Comcast Hosts Diversity & Inclusion Summit  

From the 45th floor of the Comcast Center in early December 2015, @ComcastFreedom tweeted a remark by Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce President Rob Wonderling: 

“Today we can hopefully serve as a template for other cities.”

The occasion was Comcast’s first ever Diversity & Inclusion Summit, and the purpose was to bring together a group of thought leaders to discuss how to effectively advance diversity and inclusion initiatives in Philadelphia.

This wasn’t the only tweet of the day from the summit. The event hashtag #ComcastDiversitySummit was a trending topic in Philadelphia, demonstrating that the subject of diversity and inclusion is at the forefront of conversations in the city, and that it is an initiative worth talking about. 

#ComcastDiversitySummit
Trended in Philadelphia from
December 4-9, 2015

In fact, the topic isn’t just trending on Twitter. When Comcast’s Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, David L. Cohen, reached out to local leaders for input on the summit, it became apparent that there has been a push to diversify workforces across the city.

Creating a platform to share best practices on how to lead diversity and inclusion efforts in the Greater Philadelphia Region, the summit brought together more than 100 area business leaders, local chamber representatives, members of the press, and civic and corporate partners.

Panel discussions drew out powerful insights on the importance of implementing diversity and inclusion practices into business strategies, specifically highlighting how these initiatives improve the bottom line. Speakers such as regional Chamber of Commerce members, local business leaders, and representatives from business-oriented nonprofit and startup organizations shared best practices and learnings across important topics, including age diversity, supplier diversity, and the need for corporate community investment in digital literacy programs.

The summit aimed to educate the attendees on the importance of leveraging a multigenerational workplace. Audience member and political activist Elliot-Imani Griffin tweeted what is a common challenge in today’s workplace: “How do you foster a common culture in a multigenerational workforce?” Addressing that question specifically, Comcast shared best practices in recruiting young and diverse talents, including the company’s “Home for the Summer” program, which recruits Philadelphia residents who attend college outside the area.

Leaders in the region recognize that in order to position Philadelphia as a City of Innovation globally, ongoing conversations about diversity and inclusion are critical. As leaders in our community and in diversity and inclusion, Comcast is proud of our important and impactful role in championing these conversations.

Pictured above: Diversity Summit Community Investment panel featuring: Donna Frisby-Greenwood President and CEO, Fund for the School District of Philadelphia; Commander Daniel Bessman Defense Logistics Agency; Dr. Kevin R. Johnson CEO, Philadelphia Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC); Dr. Michele Masucci Professor of Geography & Urban Studies and Vice President of Research, Temple University; Bob Smith Vice President, Community Investment, Comcast Freedom Region