BAP OFFICIAL E-BLAST - 13TH ANNUAL CEIR CONFERENCE COMBATTING THE WINDS OF CHANGE AND WINNING WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14TH, 2026

13TH ANNUAL CEIR CONFERENCE
COMBATTING THE WINDS OF CHANGE
AND WINNING
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14TH, 2026 | 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
CCAC, 808 RIDGE AVENUE, PITTSBURGH, PA 15212
FOERSTER STUDENT SERVICE CENTER

The Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP) and its Corporate Equity & Inclusion Roundtable (CEIR) will host its 13th Annual CEIR Conference on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, between 12 noon and 4 pm in the Foerster Student Center located at 808 Ridge Avenue (15212) on the Allegheny Campus of CCAC. With the vicious attacks on the concept of ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ beginning early in 2025 and continuing throughout this past year, along with constant attacks on the long-held values of civil and human rights, B-PEP and CEIR decided that such attacks are unacceptable. The January 14th CEIR Conference theme embraces those difficult challenges, “Combatting the Winds of Change – and WINNING”! One of the key presentations will include a full presentation by Dr Kayien O. Connor, Director of Pitt’s School of Social Work’s Center on Race and Social Problems, on the B-PEP/CEIR initiated “Black Pittsburgh Satisfaction and Retention Survey” which shares reasons why some Blacks leave Pittsburgh, why some stay and why some stay. The hope of B-PEP/CEIR is that such valuable information will provide Corporate Pittsburgh on how to increase the retention and promotion of Black employees in Pittsburgh. Godfrey Bethea, Vice President of Equity, People and Culture for the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank, has been CEIR’s Lead Researcher for this important survey. Tim Stevens, Founder & CEO of B-PEP and facilitator for CEIR will provide an overview of the revised B-PEP/CEIR Strategies for Creating Opportunities through Retention & Engagement (SCORE) Playbook and the need to make language changes in what had been called the Plan for Diversity & Inclusion to increase the probability of the Playbook to be adopted and implemented throughout the Pittsburgh Region. There is also a national version of the Playbook which Art Rooney, II has agreed to send to all the team owners throughout the National Football League. Representatives of the Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. will conduct a presentation on the Sorority’s five-point programmatic thrust: Economic Development; Educational Development; International Awareness and involvement; Physical and Mental Health and Political Awareness and Involvement.

Brian K. Oglesby, President/CEO of the Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council (EMSDC), will be coming in from across the state to share the new and unexpected challenges to certification for minority suppliers. Esther L. Bush, immediate past Interim President & CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, will bring her decades of civil rights and programmatic experience, will facilitate an extraordinary panel to share their thoughts on the current challenges to civil and human rights and increased opportunities for the employment of Blacks and new opportunities for supplier development. The panel will include Russell Bynum, President of Bynum Marketing and Communications, Daylon A. Davis, Past President, NAACP Pittsburgh Branch/B-PEP Vice Chair, Joyce Howard, Vice President of Development & Corporate Partnerships for the Advanced Leadership Institute (TALI), Marimba Milliones, President & CEO of the Hill District Community Development Corporation (HDCDC), Dr. Clyde Wilson Pickett, Vice Chancellor for Institutional Engagement and Well Being, University of Pittsburgh. Rev. Dr Dale Snyder, Senior Pastor, Bethel AME Church, Pittsburgh. Ron Porter of RDP Consulting will be facilitating a lively dialogue with the attendees on how they will, individually use the information discussed during the conference, to be a ‘change agent’ within their own organization to ‘combat the winds of change – and WIN!’