Lincoln, Neb. —As the nation grapples with how to move forward a year after George Floyd was killed, a University of Nebraska–Lincoln professor and immigrant is releasing a book that a colleague calls “simply the right book at the right time.”
“Becoming Inclusive: A Worthy Pursuit in Leadership” by Helen Fagan, assistant professor of practice in agricultural leadership, education and communication, is available now from Information Age Publishing. A launch event is planned for 5 to 6:30 p.m. June 4 at Francie and Finch Bookshop, 130 S. 13th St. in Lincoln.
“Dr. Fagan’s heartfelt take on immigration, diversity and inclusion is simply the right book at the right time in our country and the world,” said Fred Luthans, University and George Holmes Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Management at Nebraska. “Drawing from her own experience as an Iranian immigrant as a child to become a successful leadership and diversity professor and consultant in the United States gives her journey and voice considerable credibility and insight.”
Through the lens of her immigration story and her experience leading diversity programs in health care and education, Fagan presents a challenging discussion of the research, along with a frank, intimate look at the hard work leaders must do at an individual level to overcome personal obstacles to inclusion.
“Becoming Inclusive” reveals the systemic problems of organizational bias and prejudice and shows university students, instructors, and organizational and government leaders a path forward. The book focuses on the need to transform the mindsets of individual leaders from tribal to global to address the big issues facing humanity.
Fagan was the recipient of the 2021 Chancellor’s Fulfilling the Dream Award and the 2020 Excellence in Education, Women’s Leadership Award. She is founder of the Global Leadership Group and has worked with numerous government agencies, private organizations and businesses, including the Qatar Institute for Intercultural Communication, Union Bank, Bryan Health, the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Leadership Lincoln. She is a national and international speaker on topics of leadership, inclusion and diversity.