ORLANDO, Fla. — Committing to diversity, equity and inclusion has been hard lately.
That was one of the core issues that Ashissh Kaul, Doreen Mosher and Katharine Panessidi’s session sought to address for HR professionals seeking a path forward. Kaul is a part of SHRM India, Mosher works for SHRM Linkage and Panessidi works for SHRM Business, but collectively they’re a part of SHRM’s I&D Council.
They outlined all of the world of work pain points that happen to intersect with DEI these days: talent shortages, compliance risks, the battle for worker trust, a clear vision for leadership and the need for civility.
“I know that we all in this room can probably agree that professionals right now are facing converging demands for more strategic outcome-driven approaches to workforce development and inclusion,” Panessidi told the audience Wednesday in the Orange County Convention Center.
Ashissh Kaul, Doreen Mosher and Katharine Panessidi are on stage presenting a panel on I&D at the 2026 SHRM Annual Conference June 17, 2026.
Caroline Colvin/HR Dive
The presenters offered a nuanced view of DEI in 2026. They shared statistics about DEI budgets getting slashed and DEI programs disappearing from the Fortune 500, but they also reiterated the business case for DEI, citing increased revenue and the engagement benefits that can come from inclusion programming.
“Globally, the vocabulary of I&D may be changing, but the need for fair and high-performing workforce systems is not going away,” Panessidi said.
The I&D council representative’s biggest piece of advice? Inclusion has to come from the top down, with a focus on strategic thinking and measurable goals.
Panessidi highlighted SHRM’s announcement Tuesday that it has revamped its CEO Action for Inclusion & Diversity to be the SHRM Center for Inclusion and Diversity. Panessidi pointed to the leadership of the center’s president, Carolynn Johnson, citing Johnson in saying, “Diversity is the input, civility is the practice, and inclusion is the outcome.”
What can this look like in practice? Jaonna Livingston, area executive of people and culture for Hotel Drover, told HR Dive that Hotel Drover arguably has inclusion “baked into” its mission and vision statement.
“One of our shared values and what we call a guiding star is that we ‘honor all.’ When you say you ‘honor all,’ it means everybody,” Livingston said. “It’s within a lot of our framework when it comes to performance reviews, when it comes to nominating for our team member recognition program.”
The company has reduced turnover by 40%, so Livingston feels like they’re getting it right in many ways.
Meanwhile, inclusion can include simple flexibility, according to Stephanie Casaceli, HR business partner at Orlando Health. “We’re very flexible on our tattoo policy and our makeup policy. We want people to be who they are and want them to feel like they belong,” Casaceli told HR Dive. Ultimately, the positive feedback she hears is the ability for HR professionals to be their true selves.