Meeting/Event Information

Embracing Voices of Experience

A Panel Discussion on Diversity and Inclusion

in RIM/IG And Beyond

Thursday, February 29, 2024 

Virtual 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Diversity is about the mix of people at an organization in terms of age, gender, heritage, background experience, point of view, or other characteristics. Inclusion is about making everyone on the team feel like they belong and are valued. Equity is about fair and just practices and policies that ensure all community members can thrive. Join ARMA New England and a diverse panel of voices with backgrounds of LGBTQIA+ and HIV+ issues in DEIB; Emotional Intelligence/Neurodiverse; DEI of Faith and Health; and Women of Color. This panel will speak about their experiences, connections and diversity challenges. This panel will help to broaden and enlighten your DEI perspectives.

The moderators will be Stephanie McKinney and Colin Cahill.

Panelists:

Gillian Atkinson (She/Her), M.B.A., SHRM-CP, CDE, CPC 

Award-winning Presenter Gillian Atkinson has over 20 years of professional experience in the fields of
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Advocacy (IDEAA) in higher education, non-profit, and
corporate sectors. She has trained and facilitated over 400 workshops for an array of organizations and
individuals, from middle school students to multi-millionaire corporate CEO’s. However, the titles and
salaries of her participants are not as important to Gillian as their willingness to connect through their
similarities, while doing the work to truly appreciate their differences.

Gillian currently serves as a part of the Senior Leadership Team within Columbia Health as the Director of
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging at Columbia University in New York City, N.Y. She is also the
Founder and CEO of the successful coaching and consulting firm, Cultural Humility, LLC.
Gillian has successfully engineered bridges connecting people to better understand who we are as
human beings, and not what we are as labels.Gillian works to provide individuals and groups with the
tools needed to find comfort having uncomfortable conversations about social identity. Through an
empathetic lens Gillian provides a judgment-free space, to safely engage in life-changing coaching and
training in IDEAA.

Ms. Atkinson holds an A.S. in Criminal Justice from Nassau Community College, a Bachelor of Business
Administration from Nyack College and a Master of Business Management, from Dowling College. She is
also a Certified Professional from the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM-CP), is a
Certified Diversity Executive (CDE) by the Institute for Diversity Certification and is an ICF-accredited
trained Certified Professional Coach (CPC).

Ruth Edele Certified Records Manager, ECMp, Taxonomy and Metadata, Librarian and Leadership. Ruth's professional journey began in High School with volunteering at a local Historical Society. Currently, she is the Archivist at The NYSPCC. During this journey, she learned she was part of the neurodivergent community. She has found this to be her superpower due to being able to be creative, organized, and detailed-oriented. She is looking forward to being a part of the DEI panel discussion.

Gillian Power is the Chief Technology Officer of Lambda Legal.

Nicole Sinclair is a Records Manager with Epiq Global Business Transformation Solutions.  She has spent the last 20 years of her career working in Records Management at various law firms.  In her role, she focuses on updating outdated policies and procedures and reorganizing the internal department.  To stay relevant in the field, she regularly attends Information and Governance trainings and seminars including those offered by ARMA.  Nicole is a single mom to a 10-year-old.  In her spare time, she volunteers on a PTA board at my daughter’s school, and chauffeurs her to Taekwondo, Jazz, Tap, Ballet, and Hip Hop classes.

Moderators:

Colin Cahill, CRM

Colin has 30 years of Records and Information Governance experience both as a practitioner and as a consultant. He has held senior positions at Am Law firms and corporate organizations including Ropes & Gray LLP, Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP, Bain and Company, and Wellington Management. His consulting experience has spanned 16 years as a trusted advisor to 50+ Am Law firms and dozens of corporations in the financial services, engineering, and life sciences industries.

Colin’s experience includes data and process analysis, design, and implementation of information governance and risk management policies, systems, and overall programs. Change management and communications underlay all his engagements to ensure both client satisfaction and positive business outcomes.

He is a graduate of Suffolk University in Boston earning a B.A. w/ honor in Biology. Colin has also been active in professional organizations over his 30 years serving as the President of the Boston ARMA Chapter, VP of ARMA New England, NorthEast Region Coordinator, and as a member of several committees. Colin is a member of the Law Firm Information Governance Symposium (“LFIGS”) and has co-authored multiple white papers. Additionally, Colin is a frequent speaker at ARMA, ILTA, and ALA meetings.

Stephanie McKinney is a seasoned law firm information governance professional with over three decades of experience. She is the Records Supervisor at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Through her fresh ideas in programming, venue research and planning, and most recently her dedication to driving community service activities Stephanie’s leadership was recognized by the ARMA New England board elevating her to VP of Community Outreach. 

Stephanie was born and raised on the North Shore of Boston, and currently resides in Essex. Stephanie is an avid Boston sports and New England Patriots fan. She is also a decade-long hospice volunteer and currently a care companion to Elders part-time; and is passionate about diversity, inclusion and acceptance.