Diversity Impact 2023
Better Together: Advancing a Culture of Identity and Belonging in Healthcare
Join us on June 8-9, 2023, for our 13th annual Diversity Impact conference! The Diversity Impact Conference brings together renowned thought leaders and speakers to increase awareness of the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the healthcare workforce, particularly for those working in underserved and rural communities.
This year’s conference will feature over 10 speakers and panelists from all over the U.S. and several engaging activities. This year’s conference theme is “Better Together: Advancing a Culture of Identity and Belonging in Healthcare.”
Keynote Speakers
After this conference, you will be able to:
- Identify specific strategies to create a culture of belonging amongst peers and the larger community
- Discuss the causes behind healthcare disparities and their effect on creating a culture of belonging
- Reflect on ways to effectively engage in spaces to promote diversity in identity
- Practice ways to build collaborative communities
*Schedule subject to change.
Registration Information and Prices
- Registration Fee: $99
- FNU Faculty, Staff and Preceptors: FREE
- ALL Students: FREE

President
Susan E. Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM, FAAN
Bio
A Letter From the President:
Dear Friends,
When Frontier Nursing University first held the Diversity Impact Conference over a decade ago, we chose the name carefully. “Diversity” and “conference” were obvious choices, but the word that truly describes what this conference is all about is “impact.” Diversity is more than a concept or a pie chart. Whether in an organization, a neighborhood, a business, or a school, diversity has impact. That impact comes in many forms. In Frontier’s particular area of preparing advanced practice nurses and nurse-midwives, the impact of a diverse student body, diverse faculty, and diverse staff results in diverse graduates who are equipped to answer the call to serve in the communities in which they live all over the country.
Change doesn’t happen overnight, and it takes more than one university to make it happen. Nonetheless, Frontier has long been committed to being a leader for change. In addition to this annual conference, we have prioritized increasing the diversity of our student population. Our enrollment of students of color has grown from 9 percent in 2010 to over 27 percent today. We have a three-person Diversity and Inclusion Office, a Board of Directors Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, a Faculty DEI Fellowship program, student interest groups, and many other DEI-focused initiatives. All of these are ongoing – we have not reached the finish line. Like the rest of the world, we are a work in progress, and progress is indeed being made at Frontier Nursing University.
We have learned a great deal and have so much more to learn. That’s part of the impact of this conference. It is an opportunity to step away from our daily to-do lists and be reminded and educated about why DEI is important and what being diverse, equitable, and inclusive actually looks and feels like in our places of work, our communities, and our lives in general.
This year, the Diversity Impact Conference has more impact than ever before as, for the first time, we have opened the conference to participants from outside the Frontier community. Not only does this give us an expanded opportunity to share the insights and expertise of our distinguished speakers and panelists with a broader audience, but it also enables us to welcome even more people, all of whom bring with them different perspectives from which we can learn and grow.
Simply put, the Diversity Impact Conference makes us all better, individually and collectively. It is an amazing opportunity to listen and learn, to consider other viewpoints, to ask tough questions, and to receive honest and sometimes challenging answers. It is how we grow our impact as a university, as a leader, and an agent for change.
We are so proud to welcome you to this annual event. I hope that it has a positive impact on you and that you can, in turn, share what you learn and experience with those around you. Thank you for taking the time to be here and to join us for this very special event.
Sincerely,
Dr. Susan Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM, FAAN
President, Frontier Nursing University

Chris Turley
Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator
Email
A Letter From the Conference Planner:
On behalf of Frontier Nursing University’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), I welcome you to FNU’s 13th annual Diversity Impact Conference. We are excited to expand this event outside the borders of FNU for the first time as a virtual event, allowing everyone to participate safely.
Although we are apart physically, this conference continues to bring people together, and we look forward to this year being the same. We look forward to learning from our nationally recognized insightful speakers as they share their experiences, ideas, and blend of unique perspectives throughout the conference.
Launched in 2010, the event opens the door for healthcare professionals to join in collaborative discussions, address health disparities, and find proactive solutions to improve minority health among underrepresented and marginalized groups. The year will mark over a decade of bringing together national thought leaders and speakers to engage with conference attendees on important topics facing the healthcare workforce. This year's theme for our conference is “Better Together: Advancing a Culture of Identity and Belonging in Healthcare.” According to Brene Brown, “A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong. When those needs are not met, we don’t function as we were meant to. We break. We fall apart. We numb. We ache. We hurt others. We get sick.”
Advancing a culture of identity and belonging is a hallmark of FNU. We aim to continue breaking down barriers by engaging stakeholders and impacting every community we touch. I am looking forward to seeing each of you at the conference.
Sincerely,
Chris Turley
Diversity Impact Conference Sponsorship
We sincerely thank all of our sponsors for supporting this year’s conference! Without your support, this incredible event would not be possible.
Day Sponsors
Assured Partners
Keynote Speaker Sponsors
FNU Board of Directors
Session Sponsors
Education Dynamics
General Sponsors
The Virtual Care Group
In-Kind Sponsors
UK College of Nursing
Heartland Communications Consultants
Interested in being a sponsor for this year’s conference? Please contact Bobbi.Silver@Frontier.edu