Join us on the evening of Friday, September 25th as we continue our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion series. 

Bobbie Stewart and Rob Ward will be our guests and lead us through a thoughtful discussion on the Black Lives Matter movement.

Bobbie Steward, Former business owner at Palette at Pioneer Place and current Women's Business Center & Education Manager at Mercy Corps Northwest will share stories of building a business as a black entrepreneur and working with and mentoring minority entrepreneurs.

Rob Ward, Community Builder and former Multnomah County Deputy will share his experience as a black deputy, and how he is currently bringing his community together for open dialogue and discussion to start healing and building a more equitable environment.

Robert (Rob) Ward

Rob Ward was born in Carson, CA, and received his bachelor’s in Psychology & Sociology from the University of Oregon.  Rob has spent time working at the Skipworth Juvenile Detention Center in Eugene and has 25 years’ experience working in the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, including as a Deputy. 

Currently, the president of Sober Solutions Rob, is providing more parenting time with a mobile DUI monitoring platform for parents, in DUI child custody cases. Rob is also working on a $5 million college rape prevention campaign, that will provide a panic feature phone app to female college students.

Rob spends his off-time volunteering with youth including coaching youth sports and hosting agility clinics. Most recently, Rob has been instrumental in supporting youth that are passionate about the Black Lives Matter Movement including holding several listening sessions. These sessions are a safe space for residence of West Linn, a primarily white community, to come together to discuss racial discrimination.

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Prior to this dinner, please take some time to view the Netflix film "13th" - a thought-provoking documentary that analyzes the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom.

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Due to pending rain and current COVID restrictions, we have moved this event to a Zoom Meeting. Log-in details will be sent to those who register.