Skip to content

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The Buffalo Niagara Partnership is committed to creating awareness about the competitive advantage of having a diverse, equitable, and inclusive regional business climate through employer education, talent recruitment, and procurement.

The benefits of a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce are well-known and include enhanced innovation, increased competitive advantage, higher employee engagement, and improved talent attraction and retention.

However, recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce continues to be a major challenge and priority for our members.  In response to our members’ needs, we have created several programs designed to advance best practices and enable employers to leverage diversity for competitive advantage and promote a workplace culture of inclusion and engagement.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Executive Exchange:

Small, peer-to-peer, professionally facilitated groups for Senior Level Executives who are actively implementing DEI programs in their organization.  Where leaders can comfortably meet, share experiences, and resolve D&I challenges in a confidential setting.

 

LEARN MORE>

TEMP-bnp DEI Symposium
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Symposium:

The premier event for DEI in the Buffalo Niagara region. Our Symposium is presented annually to empower organizations to come together to learn how to start, continue, or accelerate DEI efforts. In 2022, we had more than 800 registrants, who signed onto our advanced virtual platform from within Buffalo Niagara and beyond.

LEARN MORE>

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Assessment:

Originally undertaken in 2020,  the WNY DEI Community Assessment has been released with updated data that indicates there has been significant progress and interest on behalf of local employers to move past “learning” and into action.

Read the 2022 press release here>

Learn more>

Minority Business Initiative:

MBI Fact Sheet

This initiative seeks to help break through the barriers that have historically challenged minority business ownership and create a pathway to board membership for participants. By giving minority-owned businesses greater access to BNP’s resources, the program’s underwriters aim to help multiply the participant’s success.

Learn more>

Thank You to Our DEI Executive Council Sponsors

SILVER SPONSOR

SUPPORTING SPONSORS

Thank you to our 2024 DEI Symposium Sponsors

PRESENTING SPONSORS

EVENT SPONSORS

From the Blog

Assessment serves as tool to benchmark and inform WNY’s D&I work 

By communications@thepartnership.org | Jul 15, 2022

(Buffalo, NY) The Buffalo Niagara Partnership (BNP) is inviting the region’s businesses to participate in an assessment to determine how far the Western New York (WNY) Community has progressed in their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices since the BNP’s first assessment conducted in 2020.

Read More

2022 D&I Symposium: Meet Claudine Ewing, Moderator

By cciccarelli@thepartnership.org | Jun 1, 2022

The BNP is pleased to welcome Claudine Ewing, Reporter/Anchor at WGRZ-TV as a moderator at our 2022 D&I Symposium: DEI at Work. We will be helping you get to know each presenter, panelist, and moderator in the weeks ahead, leading up to the 5th Annual D&I Symposium on June 16th –

Read More

2022 D&I Symposium: Meet Cynthia Bass, Panelist

By cciccarelli@thepartnership.org | May 25, 2022

The BNP is pleased to welcome Cynthia Bass, CDO, ECMC as a panelist at our 2022 D&I Symposium: DEI at Work. We will be helping you get to know each presenter, panelist, and moderator in the weeks ahead, leading up to the 5th Annual D&I Symposium on June 16th – get

Read More

2022 D&I Symposium: Meet Michele Mehaffy, Featured Speaker

By cciccarelli@thepartnership.org | May 23, 2022

The BNP is pleased to welcome MIchelle Mehaffy – Community Relations & PR manager, Buffalo Division, Wegmans as a featured speaker at our 2022 D&I Symposium: DEI at Work. We will be helping you get to know each presenter, panelist, and moderator in the weeks ahead, leading up to the 5th

Read More