The 2022 Summit was a “Call to Action” event that explained the imperative of DEI for our region. The 2023 Summit continues to stress the imperative by helping attendees “move forward” by identifying the necessary tools to implement a successful DEI strategy.
Early Bird Registration
$30 per person
March 20 – April 3
General Registration
$45 per person
April 3 – May 5
Dr. Andrea D. Willis is Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, which has more than 6,000 employees and serves more than 3.5 million members in the state and across the country.
She oversees Total Health Management and Pharmacy Management and is responsible for maintaining clinical quality excellence, optimizing member care and medical management functions, oversight of clinical risk management and collaborating with the provider community
Natalie is an experienced educator and advocate for creating inclusive and culturally responsive learning environments. She began her career as a Teach for America Corps Member, teaching middle school in the New York City public school system for five years. From there, she transitioned to coaching educators and leaders on the importance of creating community-inspired spaces.
Natalie is passionate about creating atmospheres of inclusion and belonging, where people can bring their whole selves to a given space. She has worked in non-profit and corporate settings, designing and pioneering Diversity and Inclusion programs. Natalie is currently the founding Global Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging at Fresh beauty, a LVMH company.
Paula Bulcao joined Eastman Chemical Company as its Director, Global Public and Community Affairs, working to ensure Eastman continues to be a valued and trusted neighbor of the communities around the world in which it operates.
Additionally, Bulcao serves as Executive Director of the Eastman Foundation. She brings with her a career record of success, transforming external communications models, building relationships and alliances, negotiating with stakeholders for business development, strengthening corporate image to mitigate business risk and establishing strategic advocacy and sustainable community investment approaches to advance business objectives.
Vanessa Bennett is the Executive Director of Operations & Talent Development. As the organization’s Executive Director of Operations, a position where she works closely with the management team to develop and implement organizational strategies, policies and practices.
In addition, she helps to manage the organization’s $5.2 million budget, plans logistics for many Kingsport Chamber events and serves as a primary liaison between the Kingsport Chamber leadership and key business leaders.
| 7:30 am | Registration & Breakfast |
|---|---|
| 8:00 am | Welcome |
| 8:15 am | Health Equity Report & QA: Dr. Willis BCBST |
| 8:45 am | Table Talk |
| 9:00 am | How We Do Things at HardRock |
| 9:30 am | BCBST DEI Program |
| 9:50 am | Table Talk |
| 10:00 am | DEI 101 and How Things Get Done: Natalie Overton |
| 11:00 am | Let’s Get Real… Facilitated panel discussion with HardRock, BCBST, and Natalie Overton |
| 11:30 am | SAFE Update |
| 12:00 pm | Lunch & Table Talk |
