Belonging by Design: Embedding Inclusive Practices Across the Enterprise - Impact & Belonging Exchange
Belonging is a critical driver of workforce and organizational performance, influencing everything from retention and engagement to culture, trust, and business outcomes. Yet many organizations continue to grapple with how to move from aspiration to measurable impact.
Join this Impact & Belonging Exchange to gain peer-driven insight into how organizations are embedding belonging across the enterprise through talent, workforce, culture, and employee experience strategies; aligning stakeholders around shared outcomes; and creating measurable impact on recruitment, retention, engagement, and organizational performance. Through real-world examples and peer discussion, we'll explore how organizations are turning belonging into a business differentiator while building cultures where employees feel valued, connected, and empowered to contribute.
This session will feature a Peer Spotlight from Children's Minnesota, highlighting how the organization is embedding inclusive practices across the enterprise through partnerships spanning Talent Acquisition, Employee Resource Groups, and business leaders. Keisha Powell, Director of Equity & Inclusion, and Allen Malicsi, Senior Equity & Inclusion Consultant, will share insights on advancing belonging at scale while supporting workforce and organizational outcomes.
Together We'll Explore:
- How organizations are embedding belonging across the employee lifecycle through talent, workforce, culture, and employee experience strategies.
- What practices are driving measurable improvements in recruitment, retention, engagement, employee well-being, and organizational performance.
- How organizations are measuring impact, building accountability, and leveraging cross-functional partnerships to sustain belonging at scale.
Member Spotlights
Allen Malicsi, M.A.
Senior Equity & Inclusion Consultant
Allen Malicsi is a Senior Equity & Inclusion Consultant at Children’s Minnesota, where he partners with leaders and teams to advance belonging, inclusive leadership, and equitable workplace practices across the organization. With a background spanning workforce development, organizational learning, leadership coaching, and community engagement, Allen brings more than 25 years of experience designing and facilitating programs that help individuals and organizations thrive. In addition to his work at Children’s Minnesota, he serves as Chairperson of the Minnesota DFL AAPI Caucus and has spent years developing and delivering leadership, team-building, and inclusion programs for nonprofit and community organizations as well as advocacy for underrepresented communities.
Allen holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. Additionally, Allen works as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach, Martial Arts instructor, Youth Culinary Instructor, acting and voice coach and is an avid golfer.
Keisha Powell
Director of Equity and Inclusion
Keisha Powell serves as Director of Equity and Inclusion at Children’s Minnesota, one of the largest pediatric health systems in the United States. In this role, she leads enterprise-wide strategies that foster an inclusive and equitable environment for patients, families, and employees. Drawing on more than 20 years of human resources and leadership experience across leading healthcare organizations, Keisha works to embed equity, inclusion, and cultural responsiveness into organizational practices, patient care, workforce development, and community engagement.
Keisha oversees initiatives focused on inclusive talent strategies, leadership and employee development, employee resource groups, community partnerships, and the use of data and analytics to advance equity outcomes. She partners closely with leaders across the organization to build cultures of inclusivity where employees can thrive and where diverse perspectives strengthen innovation, collaboration, and care delivery.
A recognized leader in intercultural development and inclusive leadership, Keisha champions efforts that strengthen trust and understanding between healthcare providers, patients, and families from diverse backgrounds. She has led organization-wide initiatives to enhance intercultural competence, develop inclusive leaders, and equip clinical and operational teams with practical tools to recognize and mitigate bias in ways that improve the patient and employee experience. In recognition of her leadership and impact, Keisha was honored with the 2023 Diversity in Workforce Award for Medium Companies by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
Keisha is deeply committed to advancing equitable opportunities beyond the healthcare sector. She serves as Board Chair of the QUEERSPACE Collective, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering LGBTQ+ youth through mentorship, leadership development, and community connection. She also previously served as Co-Chair of the Employment Opportunity Pillar for the Minnesota Business Coalition for Racial Equity, where she collaborates with business and community leaders to advance workforce equity and economic opportunity.
In 2026, Keisha was appointed to the City of Minneapolis Workforce Development Board, where she works alongside public, private-sector, labor, education, and community leaders to strengthen workforce pathways, promote economic mobility, and align workforce development strategies with the evolving needs of Minneapolis employers and job seekers. Through this work, she helps advance equitable access to employment, skills development, and career advancement opportunities across the city.
Keisha holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Minnesota. She lives in Minneapolis and enjoys reading, writing poetry, and investing in initiatives that create more inclusive and equitable communities.
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