Inclusion & Diversity Council Meeting

The Greater Oak Brook Chamber is pleased to welcome Lauren Schrero, Board Chair of the Nora Project, to present at this quarter's Inclusion and Diversity Council meeting.

The Nora Project trains and coaches educators and offers a suite of SEL programs that dive deeply into the concepts of empathy and inclusion, explicitly addressing disability and difference as a part of human diversity. 

Lauren is the proud co-founder of The Nora Project. Her TedX Talk, titled Ability Inclusive Mindset, has more than 65,000 views and is regularly used in inclusive educator preparation courses nationwide. Currently, Lauren works as a staff attorney at Equip for Equality, the governor-designated and federally-mandated Protection and Advocacy System for people with disabilities in the State of Illinois. At EFE, Lauren is a member of the Civil Rights Team, focusing her practice on matters pertaining to community integration and self-determination.

For more information on the Nora Project visit https://thenoraproject.ngo/.

Formed by a resolution of the Greater Oak Brook Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors on June 17th, 2020, the Inclusion & Diversity Council provides an opportunity for Greater Oak Brook Chamber members, partners, and friends to come together to celebrate our differences, what unites us, learn more about each other, to hear from inspiring leaders, and to make sure Greater Oak Brook Chamber programming and events are welcoming for all.

The Inclusion and Diversity Council is led by Wes Becton, a former Infantry Officer and graduate of the Army’s Ranger School. To learn more about Wes visit www.gwstreetpartners.com/wes-becton  

STATEMENT OF DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Be it resolved that the Board of Directors of the Greater Oak Brook Chamber of Commerce and related Greater Oak Brook Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Partnership hereby adopts this Statement of Diversity and Inclusion.

-We believe that diversity in the workplace and our communities should be openly discussed and celebrated.

-We believe Chamber members, community partners, and guests should feel comfortable expressing different ideas, opinions, and worldviews while participating in Greater Oak Brook Chamber of Commerce meetings and events.

-We believe that the highest level of respect should be afforded to all individuals without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability.

-We believe dialogue is a powerful tool, which, according to William Issacs, Director of the Dialogue Project at MIT “…is a way of taking the energy of our differences and channeling it toward something that has never been created before. It lifts us out of polarization and into a greater common sense…”

-We believe respecting one another and focusing on what we can learn from each other leads to an increased knowledge of the world and its people.

-We stand in solidarity against racism and advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in all Greater Oak Brook Chamber of Commerce activities, and in our society and economy.

-We commit to the establishment of a Diversity and Inclusion Council for the purpose of increasing the diversity of ideas, membership, programming and opportunities within the Greater Oak Brook Chamber of Commerce and greater Oak Brook business community.

Adopted by a vote of the Greater Oak Brook Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, on this day, Wednesday, June 17, 2020.