As the Executive Director of the Diversity Awareness Partnership, I was elated to see over 450 seats at the Edward Jones Auditorium filled on May 1st, 2012 for the Annual Diversity Summit. This year’s presenter was nationally recognized diversity expert, Luke Visconti of DiversityInc. Representatives from major St. Louis companies and organizations such as Laclede Gas, Save-A-Lot, Edward Jones, Wells Fargo Advisors, Ameren, Washington University, Webster University were in attendance, as well as 75 additional attending sponsors and individuals attendees.
Mr. Visconti’s messages about diversity and inclusion resonated with the audience because he was real. He explained that, “women have attained more college degrees than men since the late 1980s” and that “it’s fair to say that white men are over-represented in running companies.” His point prompts us to ask why our leadership teams continue to be so homogenous. As a region, it is critical that we hear these messages and reflect on how changing our leadership, recruitment, and retention strategies are paramount to the region’s growth.
Furthermore, taking advantage of DiversityInc’s Regional Diversity Survey for businesses and corporations in the St. Louis area would allow us to have a more accurate pulse on our growth areas. Without concrete data, we are continuing to play a guessing game on how well our region is doing compared to other cities. We certainly cannot fix a problem or find a solution, if we don’t know what the problem is. To participate in the survey, companies are invited to get in touch with the Diversity Awareness Partnership for more information.
Bringing more than 450 people together to raise awareness about the importance of diversity is only the beginning. We are committed to making sure that St. Louis continues to show our commitment to diversity and more importantly turn that care/concern into action. A few key action steps that can be taken almost immediately for any institution are
- Schedule Diversity Training
- Review your Diversity Statement/ Non-discrimination Policy
- Support and Attend Diversity Programs and Events in the Area and
- Start Exploring Affinity Groups and Mentor Programs.
These action steps will not just impact a company’s bottom line but will be reflected throughout our region’s schools, households and city at large.
Reena Hajat Carroll, MSW, is Executive Director of Diversity Awareness Partnership.
