Mary-Frances Winters
President & CEO, The Winters Group, Inc.
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Mary-Frances Winters
Biography
Mary-Frances Winters, founder, and CEO of The Winters Group, Inc., 35-year-old global organization development and diversity and inclusion consulting firm, truly believes that diversity and inclusion work is her "passion and calling." Dubbed a thought leader in the field, for the past three decades she has impacted over hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals with her thought-provoking message, and her approach to diversity and inclusion. Ms. Winters is a master strategist with experience in strategic planning, change management, diversity, organization development, training and facilitation, systems thinking and qualitative and quantitative research methods. She has extensive experience in working with senior leadership teams to drive organizational change.
Among her many awards and distinctions, she was named a diversity pioneer by Profiles in Diversity Journal in August 2007 and most recently received the Winds of Change award from the Forum on Workplace Inclusion in 2016. Ms. Winters was also featured in Forbes' June 2016 publication, which honored some of the DC Metro area's most powerful women. She has served as a torch bearer for the Olympics and has previously been recognized as an Athena Award winner from the Chamber of Commerce for her contributions to women and the community.
Ms. Winters is the author of four books: We Can't Talk about That at Work!: How to Talk about Race, Religion, Politics, and Other Polarizing Topics (2017), Only Wet Babies Like Change: Workplace Wisdom for Baby Boomers, Inclusion Starts With "I" and CEO's Who Get It: Diversity Leadership from the Heart and Soul. Ms. Winters also authored a chapter in the book Diversity at Work: The Practice of Inclusion (2013) and numerous articles.
She is a graduate of the University of Rochester with undergraduate degrees in English and Psychology, and a master's degree in business administration from the William E. Simon Executive Development Program. She received an honorary doctorate from Roberts Wesleyan College.
Mary-Frances Winters
Featured Keynote Programs
Engaging in Bold, Inclusive Conversations®
Creating ‘Brave’ Spaces During Polarizing Times
Organizations do not exist within a vacuum. The growing body of research around psychological safety, engagement, and inclusion suggests that the extent to which employees feel ‘safe’ and comfortable bringing their ‘full’ selves to work directly impacts their capacity to innovate. During polarizing times, in particular, employees tend to bring the stress and identity-based trauma associated with the socio-political climate to the workplace. That said, organizations and leaders must have the skills and competencies to begin to address and create ‘brave’ spaces for dialogue around these issues.
This interactive, and thought-provoking session will provide leaders with a blueprint for increasing one’s capacity to engage in and create ‘brave’ spaces for Bold, Inclusive Conversations®. Specific areas of focus will include
• The role of fostering self- and ‘other’ understanding
• Assessing individual and team readiness
• Preparing for the conversation
• Guidance for engaging in the conversation
• Strategies for sharpening inclusive habits
Inclusion Starts with “I” & Happens with “Us”
This session will explore specific steps that leaders and/or individual contributors can take daily to continue to foster inclusion in the workplace and their communities. It will examine the role of self-understanding and barriers, like unconscious bias, that can impede our strides towards inclusion. The session will specifically address the 8 steps that we can take as individuals on our inclusion journey:
1. Know Self First – Who am I? What do I stand for?
2. Value Self – What are my unique gifts? Who is my best self?
3. Acknowledge Your Biases – In what ways do I exclude? What are my biases and blind spots?
4. Open Yourself To Change – What are my opportunities to grow?
5. Learn About Others – How are other individuals/groups different from me?How are they the same?
6. Value Differences – How do differences enhance who I am and can become?What can I learn from differences?
7. Include Others – How can I expand my circle to optimize inclusion & diversity?
8. Embrace Personal Growth – Constantly ask yourself, where am I know? Am I growing to be more inclusive? What changes do I need to make?
Leading Inclusively – Actualized
Inclusion is a business imperative for many organizations, but how can we continue to do our part to make it ‘real?’ The answer to this question lies in our daily interactions in meetings, the culture we create on our teams, the extent to which we actively engage in fostering inclusion not only in the workplace, but also in our communities.
What does it mean to lead inclusively? In what ways is inclusive leadership different from just “good” leadership? This session will explore the key ingredients for inclusive leadership. Participants will leave with:
• Definition of inclusive leadership
• Descriptions of inclusive leadership behaviors
• Strategies to support leaders in actualizing inclusive leadership practices on a day-to-day basis
Mary-Frances Winters
Featured Books
We Can't Talk About That
by Mary-Frances Winters
Inclusion Starts with I
by Mary-Frances Winters
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to some of the most common questions about booking Mary-Frances Winters for your event.
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- Availability Check: Contact us with your event date and budget to verify if your desired speaker is available.
- Hold Date: We place a temporary "hold" on the speaker's calendar while you finalize internal approval.
- Contracting: We issue a contract outlining the fee, cancellation policy, and event expectations.
- Logistics: Once signed, our event management team handles all travel booking, itinerary, and AV requirements.
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