One highlight of Natural Products Business School’s packed agenda undoubtedly will be the session offered by MaryAnne Howland, the president and CEO of Ibis Communications and the founder and CEO of Global Diversity Leadership Exchange.

This session, “Diversity of America Defines the Food Industry,” will be at 11:25 a.m. ET  Wednesday, April 27,  on the Natural Products Expo Virtual Community platform. It will address themes including globalization to localization, plant diversity and multiculturalism, innovation and implications of urban heat and the power of J.E.D.I.

Howland—a leader in inclusive marketing and branding communications aimed at creating equitable social impact—works with brands in the natural products industry to create culturally inclusive missions, which in turn help improve food systems and promote a regenerative economy. Among the ways she challenges brands is asking them to examine whether they do business from a mindset of shared abundance for all—a business model that she insists is not about giving something up, rather about finding ways to create a universal benefit. Howland also encourages brands to be creative in their approach to business and to think long term when it comes to their business models.

J.E.D.I. 3.0 workshops available after the program

Natural Products Business School session attendees will also gain access to a series of eight workshops Howland offers. The on-demand workshops will roll out on the NPEV platform over the coming months.

Beginning April 27, the first two workshops kick off this educational series that is geared toward helping C-suite and senior level executives explore ways to take their social responsibility to the next level and deliver on their commitments to end systemic racism.

This J.E.D.I. 3.0 workshop series will include the following workshops: