KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Gary Ferraro, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, received his BA in history from Hamilton College and his MA and PhD degrees from Syracuse University. He has been a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Swaziland in Southern Africa (1979-80) and again at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic (2003), and has served twice as a visiting professor of anthropology in the University of Pittsburgh's Semester at Sea Program, a floating university that travels around the world. He has conducted research for extended periods of time in Kenya and Swaziland and has traveled widely throughout many other parts of the world. He has served as a consultant/trainer for such organizations as USAID, the Peace Corps, the World Bank, IBM, Georgia Pacific, Duke Energy, and J.M. Huber, among others. From l996 to 2000 Dr. Ferraro served as the Director of the Intercultural Training Institute at UNC-Charlotte, a consortium of cross cultural trainers/educators from academia and business, designed to help regional organizations cope with cultural differences at home and abroad. In 2000 he became the president of Intercultural Associates, a private firm specializing in cross cultural training, consulting, and coaching. In addition to a number of articles in professional journals, he is the author of:

• THE TWO WORLDS OF KAMAU (1978)
• THE CULTURAL DIMENSION OF INTL. BUSINESS (l990, l994, l998, 2002, and 2006)
• CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY: AN APPLIED PERSPECTIVE (1992, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2006, AND 2008)
• APPLYING CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY: READINGS (1998)
• GLOBAL BRAINS: KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCIES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY (2002)
• CLASSIC READINGS IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY (2004)

LUNCH SPEAKER

Juanita L. Lewis-Coston has achieved professional status as a Manager, Educator, Counselor/Executive Coach, and Organizational Consultant with over 20 years experience in diverse multicultural environments from academic environments to large international corporations. Top performance as a Manager at General Motors and in construction in Ohio gave her additional skill sets which are now used to assist clients with solving 'real life problems' and employee development. She is a multilingual professional who frequently couples 'down to earth realism' with academic knowledge for successful workshops, strategic planning, and project management. Coston's presentations are often called 'motivational, insightful, and inspiring.' She has been well-received internationally as keynote speaker or presenter at numerous conferences and sustains a loyal supporter base.

Her career is highlighted by experience as an Adjunct Professor in the UNC Charlotte Organizational Development certification program, Adjunct Consultant for Drake Beam Morin, and as contributing Associate Consultant in other venues. Clients range from educational institutions and health care facilities to major international corporations. Her consulting firm assists clients with 'tailored solutions' and 'practical applications' incorporated into workshops, organizational development, and individual coaching sessions.

In 1993 she developed a model for Cultural Diversity training and wrote a training manual, Cultural Diversity and You, which has been licensed and used to train persons internationally. The book and several other publications incorporate her knowledge of Education, Management, Clinical and Organizational Psychology, Cultural Linguistics, Cultural Anthropology, History, Manufacturing processes and more.

She and associates recently began training with a second manual, Cultural Inclusion: A Shared Responsibility for Excellence, which helps clients "align the talk and the walk to maximize results" through effective communications and performance management. Juanita is also currently editing The Real You, a book on personal development which incorporates her research in stress reduction utilizing kinesiology and various other tools to support effective communications. She is committed to human and business development globally, and continuous improvement which begins with each of us learning to begin within and 'enjoying the journey'. Ms. Coston and several Associates have traveled and worked throughout North America, Ghana, Bermuda, and the United Kingdom and plan extensive international business interventions.

Scholarship of Diversity Conference 2007
(TENTATIVE SCHEDULE AS OF 2/26/2007)

Important Events:

Black Alumni Reunion: March 16 and 17 Voices and Visions: May 4