Dr. Charlotte Williams, associate professor and Director of the Center on Community Philanthropy at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, has been announced as the keynote speaker at the Indiana Blacks in Philanthropy Conference (IBIP), set for Nov. 4-5 in Gary, Indiana.
Hosted by Indiana University Northwest, the conference was created to engage and inspire minority populations in the philanthropic sector.
“Embracing racial equity as a value and committing to diversity and inclusion are important steps to improving performance across the philanthropic sector,” Williams said. “My goal is to share insights from our journey and promising practices from the field.”
IBIP aims to educate and empower black communities in philanthropic endeavors, such as providing peer support and professional development for grant makers and trustees; expanding philanthropy within black communities; and mentoring students and young professionals to ensure future generations of philanthropic leaders.
With the theme of “Advancing Equity Across the Sector,” the conference will provide opportunities to explore efforts to make an impact within one’s region and state. It aims to expose students of color, who might not be aware of the opportunities that exist in philanthropy, to the resources of the Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and provide them with valuable networking opportunities with working professionals.
Under Williams’ leadership, the Center on Community Philanthropy was recently selected as one of 14 inaugural grantees of the Racial Equity in Philanthropy Fund (REP). REP is a collaborative of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Ford Foundation and is based at Borealis Philanthropy. This work inspired the theme of Williams’ talk for the IBIP conference, which focuses on how community philanthropy can build capacity within the sector to advance racial equity.
A business administration graduate from Howard University, Williams earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in public health from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Williams develops and manages key projects of The Center that focus on building community-based solutions and programs dedicated to eliminating disparities, promoting social justice, and advancing racial equity.
The IBIP Conference is free and open to the public. Space is limited and registration is required. Interested parties can register for both the conference and reception at iun.edu/ibipevent.
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