Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): An Entrepreneur’s View

David Tarver


Presented by David Tarver, a lecturer in the Michigan Engineering Center for Entrepreneurship and founder and board president of the Urban Entrepreneurship Initiative.

Examining corporate and academic circles’ views on DEI efforts, David Tarver will share his perspective as he’s witnessed the evolution of DEI up close and personal as a tech entrepreneur.

In this lecture, he will discuss effective DEI strategies that aim to inform the choices organizations make about the communities they choose to engage, the resources they choose to deploy, and the problems they choose to solve, which ultimately lead to higher-performing organizations, communities, and societies.

Transcript for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): An Entrepreneur’s View

About David Tarver

David Tarver currently serves as a lecturer at the University of Michigan College of Engineering – Center for Entrepreneurship. He is also the founder and board president of the Urban Entrepreneurship Initiative. David is a highly successful technology executive. His incredible entrepreneurial journey includes success in corporate R&D, technology entrepreneurship, and community service. He began his professional career as a Member of the Technical Staff and Group Supervisor at the legendary AT&T Bell Laboratories. After several years at Bell Labs, David launched Telecom Analysis Systems, Inc., a high-tech telecommunications instrumentation business. He sold that company twelve years later for $30 million and then, working as Group President for the buyer, built a telecommunications business with a market value in excess of $2 billion.