference-registration-