AICPA offering free, three-part web series on 'unconscious bias' and inclusion

The AICPA will be offering the first part of a free, three-part webinar on how to address unconscious bias this Thursday, Feb. 18, from 1-2 p.m.  ET. The series is designed to teach AICPA members how to "define, identify and manage unconscious bias" within their organizations and their interactions with clients, per a statement.

The series is being made available to all professionals and the general public at no cost. One hour of CPE is also available for each individual webinar in the series.

“Learning how to manage the impact of unconscious bias is a critical business skill,” stated Kim Drumgo, director, Diversity Initiatives at AICPA and vice chair of the AICPA’s National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion. “Successful leaders understand how unconscious bias influences their decisions and interactions with others. This can be particularly important in making decisions on hiring, mentoring, promoting, staffing, developing people, and engaging with clients.”

“Changing demographics and a shift in entrepreneurial capital in the U.S. means that addressing diversity and inclusion has become a business-critical endeavor for the accounting profession," said Richard Caturano, chair of the AICPA’s National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion, per a statement. "Helping to reduce unconscious bias will lead to workplaces that are more welcoming to all people, cultures, and perspectives and ultimately better position firms and organizations to solve the challenging and complex business issues they face.” 

The Unconscious Bias webinar series consists of three parts:

• “Help Me in the Heart - Understanding Unconscious Bias”: This session will help participants understand the full scope of what unconscious bias entails, where it comes from, and the areas of business it impacts.
• “Look Me in the Brain – Identifying Unconscious Bias”: This session will help participants identify personal biases which might be holding us back from true inclusiveness.
• “Fix Me in the Act – Managing Unconscious Bias”: This session will help participants manage biases in a constructive manner to obtain the highest level of inclusiveness and performance.

Who: Manny Espinoza, president, The CTR Factor; Suri Surinder, CEO, The CTR Factor.

When: Thursdays on February 18, March 17, and April 21, at 1-2 p.m. ET

The webinar series is the latest offering from the AICPA’s National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion - a profession-wide effort lead by the AICPA to encourage and promote diversity and inclusion within the accounting profession. The program looks to create workplaces in the accounting profession that are better reflective and inclusive of the communities in which they serve.

For more on the National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion, head to the AICPA's site here.