Conversation Series: Religious Inclusion in the Workplace March 30 via Zoom

Photo Submitted

Lantern used during Ramadan.

Equal Opportunity, Compliance & Title IX and the Walton College of Business Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace are pleased to host a Conversation Series: Religious Inclusion in the Workplace on March 30 via Zoom. The meeting will take place from 9-10:15 a.m.

Please register by March 28. The March session will focus on new topics not previously discussed in the series.

The conversation series presents a wonderful opportunity for us to better understand the diverse faith perspectives represented in our U of A community. This event will explore Ramadan — an observation by members of the Muslim population — and will help attendees understand the history and traditions associated with Ramadan and how it can be observed in the workplace and educational environment. For some basic information about Ramadan, please click here.

The majority of the webinar will include a discussion with Keukeu Abdullah. Abdullah will discuss her own faith perspective and answer questions regarding Ramadan. Please note that this event is part of a series and will include new and different information from past sessions. 

Supervisors, managers and the campus community play a role in ensuring that all individuals, no matter their background, feel welcome and that no aspect of their identity will mean that they feel as though they aren't included. The university strives to encourage an environment where employees bring their "full self" to work, where they feel comfortable, willing and able to talk about what is most important to them. As such, the workplace can play a critical role in breaking barriers and encouraging increased intercultural understanding and communication. 

Recordings of past sessions in this series can be found on the OEOC video page. If you have any questions, please contact access@uark.edu.

Speakers

Keukeu Abdullah has lived in Fayetteville since 2001 and is originally from Indonesia. Since she was young, Abdullah has been very active in her community and deeply passionate about volunteering. The Islamic Center of Northwest Arkansas, the Indonesian Muslim Society in America and Muhammadiyah USA are some very involved organizations that currently take her time. She has been working at the U of A for almost 18 years, and now, she is a senior business analyst at Business Solutions and Support Department. Abdullah holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Universitas Padjajaran and a Master of Science in Operations Management from the U of A. She is an adviser for the RSOs Muslima and Permias - UARK (Indonesian Student Association). She received Employee of the Year from Staff Senate at the U of A in 2012; Outstanding Volunteer from Fayetteville Public School in 2018, 2019 and 2020; and the Hoyt H. Purvis Award from Graduate School and International Education Division in 2020.

J'onnelle Colbert-Diaz serves as the director of accommodation and accessibility services/ADA coordinator for Equal Opportunity, Compliance & Title IX and is responsible for facilitating the interactive process in regard to disability accommodation requests, which can include disability, leave accommodations, service animals, emotional support animals, student ADA grievances, barriers to access, travel accommodations, visitors or participants in programs/services, recruitment accommodations and religious accommodation requests.

Additional responsibilities include monitoring compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as state civil rights requirements based on disability and religion. The director of accommodation and accessibility services oversees the university's prevention and education efforts, implements the institution's accommodation and accessibility procedures, identifies and addresses patterns and assesses effects on the campus climate to address issues that affect the wider campus community.

Denise Breaux Soignet is the director of the Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace and an associate professor of management in the Walton College of Business. She earned a Ph.D. in organizational behavior and human resource management from Florida State University and is a certified professional for the Society for Human Resource Management. Soignet develops and delivers innovative courses and executive education on workplace faith diversity and inclusion in her role as director of the Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace.