DEI Update: Meetings Diversity Leaders Greg DeShields and Sheila Alexander-Reid Share Their Perspectives

Photo of Greg DeShields and Sheila Alexander-Reid
Greg DeShields (left) and Sheila Alexander-Reid

DEI, or diversity, equity and inclusion, is an unstoppable force in the meetings and tourism industry and beyond.

Meetings Today touched base with two leading DEI proponents, Greg DeShields, executive director of Tourism Diversity Matters, and Sheila Alexander-Reid, executive director diversity for PHL Diversity (a division of the Philadelphia CVB) to get their take on successes as well as the challenges ahead.

[Related: More Meetings Today DEI Content]

The Collective Experience Event logo.Also, information about Tourism Diversity Matters' The Collective Experience conference in October 23-24 in Philadelphia, and why the City of Brotherly Love has always been at the forefront of societal change as part of the many firsts it claims.

[Related: Greg DeShields Brings a Career Dedicated to DEI to Tourism Diversity Matters]

Listen:

 

Note: An open letter was released in February 2024 accusing Greg DeShields of inappropriate conduct. DeShields has since been terminated from Tourism Diversity Matters. Find out more here

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Photo of Trans Day of Visibility in Philadelphia, with PHL Diversity's Sheila Alexander-Reid.
Trans Day of Visibility in Philadelphia, with PHL Diversity's Sheila Alexander-Reid (center).
 
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About the author
Tyler Davidson | Editor, Vice President & Chief Content Director

Tyler Davidson is the vice president and chief content director for Meetings Today, which publishes the meetings industry trade magazine Meetings Today as well as MeetingsToday.com, various newsletters, webinars, the in-person Meetings Today LIVE! Hosted-buyer events and other meetings and events industry B2B channels.

 

Tyler has covered the travel trade for nearly 35 years.  In his role with Meetings Today, which recently won the prestigious FOLIO: Eddies Award for best magazine issue, Tyler leads the editorial team on its mission to provide the most in-depth meetings content in the industry. Previously, he worked as the Asia, Canada, Pacific Northwest and Western U.S. editor at Travel Weekly magazine and TravelAge West. Before joining the dual editorial staff producing destination sections for Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, Tyler was the Africa, Israel, Middle East, Switzerland and Pacific Northwest editor at TravelAge West. He also undertook general news and feature assignments while working at the magazines. 

 

Besides reporting on the travel trade, Tyler has covered the real estate industry, held various editorial positions at the San Francisco-based national satire magazine The Nose, wrote freelance technology industry pieces and covered the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders for a bilingual newspaper in San Francisco. He has a B.A. in Journalism from San Francisco State University, where he worked in various editorial capacities on its award-winning student magazine, Prism. 

Contact: tyler.davidson@meetingstoday.com