This session will delve into the key components and strategies for creating and maintaining a great corporate culture. The presentation will cover the importance of corporate culture, practical steps to develop a positive work environment, and methods to sustain and improve the culture over time. It will be interactive, with opportunities for participants to engage in discussions.  

Learning Objectives: 

1.    Understand the Impact of Corporate Culture
2.    Design Effective Recognition and Reward Systems
3.    Support Work-Life Balance and Well-being

Presented by:  Dorothea Bernique 

Dorothea is the founder and Executive Director of Increasing H.O.P.E. In this role, Dorothea wears many hats. Not only does she lead her administrative team with vision and tireless effort, Dorothea provides financial counseling and money management instruction to clients; researches and writes grants; speaks on financial literacy at businesses, schools, and non-profits in the greater Charleston community.

In addition, Dorothea has developed and implemented bold strategies for expanding the scope of the agency’s financial training programs. Under her leadership, Increasing H.O.P.E. has grown to include a small business incubator and a minority entrepreneur support center. In 2020, the organization partnered with a cadre of sister nonprofits to create The Opportunity Center, a newly remodeled building in North Charleston dedicated to fostering economic prosperity in households with low and modest incomes.

Dorothea is passionate about helping people establish a better quality of life through gaining financial know-how. An Accredited Financial Counselor, Dorothea has been affectionately called a “financial guru”; since 2003, she and the agency have trained thousands of individuals in the Lowcountry to effectively manage their money. Prior to founding Increasing H.O.P.E., Dorothea worked in the world of finance in a variety of ways, including as a budget counselor/coach and as an independent representative in Financial Services. She has professional training in the insurance, mortgage, and investment fields. In addition to being an AFC, Dorothea is a licensed Housing and Credit Counselor.

Dorothea is the author of Kingdom Conscious Money Management, a faith-based plan for personal finances, and a recipient of the Community Service and Leadership Award.  Dorothea was a recipient or the 2021 SC Woman in Business Award in the nonprofit category.  Dorothea is grateful to be 1 of 50 selected out of more than 800 applicants nationwide and the only SC awardee of the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women: Impact Grant recipient.  The initiative, One Million Black Women, is named for and guided by the goal of impacting the lives of at least one million Black women by 2030.   Dorothea’s organization was named the 2024 Non-Profit of the Year by the Charleston Chamber of Commerce.   In addition, she is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.   Dorothea and her husband, Christopher, have been married for 43 years and live in Summerville, S.C.; they have two grown children, as well as four grandchildren.

Palmetto SHRM is working to support The Citadel with their August school supply drive "Operation Supply Drop" to support Veteran and Active Duty students. They are in desperate need of school supply items such as college ruled paper, notebooks, binders, highlighters, index cards, folders, dividers and mechanical pencils. 
 
Let's rally together and support our community by bringing a school supply item to donate at our August meeting. If every person brought 1 item- that could be over a 100 items to donate- imagine the impact we can make! 
 
If you have any questions or would like more information, please feel free to reach out to Jordan Riker at [email protected] 

Palmetto SHRM thanks SC Federal Credit Union for sponsoring our August monthly member meeting. We are thankful for long-term supporters like SC Federal Credit Union for taking such good care of members year after year!

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