Director of Inclusion & Community Impact, Candice Harrison to Join Panels Highlighting Community‑Driven Leadership
TOLEDO, Ohio, March 6, 2026 — SSOE Group, a global engineering and architecture firm headquartered in Toledo, announced today CEO Vince DiPofi, PE, will serve as keynote speaker at the 2025-2026 National Amplify Allyship Tour, which makes a stop in Toledo later this month. This marks the fourth tour location following successful activations in New York City, Chicago, and Houston.
On Wednesday, March 11, at the downtown Toledo innovation hub formerly known as the Toledo Tech Loft located at 336 N. Superior Street, the event will bring business and community leaders together in Northwest Ohio to examine how allyship intersects with AI, the future of work, and modern people strategy—and how those choices impact trust, risk, and performance at scale.
Each activation of the tour is meticulously designed to equip local leaders with actionable strategies and practical tools, empowering them to drive measurable impact in their organization. Under the theme of “Amplify Resilient Leadership: Aligning AI, Leadership Decisions, and People Strategy,” the event is a one-day immersive experience designed to turn allyship into action.
Brittany King, Founder of Amplify Allyship™ and an AI, HR, and Future of Work Strategist, made it a priority to include Toledo as a stop on the 2025-2026 National Amplify Allyship Tour, which launched last June at the World Trade Center in New York City and continued with stops in Chicago and Houston in the fall.
King shared:
“We chose Vince as our keynote because he understands that AI doesn’t replace leadership judgment—it amplifies the consequences of it. He leads at the intersection of technology, people strategy, and accountability, which is exactly the conversation leaders need to be having as decision‑making accelerates.”
DiPofi’s keynote, “Future-Proof Leadership: Allyship in an AI-Influenced Workplace,” will focus on ensuring innovation scales without automating bias or eroding trust, and how intentional leadership decisions—grounded in empathy, accountability, and data—drive meaningful cultural and business outcomes.
DiPofi stated:
“Allyship isn’t a buzzword or a side initiative; it’s a leadership standard. In a workplace evolving faster than ever, the decisions leaders make about people, policy, and culture have lasting impact. When organizations invest intentionally in their people, the results speak for themselves.”
SSOE’s commitment to allyship extends beyond the keynote stage. Candice Harrison, SSOE’s Director of Inclusion and Community Impact, will also represent the firm as moderator of the event’s Executive Power Panel, “Beyond the Bot: The Real ROI of Human-Centric Leadership,” guiding a discussion on allyship driving retention and performance amid automation. Harrison will also serve as a panelist on the Community Partners Panel, “The Ecosystem of Trust: Building Resilient Communities in a Digital Era,” an exploration of how organizations can leverage allyship to ensure community impact isn’t lost as business scales through technology.
Harrison has played a key role in SSOE’s partnership with Amplify Allyship and the firm’s broader inclusion and community initiatives. Later this month, she will be recognized for her leadership when she receives the YWCA Milestones for Volunteerism Award on Thursday, March 26.
Candice Harrison commented:
“At SSOE, we believe allyship is about action. It’s about showing up consistently—for our colleagues, our clients, and our community. Being part of Amplify Allyship is an extension of that commitment.”
SSOE has partnered with Amplify Allyship over the past year to deliver leadership programming focused on inclusive decision‑making, engagement, and measurable impact. Hosting and participating in the Toledo activation illustrates the firm’s continued investment in creating workplaces where people and performance thrive together.
Extending its commitment beyond the workplace, Amplify Allyship selects a local Community Impact Partner for each event. In Toledo, that commitment takes shape through the selection of Mom’s House Toledo, with donations collected to support single mothers from low‑income households building more resilient futures for themselves and their families.
Amplify Allyship founder and event host Brittany King noted:
“We never enter a city without creating impact.”
SSOE has more than a passing connection to Mom’s House as it was the recipient of the firm’s “Building the Future” Contest and additional employee-led contributions, commemorating SSOE’s 75th anniversary in 2023. In partnership with Amplify Allyship, SSOE is proud to further its commitment by investing directly in Mom’s House Toledo and the families it serves with a $2,500 contribution.
For more information about Amplify Allyship, visit amplifyallyship.com.