Equality among the genders is a topic at the forefront of national discussion, particularly in conversations about diversity in the workplace.

Grand Valley State University students and community have the opportunity to learn about diversity in companies from one of the university’s own Board of Trustees, Mary Kramer.

On March 29, Kramer will be presenting a Breakfast Series lecture from 7:30 a.m. until 9 a.m. at the L. William Seidman Center on GVSU’s Pew Campus.

Kramer’s lecture, “Hurray for Hush Puppies: Why West Michigan companies are adding women to their corporate boards,” will take a look at a few of Michigan’s largest publicly-traded companies and their scorecards, as well as offer some ideas for ways of adding more diversity to their corporate ranks.

“Some European countries have placed legal quotas on companies to ensure diversity on their board of directors,” Kramer said. “Quotas aren’t the right path.”

For example, Kramer said that Germany has a quota for how many women must be on the board of directors in companies, but she believes quotas such as this can cause people to view women as not having “earned” a place on the board due to their own merit.

Vonnie Herrera, director of external relations and communication in the Seidman College of Business, said the presentation will bring an awareness to students about the corporate environment, focusing on how employees of both genders should have to be considered for board service at an appropriate stage in their careers.

“Mary will motivate and inspire students to think strategically about their future choices,” Herrera said. “She’s a real spark plug to make people think and take action.”

Kramer said she finds it interesting that some of the companies with the greatest diversity are based in West Michigan, like Kellogg Co., which is headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, has 38 percent women employees.

Kramer added that as consumers, people make choices with their spending power every day, and it does not hurt to understand who is running the show behind the products being bought.

“I support companies that show they understand they can be a better company because they have diversity at the top,” she said.

Kramer is a 1979 graduate of GVSU and the current chair of the finance committee on the GVSU Board of Trustees.

Herrera said Peter F. Secchia, a donor to GVSU who made the Breakfast Series possible, extended the invitation for Kramer to speak after he recognized her talent and the impact she has in both Detroit and throughout Michigan.

Both Kramer and Herrera said this lecture can be beneficial to students as they look for future employment.

Herrera added that this is an opportunity for students to collect experiences for career preparation and show alums and the business community that they are taking advantage of the chance to learn and grow outside the classroom.

This Breakfast Series is free and open to the public, but potential attendees are asked to RSVP online beforehand.