SALT LAKE CITY, UT (October 25, 2021) – Derrick Johnson, President & CEO of the NAACP, and Zions Bank President & CEO Scott Anderson will be the afternoon keynotes of Utah’s Business Diversity Summit, the Salt Lake Chamber announced today.

“The addition of Presidents Johnson and Anderson will provide an appropriate capstone to the inaugural Utah’s Business Diversity Summit,” said Derek Miller, President and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “Their Leadership of these organizations offers a vital perspective as we work to improve key issues affecting our society and culture — racial justice, inequities in healthcare, and more. Our hope is that a full recovery from the pandemic will include progress on these issues. And toward that end we must use this time to make sure progress is meaningful and lasting.” 

Johnson and Anderson will discuss why diversity and inclusion programs are critical to success in organizations and communities. They will also highlight how corporations can advance positive social and political change, particularly concrete steps to promote diversity and benefit from successful efforts at inclusion.

Utah’s Business Diversity Summit, part of the One Utah Summit Series, will engage business and community leaders in efforts to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces. Keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and available resources are targeted toward businesses with well-developed Diversity and Inclusion programs, as well as those businesses without current efforts but who want to engage.

The Summit takes place on November 4, 2021, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in-person at the Salt Palace Convention Center.

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Speaker Bios:

Derrick Johnson, President & CEO, NAACP

Derrick Johnson serves as President and CEO of the NAACP, a title he has held since October of 2017. President Johnson formerly served as vice chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors, as well as state president for the Mississippi State Conference NAACP. A longstanding member and leader of the NAACP, Mr. Johnson has helped guide the Association through a period of re-envisioning and reinvigoration.

Under President Johnson’s leadership, the NAACP has undertaken such efforts as the 2018 “Log Out” Facebook Campaign, pressuring Facebook after reports of Russian hackers targeting African Americans, the Jamestown to Jamestown Partnership, marking the 400th year enslaved Africans first touched the shores of America, and the 2020 We are Done Dying Campaign, exposing the inequities embedded into the American healthcare system and the country at large.

As the Biden Administration took office in 2021, President Johnson led the charge in calling for a Cabinet-level position focused squarely on advancing our nation’s longstanding issue of racial justice. President Biden signed an Executive Order establishing an interagency effort to eliminate systemic racial barriers and ensuring federal policies are rooted in equity, optimizing the well-being of all in public policies.

President Johnson also continues to be on the frontlines on some of the most pressing civil rights issues of our time, calling out Virginia Governor Ralph Northam for his use of Blackface, condemning the burning of Black churches in Tennessee and Louisiana, testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in opposition to Attorney General William Barr’s nomination, and overseeing the NAACP’s vote to impeach President Donald J. Trump at the 110th National Convention in Detroit.

President Johnson elevated the Association’s visibility and voice as we called for a national response to the coronavirus pandemic that was informed by existing racial disparities in health care outcomes, access, coverage and services, as well as the disparate impact of COVID-19 on African Americans and other people of color.

Recognizing the critical importance of quality health care, he has long advocated for expanded Medicaid eligibility, affordable health insurance options, and investment in community-based health care infrastructure through a strong network of equitably-located, well-resourced community health centers.

Born in Detroit, Mr. Johnson attended Tougaloo College in Jackson, MS. He then received his JD from the South Texas College of Law in Houston, TX. Mr. Johnson has also furthered his training through fellowships with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, the George Washington University School of Political Management, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has served as an annual guest lecturer at Harvard Law School, lending his expertise to Professor Lani Guinier’s course on social movements, and as an adjunct professor at Tougaloo College.

Mr. Johnson is a veteran activist who has dedicated his career to defending the rights and improving the lives of Mississippians. As State President of the NAACP Mississippi State Conference, he led critical campaigns for voting rights and equitable education. He successfully managed two bond referendum campaigns in Jackson, MS that brought $150 million in school building improvements and $65 million towards the construction of a new convention center, respectively. As a regional organizer at the Jackson-based non-profit, Southern Echo, Inc., Mr. Johnson provided legal, technical, and training support for communities across the South.

President Johnson is frequently featured on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC and many others, advocating on behalf of the Black community and all those who are affected by systemic oppression and prejudice.

Scott Anderson, President & CEO, Zions Bank

Scott Anderson is president and chief executive officer of Zions Bank. Zions Bank is Utah’s oldest financial institution and is the only local bank with a statewide distribution of local branches.

Zions Bank operates locations in communities throughout Utah and Idaho. In addition to a wide range of traditional banking services, Zions offers a comprehensive array of investment, mortgage, and insurance services and has a network of loan origination offices for small businesses nationwide. Founded in 1873, Zions Bank has been serving the communities of the Intermountain West for nearly 150 years.

A native of Salt Lake City, Anderson joined Zions Bank in December of 1990.

Anderson received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and economics from Columbia University in New York. He also received a master’s degree in economics and international studies from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Active in community affairs, Anderson currently serves on a number of business and nonprofit boards, including serving as the Chair of the American Bankers Association.