Speakers

Jabbar R. Bennett, Ph.D. (he/him), is Michigan State University’s Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, reporting directly to the President and serving on the executive leadership team. He works with senior leaders, deans, faculty, staff, students, and alumni to advance the university’s strategic priorities and is also a Professor of Medicine in the College of Human Medicine. Before joining MSU, Bennett was the inaugural Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer at Northwestern University and served as Associate Dean of the Graduate School and Associate Dean for Diversity at Brown University. 

A Lansing native and MSU alumni, Tim proudly leads his hometown Chamber. With over 30 years of executive leadership experience, our fellow Spartan is recognized for his proven track record in economic development, marketing, public relations, public policy, and organizational leadership. Since joining the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce (LRCC) in 2005, Tim has demonstrated exceptional leadership in driving LRCC's growth and influencing the economic growth of the Lansing region.

Dannis is the diversity manager for Barton Malow Company, with over 15 years of construction industry experience focusing on business and workforce development.  Mitchell leads the company’s efforts to increase capacity and utilization of targeted businesses and workforce candidates on construction projects. She builds and manages relationships with union representatives, community organizations, educational institutions, and corporate partners to connect contract bidding and talent engagement opportunities.