Join Employee Learning and Engagement for the next installment of its Thought Leader Series on Wednesday, Sept. 15. Aerial Ellis will present “The Intergenerational Approach: From Opposition to Optimistic” from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. CT via Zoom.
This session will feature an open conversation about four generations found in the workforce and the gaps, challenges, advantages and opportunities this historic shift presents for organizations, leaders and managers, executives, deans, department heads and students.
Participants will:
- Learn the distinct influences and attributes for each generation in the workforce.
- Discuss the different working styles and values associated with generational differences.
- Identify best practices for communication.
- Create an action plan toward the path of collaboration and productivity.
This workshop is Level 2: Comment and Connect, which may involve chat interactions, polls and nonverbal Zoom reactions.
For more information or questions, please contact the ELE team at ele@vanderbilt.edu.
About Dr. Aerial Ellis
Emerging among the brightest in the industry, Ellis is a gifted strategist and storyteller who nurtured an entrepreneurial spirit early in her career by launching her first public relations company at the age of 22. Recognized globally for her work by PR News and The Huffington Post, Ellis has become a sought-after consultant and speaker for her ability to transform culture, improve diversity, enhance communication, navigate change, build community and drive innovation.
She is managing principal of Advisory 83, a communication consultancy committed to helping build sustainable and authentic organizations through strategic planning and curriculum development. Her clients include Asurion, Jackson National Life Insurance, AIG, Microsoft, National Urban League, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, among others, addressing cultural competency, global communication, intergenerational culture and diversity, equity and inclusion.
She is also CEO of My Village Votes, a market research firm that partners with advocacy, civic and nonprofit organizations to improve consumer and civic engagement catered to the insights of communities of color. An active member of the Public Relations Society of America, Ellis has served as a board member for the Nashville chapter, and as a member of the strategic planning, nominating and diversity and inclusion committees on the national level. She has been appointed as senior counsel to the national board president and a co-chair for the Champions for PRSSA, a professional development initiative for students in public relations. She is also a fellow of the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations.
Ellis is co-founder of the Nashville Women of Color in Communications Network, a member of The Rotary Club of Nashville and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and a board member of Delta Dental of Tennessee—the first African American woman and youngest person to be appointed to their corporate board. Ellis is author of The Original Millennial, a book highlighting six defining lessons of leadership for millennials and accompanied by a professional development curriculum for the intergenerational workplace. She teaches courses in public relations, organizational communication/leadership, and cross-cultural communication as an assistant professor at Lipscomb University in Nashville and has guest-lectured in Nepal, London and South Africa as an expert in intercultural communication and competence.
A native of Memphis, Ellis has a bachelor’s degree from Tennessee State University and a master’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University, both in communication/journalism. She holds a certification in workforce diversity and inclusion from UCLA and the National Organization for Workforce Diversity, and received a doctoral degree from the Global Executive Doctor of Education program at the University of Southern California.