#09: Glenda Gracia-Rivera - The Impact of Unconscious Bias

In this Episode:

Bias. You may think you’re immune to it - but you’re not. We all have biases and they come from a multitude of sources which accumulate over the course of our lives. These biases impact how each of us view the world, our decision making processes and how we interact with others. The impact of bias is felt everywhere - in the workplace, the classroom, and in our larger society. Unfortunately, we’re often unaware of our biases, hence the term “unconscious bias”. 

But what can we do about unconscious bias - after all, it’s unconscious, right? On the surface it might seem hopeless but luckily, there are strategies to manage unconscious bias and its impacts. To explore the options and opportunities, I asked an expert in unconscious bias to join us on today’s podcast.

About our Guest:

Glenda Gracia-Rivera is the Director of Professional Development and Training at the Center for Women & Work, Rutgers University. Glenda’s work focuses on issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion in education and corporate industries through professional development, leadership training, curriculum development, student programming, and provision of technical assistance. In addition to this, she also has an extensive background in program development and management.

Glenda Gracia-Rivera

Prior to coming to the Center for Women & Work, Glenda was with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families in their Office of Education. She has also worked for the Children’s Home Society of New Jersey in Trenton, and FOCUS Hispanic Community Center in Newark, where she was responsible for implementing various human service and youth development programs. She holds both a Bachelor of Arts in sociology, and a Master of Public Administration in non-profit management from Seton Hall University. 

Outside of her responsibilities at Rutgers, Glenda is also engaged in various volunteer efforts that focus on women/girls, education, and underserved communities. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of Mercer Street Friends in Trenton and serves as the Chairperson for their Governance Committee. For the past 28 years she has also proudly served in various leadership roles for her sorority Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority, Inc. whose mission is to “Educate, Elevate, and Empower” all women. 

Show Notes:

To connect with Glenda or learn more about her work go to: https://smlr.rutgers.edu/faculty-staff/glenda-gracia-rivera.

Insight at work Podcast theme Music:

Our theme music is composed by Chris Lucca, Jr.. You can listen to more of Chris’ work on SoundCloud: SoundCloud.com/fliplucca and find him on Twitter: @FlipLucca.

About the Host:

Ken Blackwell is a speaker, trainer, facilitator and executive coach. His signature practice is "rescuing Accidental Leaders and Dysfunctional Teams". His firm InKlaritas, based in Princeton, NJ, works with teams and leaders in companies in the U.S. around the world. You can find out more about InKlaritas at: www.InKlaritas.com and connect with Ken on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethjblackwell/.