What a difference (?) a year makes. West Point’s annual DEI conference held for the past 21 years just changed its name to disguise itself. This type of thing is happening all over DOD, thinking they can hide it.
It’s like one of those games, can you spot the difference?
Here’s the same conference in 2025:
The conference was supposed to be held in Aug 2024 but it kept getting delayed, perhaps as they saw the tea leaves. Instead of this DEI conference being canceled and removed from the website as per WH orders, they just renamed it to skirt the issue.
Here’s the cover of their 2023 DEI conference.
DILC-Program-Book-2023-QRCode (pdf)
UPDATE: Friday afternoon, 24 January 2025: We’ve received word from West Point that they have cancelled the conference.
Herman Bulls ’78 & Family Endows West Point Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Conference (West Point)
August 31, 2023
By Erika Norton, WPAOG Senior Multimedia Journalist
The annual West Point Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Conference will now forever be tied to Herman Bulls ’78, his wife Iris and the Bulls family.
At this year’s conference on August 30, it was announced that Bulls, Vice Chair of the WPAOG Board of Directors, endowed the conference in perpetuity, ensuring the conference he helped start continues to cultivate diverse and inclusive environments that foster further innovation at the Academy.
“Since 1996, Herman has faithfully served the AOG in various roles,” said WPAOG President & CEO Mark Bieger ’91 on behalf of the AOG Board of Directors.
“Herman’s steadfast commitment to ensuring that graduates from diverse backgrounds remain connected to and engaged with West Point helped launch the very first Diversity & Inclusion Conference, and it is fitting that this conference will now forever be associated with Iris and Herman Bulls and their family.”
Bulls was inspired to start the D&I conference after starting a similar initiative while at Harvard Business School. He said that since there were so few Black graduates from HBS, he helped organize a conference, which included all Black graduates of HBS each year.
Like West Point, some Black graduates did not have positive experiences during their time at school and weren’t enthusiastic about returning for class gatherings. Creating a conference with a diverse attendance proved to be a successful model.
Working with the first Black graduate to serve on the AOG Board, Minton Francis ’44, former Army Chief of Staff and AOG Chair at the time, General Shy Myer ’51, fellow AOG Board member, Curtis Harris ’78 and Bulls were able to start a conversation which resulted in the establishment of a Minority Outreach subcommittee of the board.
The Diversity & Inclusion Conference was an outcome of these efforts and was organized and run by AOG until 2018 when the Academy became the organizing sponsor with support from AOG.
West Point has been an integral part of the Bulls family’s life. Bulls and his late wife Iris were married at West Point in 1980, and two of their three sons, Nathaniel and Jonathan, were born at West Point while he taught in the SOSH Department. Iris was an Admissions officer, where she was responsible for the admission of over 1,000 cadets during her career. Their two sons Herman, Jr. ’05 and Jonathan ’11 are graduates. Iris’ final resting place is in the West Point Cemetery.
Bulls said his family is proud to support this conference with an endowment in memory of Iris and to have the legacy of her contributions to the Nation memorialized.
“Our family is privileged to have the opportunity to support this very important initiative and we are happy that you are here to participate,” Bulls said. “Our hope is that the outcome of this conference and future gatherings will contribute to a more perfect union. That is a big goal and with your big ideas and participation, we can make it happen.”
The Drive for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (WPAOG Podcast, 23 February 2022)
This episode features a conversation with Lisa Benitez ’88, the Chief Diversity Officer at USMA, and Herman Bulls ’78, International Director and the founder of JLL’s Public Institutions Business Unit.
Herman also serves on several high-impact public, private and not-for-profit boards including USAA, The American Red Cross, The Military Bowl, Comfort Systems USA, American Campus Communities, and the West Point Association of Graduates. He is founder, President, and CEO of Bulls Advisory Group, a real estate and management advisory firm. Herman completed 12 years of active duty service with the United States Army, and retired as a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves in 2008. He is part of the West Point graduating class of 1978 and received a MBA from Harvard Business School.
In this episode, Herman talks about leading the initial charge for diversity, equity, and inclusion at West Point. As well, gives insight into how the school has continued to expand those efforts across the organization from the board, staff, and faculty to athletics, admissions, and alumni. He helped establish, and was the first chair, of the AOG board’s diversity committee, and continues to support West Point AOG to be the most connected and inclusive alumni group in the world.
Episode Timestamps
(00:40) Herman’s Involvement in Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives
(03:55) How Diversity and Inclusion was initially received at West Point
(05:45) West Point Diversity Conference
(09:30) Diversity and Inclusion Representation among Staff and Faculty
(11:55) Establishment of Diversity and Inclusion Committee as Part of Board
(12:55) Herman’s Role as Chair of Diversity and Inclusion Board
(15:00) Diversity and Inclusion Representation for Athletes
(15:51) West Point Special Interest Groups
(16:50) Corporate Governance
(17:15) Diversity Makeup within Board and Advisory Committee
(20:44) Importance of Candid Conversations
(24:10) Minority Visitation Program and other Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives
(28:00) Need for Resources
(28:45) Diversity and Inclusion Role in West Point Alumni Connectivity
(35:45) Herman’s West Point Experience vs. his Son’s
(40:25) Philanthropy and Margin of Excellence Program
(47:00) Post Graduate Scholarship Distribution and Awards for Minorities
“When we were focusing on it [Diversity. Equity. and Inclusion], my intent was that I certainly want it to be totally inclusive and we need to make sure we include all of our graduates for all minorities. We need to include everybody.
However, my objective, when I set this up, was to say. we’re going to focus on the African-American graduate body and we’re going to get them engaged, and we’re going to make this academy better for everybody. That was the intent of it.” – Herman Bulls
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