Program Pioneer

Heather Fleetwood works for an educational institution that focuses on allied health. Because she is the senior director of Talent Development, and there is a lot of training, learning and development within her role, she wanted to advance her knowledge base, so she was looking for a program on diversity, equity and inclusion that would be a good fit to advance her skills and work with her schedule. She has a master’s degree and wanted additional certification, specifically in diversity, equity and inclusion. Plus she wanted to be one of the pioneers to go through the program. She said, “The UW-Green Bay program sounded so fresh and exciting!”

The diversity of her fellow students were also a big plus—one worked in a hospital, another in a financial institution. There was even a principal of a school. That allowed for great discussions and learning from each other. For her, it was the knowledge itself and understanding within that space. She feels she has to have a foundation to train people or create projects. That gives her confidence. The ideas that were presented were applicable to her company’s employees and will make an impact.

Heather said, “The UW-Green Bay Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Certificate Program combines compassion with technology—it’s progressive, on the cutting edge, and what we need in today’s workforce. For me, the program established the fundamentals of how to approach these topics and move the needle in a positive way.”

Heather Fleetwood is on the diversity and inclusion council and working with senior executives at her company who oversee the council. She was a participant the Diversity, Equity and Diversity Certificate Program, offered by the Division of Continuing Education and Community Engagement.