Address equity and diversity in your organization and learn more about how to create an inclusive working environment. 

Led by Phu Dao, Portland Public School's Senior Equity Manager, this workshop will walk participants through the Courageous Conversations About Race protocol and share how the protocol can be used to create an inclusive working environment and guide courageous conversations about race within our organizations and volunteer programs.

Phu Dao is an immigrant from Vietnam.  His family settled in Portland with the sponsorship of a local Baptist Church in 1989.  He attended Portland Public Schools and graduated from Jefferson HS.  Phu started his professional career as a Family Therapist then moved into Juvenile Justice with Multnomah County.  While working as a Juvenile Probation officer he learned firsthand the inequity of a system that was supposed to support our youth.  After leaving Multnomah County Phu worked for a non-profit program that supports undocumented youth.  The work was rewarding but was not fulfilling.  In 2011 he left the non-profit sector and began his work with PPS.  Phu found his love and passion: education.  He started as an Outreach Coordinator then became a school social worker, and for the past 3 years, he has been working at PPS' central office as a training consultant with the equity department.  In that role, Phu provided equity professional development to central office staff, district's new staff, and parents.  Currently, he oversees PPS work on chronic absenteeism, specifically high school.