Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Work
I am very proud and thankful for the work I have done both supporting employee engagement groups and helping executives to communicate their values and commitments when it comes to equity. I bring vast experiences to this important realm of communications, both as an executive consultant, Chair of a veteran network group and as a member/ally of several other engagement groups. There are few places you can learn so much about what matters most.
Diversity is not a program, it’s a competitive strength.
Executive Communications in the Capital of the Confederacy in the Wake of George Floyd’s Murder
As her communications consultant, I got asked a lot of questions about the leader I supported stepping to the front when all eyes were on Dominion Energy and the other Fortune 500’s in Richmond, Virginia. She was the first and most outspoken supporter of equity on the leadership team, and I am proud to have helped her articulate that passion on a variety of channels.
I was a contributor and editor for vast sections of our annual DEI report at Dominion Energy.
In addition, I acted in support of our employee engagement groups and helped collaborate reports and programming like her podcast appearances with the leadership of Virginia State University, a Historically Black College/University (HBCU), as she was a member of their Board of Visitors. Consulting for a senior leader tackling these issues while running a massive enterprise was a very valuable experience.
Honoring Our Legacy: Inspiring Employees at a Historical Brand
One of the consistent themes that was part of my strategic internal communications plan at the USO was Honoring Our Legacy, where we would share lore and artifacts from this storied non-profit founded by FDR in 1941 to support military families. We were fortunate to have a full time archivist on staff and we worked with our CEO to include two inspiring DEI stories in one of our presentations. I believe you can inspire and inform about equity beyond bland compliance content.
Our employees were fascinated to hear about Pat Krause, a USO staffer who travelled to some of the most dangerous parts of Vietnam to setup USO comfort centers across the battlefield. The troops loved her. She is one of only two people to be named an Honorary Green Beret. Our present day USO staffers stationed in the Middle East were especially moved to see whose footsteps they were following.
We also made sure to approach our history with sobriety and a determination to progress. We detailed how the USO was groundbreaking in offering clubs for Black service members, but also took the opportunity to demonstrate how segregation still impacted our operations, along with the journey of LGTQ service members to gain acceptance. Our employees noted how much they appreciated our CEO talking with candor and care about these important issues.
Supporting Employee Networks with Creative Communications
One of the challenges for many organizations is that employee network groups get burdened with extra work in order to execute activities and engagements. I believe communications can help alleviate that pressure, but its not just for the network groups, I believe the entire organization benefits from bringing their programming to the employee masses. My work at the USO was the latest example of the power of just having fun and celebrating.
Our tactics included:
Hosting cooking classes featuring our employees sharing their favorite regional recipes
Leveraging celebrity supporters like Wilmer Valderrama and Pitbull to deliver messages during Hispanic Heritage month
Bingo is part of the USO culture and nobody does Bingo like our PRIDE employee group did. My internal comms team provided the trivia on LBTQ culture and movements while our PRIDE leaders let the “theater kids” MC. Few have learned so much while laughing so hard.
