- Author: Elizabeth Moon
Photo of Vice President Glenda Humiston during her presentation, taken by Evett Kilmartin
Reflecting on the inaugural EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Summit, “Creating Transformation,” held from January 31 to February 1, 2024, I'm inspired by a profound sense of hope and renewed determination. The two-day event was a dynamic gathering of 35 ANR colleagues who have shown and continue to commit to steadfast leadership in integrating equitable and inclusive practices and policies in our organization. We spent our time together addressing crucial issues within UCANR, and collaboratively charting a course for a more inclusive future. Throughout the summit, members embarked on a journey of transformative discussions and empowering insights.
Vice President Glenda Humiston's welcome address set the tone, portraying the evolution of EDI within ANR. Drawing from the collaborative effort that culminated in the release of the Principles of Community back in 2016, Glenda highlighted the importance of fostering an environment where every member feels valued. She outlined upcoming initiatives, including focus groups, career advancement for Community Educators, and enhancements to translation services, all aimed at fortifying the EDI landscape. Her vision of the DEI Advisory Council as ambassadors for our Affinity/Employee Resource Groups resonated deeply, igniting a spark of inspiration among attendees.
Our Keynote Speaker, Lady Idos, Chief Diversity Officer at Berkeley Labs, graced us with her invaluable expertise, offering insights into the transformative potential of EDI initiatives within organizational settings. Her guidance on building stronger groups to drive impactful change ignited a sense of purpose among participants.
The summit continued with a reflective journey, celebrating milestones and triumphs in EDI endeavors. Members compiled achievements on a physical time line, serving as a testament to progress and a reminder of the journey toward fostering a culture of inclusion.
Left Image: Elizabeth Moon, Director of Workplace Inclusion & Belonging in front of the time line as she facilitates discussion. Right Image: Esther Mosase, DEI Advisory Council Member & Urban Watershed Resilience Advisor, attaching an achievement to the time line. Photos by Evett Kilmartin.
Keith Nathaniel, DEI Advisory Council Member and LA County Director, led a candid discussion on EDI challenges within the organization addressing issues from budget constraints to issues of safety and collaboration. Over the two days, participants engaged in brainstorming both the originating problems, possible pathways to solutions, and priority setting.
Photo of Keith Nathaniel and Elizabeth Moon as they address the room, taken by Evett Kilmartin.
Keeping the theme of instilling communication throughout the workplace; Ricardo Vela, DEI Advisory Council Chair-Elect and NOS Program Manager, shared insights on establishing robust communication pathways sparking lively discussions on enhancing engagement, emphasizing the need for transparency, engagement, and resource allocation within ;and between our internal groups. The exchange of ideas underscored our collective commitment to fostering open dialogue and collaboration.
Eliot Freutel, DEI Advisory Council Member and Community Education Specialist for the California Environmental Stewards Program, prompted participants to envision ideal communities and the steps needed to realize them. Participants explored the concept of community beyond geographical boundaries, emphasizing the importance of spaces and relationships that foster wellness through a sense of support and belonging.
The summit concluded with a facilitated discussion on setting priorities for the year ahead. Initial collaborative dialogue began to identify themes from the challenges previously shared with a follow-up to be forthcoming.
The vibrant discussions and commitment demonstrated at the summit serves as a beacon of progress. Together, we're poised to continue our journey toward a more inclusive, equitable ANR. Challenges lie ahead, and it is through these collective efforts and unwavering dedication we will continue to propel EDI initiatives forward, ensuring every voice is heard and valued within ANR.
Photo of the Creating Transformation Summit's Handouts, taken by Evett Kilmartin. EDI Summit Logo created by Saoimanu Sope, Staff Assembly Delegate & Communication Specialist.
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- Author: Elizabeth Moon
Photo by Saoimanu Sope, Staff Assembly Ambassador
Our Inaugural EDI Summit has brought together over thirty ANR colleagues celebrating the work and wins, while also focusing on the challenges to continue creating transformation within our organization. Together in community we have representatives from each Affinity/ERG group, Staff/Academic Assembly, Our Senior Leadership Team, DEI Advisory Council, Program/Workgroup Teams, and a few other staff whose roles directly impact EDI in their respective units.
We started off our first day, January 31, with a welcome from Vice-President Glenda Humiston who shared her perspective on the history, current conditions, and future vision of EDI work within ANR. Lively discussions followed with an opportunity to create a time line of wins and significant moments over the last seven or more years.
Our keynote speaker, Lady Idos, Chief Diversity Officer, Berkeley Labs continued our first morning by sharing her expertise in building stronger groups that impact change and support organizational goals in advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion. She shared the over ten year journey of the lab to creation of their IDEA office (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accountability). Lady Idos words inspired many ideas and conversations over the rest of the day.
