PRESS RELEASE — Washington D.C., August 20, 2019 – The Alliance of Channel Women, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of female channel leaders in technology, announced today that it has engaged diversity expert Risha Grant to deliver the keynote address, “Embracing Diversity,” at its ACWConnect Live! Networking Event during Channel Partners Evolution in Washington D.C.

ACWConnect Live! will be held from 4:30-7:30 p.m., September 9, 2019, in Room 150A at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Registration is now open.

ACWConnect Live! is a high-energy forum that starts with a networking reception followed by an engaging program, featuring channel leaders and experts discussing one of today’s hottest topics – diversity.

Diversity is not only race and gender, which dominate today’s headlines; its ethnicity, religion, politics, socio-economics, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, personality and ability. Join us at ACWConnect Live! to learn and share ways to promote inclusion and leverage diversity in all its forms.

Our keynote speaker, Risha Grant, is one of the foremost experts on diversity and inclusion and author of “That’s BS! How Bias Synapse Disrupts Inclusive Cultures and the Power to Attract Diverse Markets.” Her interest in societal “isms” like racism, sexism, classism and plain old “stupidism” began when she was still a student. Today, she is founder and CEO of Risha Grant LLC, an award-winning diversity consulting and communications firm. Her mission is to create an inclusive culture in every company and community.

Grant has worked with governors, NBA teams, mayors, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and other business and community leaders to reduce bias and further the understanding of diversity and inclusion. She teaches and empowers clients and audiences with tools to increase their bottom line and permission to get rid of their B.S.

“We’re excited to have Risha Grant join us at ACWConnect Live! D.C. to share strategies for creating an inclusive culture,” said ACW President Stacy Conrad, Director of Channel Sales at TPx.  “While we’re visiting our nation’s capital, we’re reminded that our country is celebrated around the world as a ‘melting pot’ of people from different backgrounds. This is the perfect place to talk about how we can leverage our diversity to strengthen our companies and our communities today.”

The ACWConnect Live! Networking Event is open to all women attending the Channel Partners event. Admission is free to all ACW members, $25 for non-members before noon PT on September 6, and $30 onsite. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/acwconnect-live-tickets-65101906555

To become an ACW member and attend ACWConnect Live! for free, visit https://allianceofchannelwomen.org/membership.

ACWConnect Live! is supported by the generosity of the 2019 Alliance of Channel Women sponsors: Diamond Sponsors CenturyLink, Channel Partners, MicroCorp and Telarus; Platinum Sponsors 8×8, Granite, Fusion and RingCentral; Gold Sponsors Cox Business and IntelePeer; and Silver Sponsors AireSpring, Broadvoice, iAgent Network, Nextiva, Powernet, Ribbon, Office Depot, TPx and ViaSat.

Companies interested in sponsoring ACWConnect Live! can find more information on the ACW website by clicking here.

About the Alliance of Channel Women
Founded in 2010, the Alliance of Channel Women is a not-for-profit organization of women in the indirect sales channel of the telecom and IT industry. ACW brings us together to empower and advance women’s careers and leadership roles in the technology channel through education, community, advocacy and opportunities for personal growth. To learn more and to become a member, please visit www.allianceofchannelwomen.org.