About our speakers:
Frank A. Miles, Esq.
Frank served as Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel of Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company until his retirement in 2016. Prior to joining Hershey in 2000 he practiced law for 18 years and was a partner in the law firm of McNees, Wallace & Nurick, where he founded and chaired the firm’s Technology & Intellectual Property Group. Corporate Governance and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) were among Frank’s responsibilities while at Hershey, and he has long been active in efforts to advance DEI. He chaired, co-chaired and was a member of DEI committees at several organizations, including the Harrisburg Regional Chamber of Commerce. In 2008 he co-founded the Diversity and Inclusion Professionals of Central Pennsylvania in an effort to bring regional diversity professionals together to discuss the day-to-day implementation of DEI initiatives.
Deborah D. Vereen, CCDP/AP
Deborah is a strategic thinker with twenty-five years of experience in designing and implementing DEI initiatives, training & development, and inclusionary processes in the private, public, and non-profit sectors She is one of a select few in the nation who has earned the unique double credentialed status of CCDP/AP (Cornell Certified Diversity Professional/Advanced Practitioner) from Cornell University.
Prior to establishing THE VEREEN GROUP, Deborah was the Sr. Director of Organizational Effectiveness and Diversity (OE&D) for AHOLD/GIANT Food Stores. She designed and directed the effective integration of DEI practices and inclusionary metrics into every area and discipline of the business by focusing on Workforce Development, Marketplace Excellence, and Community Engagement. She established AHOLD’s first Female Leadership Advisory Council and Multicultural Business Employee Resource Group. Deborah brings a business acumen perspective to the discipline of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Many Community, Business, Education, and Government entities have tapped into Deborah’s “hands on” experience. She is the recipient of numerous awards and was invited to offer testimony before the bi-partisan Labor & Industry Committee of the Pennsylvania Legislature regarding Pay Equity for Women.
Deborah is co-founder of the Diversity & Inclusion Professionals of Central PA (DIPCPA). She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania (GSHPA), and the Diversity Advisory Council of the Human Resource Professionals of Central PA (HRPCPA).