Welcome

Good ideas may come and go. Great ideas may take some time to brew but they materialize with significance. A concept in the making for several years, the DiversityFIRST™ Certification Program launched in 2015 and graduated its inaugural class of 23 Certified Diversity Professionals (CDPs).
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Seattle Virtual

Jan 10 - 14, 2021

Dallas Virtual

Jan 25 - 29, 2021

Philadelphia Virtual

Feb 08 - 12, 2021

Cincinnati Virtual

Feb 22 - 26, 2021

Newark Virtual

Mar 08 - 12, 2021

Los Angeles Virtual

Mar 22 - 26, 2021

Salt Lake City Virtual

Apr 05 - 09, 2021

New York Virtual

Apr 19 - 23, 2021

Chicago Virtual

May 10 - 14, 2021

Minneapolis Virtual

May 24 - 28, 2021

Raleigh Virtual

Jun 07 - 11, 2021

Austin Virtual

Jun 21 - 25, 2021

Detroit Virtual

Jul 12 - 16, 2021

Hartford Virtual

Jul 26 - 30, 2021

Denver Virtual

Aug 09 - 13, 2021

Grand Rapids Virtual

Aug 23 - 27, 2021

Washington Virtual

Sep 13 - 17, 2021

Phoenix Virtual

Sep 27 - Oct 01, 2021

Atlanta Virtual

Oct 11 - 15, 2021

New Orleans Virtual

Oct 25 - 29, 2021

Houston Virtual

Nov 01 - 05, 2021

San Francisco Virtual

Nov 15 - 19, 2021

Boston Virtual

Dec 06 - 10, 2021

Miami Virtual

Dec 13 - 17, 2021

DiversityFIRST™ Certified Diversity Professionals and counting!

Hear from our Graduates

The program was outstanding! I highly recommend it to D&I professionals who are interested in continuing to enhance their own professional development as well as the D&I program at their respective organization.

Manager, Diversity & Inclusion
I was amazed when learning the depth at which D&I infiltrates business culture and the health of an organization. In addition to D&I professionals, business leaders should consider certification.

Assistant Vice President, National Supervision
I came into this program with the expectation that I would learn a lot. Boy was I wrong… I learned so much more about diversity and inclusion that I ever expected. This course re-ignited my commitment to D&I and being an informed professional.

Assistant Vice President, National Supervision
This is a phenomenal program, and a potent combination of current best practice and real-world application. I learned a great deal from the facilitators and from my fellow classmates, and I will be able to apply what I learned immediately.

Director, Global Learning & Development
Outstanding foundational program and a must for all diversity and inclusion professionals.

Assistant Vice Chancellor, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
The overarching content and ability to discuss best practices was the biggest takeaway for myself. I now know that I can assist many more clients in the field of D&I with the learned strategies and best practices.

President/CEO, Marketing & Management
The presentations from industry professionals were well organized and introduced best practices and a strong knowledge base for all participants. Experienced individuals at various levels of hierarchy can benefit from the knowledge, resources and networking available.

Lead Faculty
A unique experience that I highly recommend to any leaders of diversity programs. It combines a comprehensive overview of diversity-related topics with practice advice on application. Moreover, it provides a basis for developing a unique network of like-minded practitioners, a powerful set of resources for the future.

Director, Diversity Initiatives, College of Engineering
The program and training were both informative and enlightening. The tools and roadmaps were priceless. All pieces came together to help understand how to recommend, develop, and implement strategic D&I programs to the businesses leaders, organization and employees.

Senior Manager, Healthcare
The program was a powerful training immersion experience that expanded my diversity professional development training repertoire. I am eager to apply it in Pre-K to 16 educational contexts.

Assistant Professor
The DiversityFIRST™ Certification Program provided me not only with resources to help me do my job but also with a network of new diversity colleagues. I have used the course materials and the DiversityFIRST™ Toolkit multiple times since completing the course.

Manager, Diversity & Inclusion
The DiversityFIRST™ Certification Program was an eye opener. It was great to interact with other individuals in the area of diversity, understand best practices, and get assistance on programs. I learned a lot and now am applying it to my role.

HR Manager, Talent Management
This program was simply fantastic! This training not only added to my body of knowledge, but provided me with structure and a framework to confidently enact my D&I strategic plan. The use of current examples and research made the content and printed materials incredibly relevant. Prior to this certification program, I understood D&I conceptually. After this experience, I understand it practically. I am truly grateful to the National Diversity Council for investing in the next generation of D&I leaders to advance this work in our organizations large and small. The experience was so beneficial I’ve already recruited two colleagues to go through this process!

Assistant Vice President Diversity, Inclusion, Dollar Bank, FSB

Explore Diversity & Inclusion

COVID has NO face! With the concerns of COVID-19, Asian Americans have experienced isolation and discrimination due to the origin of the virus. The National Diversity Council has created the hashtags #COVIDhasNOface and #StandwithNDC to stop xenophia and show our support in creating an inclusive and caring community for all. Join us in spreading the message.


Video from “Inclusive cities are productive cities,” April 2016, McKinsey & Company, www.mckinsey.com. Copyright © 2016 McKinsey & Company. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission.


An exploration of the ways diversity is upside-down in our world and how this impacts the personal, community and organizational spheres.