Preparing the Next Generation of Future Leaders at #DF18 Future Executive Summit

At Salesforce.org, we know that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. At Dreamforce 2018, Salesforce.org will host 400 future leaders from local workforce development non-profit organizations and schools to participate in the first-ever Future Executive Summit. The Summit aims to provide motivated young professionals from underserved communities with an opportunity to experience a best-in-class “conference within a conference” that will help them build professional networks and skills that are essential for the careers of today and tomorrow.

There are thousands of young adults who are disconnected from the booming tech economy because they lack access, exposure, and awareness. This leads to many young adults being uninformed about career pathways and opportunities that could be well suited for them. Every young person deserves the opportunity to know their options, to fulfill their potential, and to know they are worthy of being a part of how technology is advancing the world. The intent of the Future Executive Summit is to open the door to possibilities in the tech industry and to career options more broadly, because at Salesforce.org we are committed to ensuring every young adult is prepared to contribute to the workforce in a meaningful way and has opportunities to realize their potential.

Dreamforce ’17 Year Up attendees enjoy an Equality Keynote

Future Executive Summit

The Future Executive Summit spans the last two days of Dreamforce (September 27 and 28, 2018) and affords young adults the opportunity to:

• Participate in interactive skill building and career exposure workshops
• Listen to a Dreamforce keynote to hear from influential Equality Trailblazers and learn how they’re driving social change
• Create connections by engaging with Dreamforce attendees, Salesforce employees, and young professionals from across the Bay Area
• Explore the Dreamforce campus to experience the world’s largest technology conference

A group of “future executives” from College Track, with Marc Benioff at Dreamforce 2017

Day 1: Making Connections

On the first day of the Summit participants will view an Equality keynote where CEOs will discuss their career journeys. Young adults will then be welcomed by Ebony Frelix, EVP of Philanthropy & Engagement of Salesforce.org, to kick off their first day. They will participate in a speed networking activity which you can join along with Salesforce employees! Sign up to be a volunteer and share your career experience with our Future Leaders. To wrap up the first day, Summit participants will attend a reception with a photobooth, DJ, and perhaps a surprise celebrity guest.

Young adults learn tech skills at Dreamforce, with support from volunteers

Day 2: Storytelling, Design Thinking, & Career Exploration

On the second day, young adults will participate in a Seven Second Resume storytelling activity to translate the skills they have gained through their life experiences as a benefit for employers. Next, they will hear from the founder of March for Our Lives on how they started a movement.

Students will transition into a business simulation activity through which they will have an opportunity to learn the entrepreneurial mindset by creating a prototype of a product that can address one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In this activity, each student will be given a role that exists within the tech ecosystem; for the duration of the activity, they will be responsible for the subset of the work aligned to their simulated role. After the activity, the participants will hear from a panel of young adults who are currently in roles similar to the ones represented in the simulation.

Lastly, participants will have the opportunity to explore several parts of the Dreamforce campus through an exciting quest, similar to a professionally themed scavenger hunt. The goal is for the young adults to experience the latest technology innovations in the same way that Dreamforce attendees experience them.

To close out the Summit, Tony Prophet, Chief Equality Officer at Salesforce, will offer concluding remarks for the young adults and share the importance of having them attend Dreamforce. The hope is that every participant will leave feeling empowered and inspired to continue on their career journey… and have had some fun throughout the two days!

Path to the Future participants at Dreamforce ‘17

Ready to get involved? Sign up for the Speed Networking activity where young adults can engage with you and other professionals to ask questions about professional development, higher education, and navigating the workforce.

Thursday, September 27, 2018
3:00pm – 4:00pm

SIGN UP FOR SPEED NETWORKING

About the Author
Angelica “Jelly” Pineda is a Workforce Development Associate at Salesforce.org. She aims to drive impact through bridging the gap of opportunity by providing access to the tech sector to those that would not traditionally have it. By creating a space where untapped talent can engage with employees through workforce development volunteerism, she is shifting the perspective of what it means to be a qualified candidate. By building partnerships and collaborations, she delivers purpose-driven volunteerism to empower the people she supports and changing the view of the value they carry to those that engage with them. Prior to her role in workforce development, she joined Salesforce.org after an internship as Grants Program Coordinator and successfully completing a training program with Year Up. Connect with her on LinkedIn.