Hello!

I am James Fulbright, convention chairman and President of ConGregate Productions.

While we have our inclusion statement on the website, I wanted to go a bit deeper and explain my background, and how I see things.

In a former career, I worked in the theatrical arts. In that job, I was surrounded by people of varying races, age, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Today, I work for an international automotive company, where I am again surrounded by a variety of people. Only, now, in addition to diverse races, genders, gender identity/expression, age, and religious backgrounds, I can now include various cultures from across the globe.

To excel at my job(s), it was extremely important that I learn the value of diversity and inclusion. Not only to appreciate diversity, but to truly value it. Without diversity, we cannot grow as individuals, or as a company.

It is this core belief which I try to instill in each person who comes to ConGregate, particularly in our (all volunteer) staff. You see, each person has value, and we need to treat each other as equals, no matter how different the person is, compared to who we see in the mirror each morning.

Am I perfect? Well, no, not even close. As an "old white guy," I have had a lot to learn over the years. But growth only comes one step at a time. The goal is to keep going forward. This principle applies to ConGregate as well. One… step… at... a… time.