Robin McDurham CEO Transformation Waco. We have had incredible support from the community launching the school year for Carver and are seeing unity at the consolidated middle school. Thank you to so many of you who have helped out!

Tonja Carpenter, Community Doulas of Waco

Would more information and more recruiting be ways to overcome those myths that need to be debunked about Caterpillar?

Fernando, please speak to the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels of the organization.

Studies show that DEI in the workplace actually improved the bottom line... when you discuss merit, there is very little to say to block efforts to move DEI in the workplace forward in a robust manner.

*improves

yessss, thank you Fernando!

Fernando's comments remind of the need to read a book called THE MERITOCRACY MYTH by Stephen McNamee and Robert Miller. I need to add this book to my collection

Michael Sandel's book also is insightful: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/01/the-myth-of-meritocracy-according-to-michael-sandel/

Inclusion is the next thing after hiring diverse candidates. They must be groomed and prepared to fit in and excel in their fields.

Representation fosters a sense of safety to innovate and to dream and to be uniquely valuable to the organization. It also fosters a sense of safety so that one can human (make innocent mistakes) and be vulnerable (expose blind spots and need to learn new things).

One such legal expert is on this call, but I shall not name him/her!

One more thing that is key to enabling more organizations to hire diverse talent is grooming and mentoring young professionals (and not so young ones) so that they can interview well, write resumes well, write cover letters well, and thrive on the job. We need a support system for diverse professionals.

Two resources I want to recommend for continuing this conversation are the blog by Vu Le called Nonprofit AF: https://nonprofitaf.com/

Building relationships is key as well.

And Community Centric Fundraising: https://communitycentricfundraising.org/

Thanks, Lucas!

Question for speakers: What level of conflict do you see as unavoidable—yet entirely healthy—when undergoing the process of addressing a historical lack of DEI at an organization?

Cris - you stated a great recommendation to overcome myths at Caterpillar. That's exactly where we are today. We have recruiting and marketing strategies for DE&I, but definitely a lot more work to be done!

I am so glad to hear that, Mr. Spencer! I would love to connect with you in the days to come.

I would like to learn more about your work in this area in case there are things we can borrow from at Waco Family Medicine.

Get the board on board!

Yes, Ms. Sexton!

Change is hard most of the time.

One way to quickly diversify an organization is to look at filling new vacancies and new positions from a diversity-minded hiring perspective. Additional recruiting is needed when the organization is not firmly planted on the radar of minority groups in the region.

Diversity is also about representing the community and the clients in a more appropriate way.

a more inclusive way

Here's a look at the #TexansRecoveringTogether team. Diversity across ethnic, gender and age lines.

what would you say to a board president who says "we need more black people on the board" but can't quite tell you why?

Did the board president say that in response to a known issue?

Thanks, Mr. Erickson.

Claire: A few approaches--> representation fosters belonging and org success, diversity = increased potential for creativity and innovation and understanding, etc.

The organization looks more like the clients it serves and the community it serves … that might be what success in DEI looks like.

Great points Anali!

People of color need a support system at work and elsewhere. A sense of community.

Organizations need to mentor people of color to help them develop as professionals when they are first generation college students who do not get the soft skills as well as the hard skills they need.

https://www.managementcenter.org/

Thank you, Anali. I will definitely bring your comment/request for this type of training back to the Foundations.

I have been working to train minority applicants in job-seeking skills. It is a lot of work and is work that I do on top of my full workload. I do this because I want to diversify our applicant pool and see that some applicants need grooming and mentoring so that they can fit the bill when they apply for jobs at Waco Family Medicine. This work is needed in a more robust way ...throughout Waco.

nonprofits: unpaid internships are a huge equity issue

👏 Lucas!

100%

Leadership modeling cultural humility is important in the workplace as well.

:)

That is good, Mr. Erickson.

I will compile all of the resources shared in the discussion and in the chat and post them on Cooper Foundation’s website.

Thanks, Ms. Ezell.

All change is behavior change...

Thank you for this insightful program. I hope you have a great day. I have to run to a meeting.

Thank you for joining and sharing your wisdom and expertise, Cris!

It is my pleasure, Ms. Ezell. Have a good one.

Action steps … that is one idea on where we can go from here.

Please take time to fill out a session evaluation and let us know what you think of today’s session - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfcE7oaVtcc_-GyrfBrwyHowK-kLDFX7FimYwR_A0pr9pFP7Q/viewform

I have to run to the next commitment but want to thank you all for your service in the field, doing the hard work!!! Email me at fernando.arroyo@wacofamilymedicine.org

Anyone can reach out to me as well! Email me as well @ spencer_levell@cat.com

I must run to serve my staff with our weekly meeting. Peace, all!

Great program. Thanks everyone for the information.

Thanks to everyone!!! Please reach out! I'd be glad to help

Thank you so much for the information and sharing of knowledge.