With today, February 1, being our closing day, and the start of Black History Month, I am excited to bring the learnings of how we can continue to advocate, educate, and inform on issues around equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- Author: Elizabeth Moon
Creating and building space for all members of the ANR community is an important tenet for our organization. Strong strides have been made in building out policy and procedures to build out equity and inclusion. As with any change, there are still pathways that need to be developed both as an organization and as individuals within the ANR community.
One change I would like to recommend is a shift from the acronym DEI to Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and limiting the use of the acronym EDI. DEI as an acronym has become weaponized politically and socially within our nation, oftentimes with some individuals not even understanding the actual meaning of the words the acronym represents. Another reason for the shift encompasses the need to highlight what is most important to having a culture of belonging.
If we start with “diversity” (meaning a multitude of lived experiences from a variety of cultures, religions, sexual orientation, gender, race, ethnicity, and ability) it may not lead to a sense of belonging. Research has shown that many public and private organizations have been increasing the number of hires to achieve parity within a community and have not put structures and policies in place to retain those diverse candidates - being an only or one of a few can be emotionally taxing to those employees. Diversity needs to exist within an equitable framework to be meaningful and sustainable.
The order of words often has a psychological impact on how individuals perceive and approach an idea. Starting with “equity” we prime our conversations to prioritize working to dismantle the barriers and providing access to historically marginalized communities and individuals. We highlight fairness and justice and ensure all have a fair opportunity to thrive in their communities. Also, by saying the full words and moving away from the ease of the acronym, gives a listener a nano-moment to digest the meaning of each word and limits the barriers brought on by the exclusive nature of acronyms.
“Inclusion” is the outcome of equity and diversity. We are able to create communities and programs where our full ANR community feels valued, respected and able to contribute their full self.
For many striving to create change, there is also an emphasis on “justice”. Many differing acronyms place justice at the front or end. Placement depends on what is being highlighted in the organization and where an organization can begin their work. Justice focuses on rectifying past and present wrongs, which often leads back to equity and the dismantling of systems and barriers.
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (and Justice) are all vital and mutually reinforcing. When all these interconnected pieces come into balance this is where the sense of belonging forms a connected foundation. Belonging becomes the ultimate center we strive to build through our efforts in Equity, Diversity & Inclusion. Thinking of a spirograph, different sizes of circles and colored pencils all working simultaneously to create a kaleidoscope of interconnected circles, this is how we can collaborate to continuously make steps to achieving greater belonging.
I am excited to build even more collaborations across ANR as we work to achieve our vision enabling all Californians to thrive.
DEI ADVISORY COUNCIL - CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
Nominations are being accepted until October 17. to fill one vacancy on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Council.
Nominate yourself, a colleague, a direct report or other UC ANR staff or academic member.
Prior to completing the nomination, please confirm the nominee's interest in participating in the Council. Review member expectations and the Council's Mission Statement and Vision at https://ucanr.edu/sites/PSU/files/358281.pdf
Membership criteria:
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Experience and/or interest in advocating for change and moving forward DEI work.
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Experience and/or interest in navigating/negotiating for organizational change in UC ANR.
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Membership aims to represent the diversity of the UC ANR community and state of California, specifically including representation of marginalized racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, and ability groups.
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Membership includes a mix of staff and academics, represents a cross-section of UC ANR offices and programs, and geographical distribution (north/south, urban/rural).
Submit nominations to deiadvcouncil@ucanr.edu with the subject line, “Nomination for DEI Advisory Council”.
For more information, contact Keith Nathaniel at kcnathaniel@ucanr.edu or Jairo Diaz at jdiazr@ucanr.edu.
- Author: Elizabeth Moon
July steeped us in some record high temperatures which led me to do some deep thinking in front of fans and out on the lakes with my kayak.
Manzanita Lae Lassen National Forest
I have been thinking and starting to research about the impact of curiosity in the workplace. How does HOW we ask questions and approach conflict shift when curiosity is centered; further ruminating on how this may also intersect with creating a stronger sense of inclusion and belonging among employees at UC ANR.
Initial research points towards curiosity being a way to deepen relationships and create empathetic active listening which can often allow conflict to be solved constructively with the ability of each member in the conflict to see the perspective of others. Professional conflict is often a catalyst for creative innovation. A former collaborator on applied improvisation in the office led attendees in a mantra of 'Through becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable, pushing beyond my mental boundaries and seeing others' boundaries, I will find the opportunities to lead us through our big goals.'
When conflict is interpersonal and negative emotions are rising, curiosity has the capacity to lower these tensions. So, what is the language to engender this curiosity within a negative conversation with co-workers or managers? How do we move ourselves and the other person into the curious zone? Here are three possible steps that may help:
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Take a breath. Breathing in through your nose and out your mouth 4 - 5 times helps to bring the physiological responses to conflict to a more manageable level.
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Reframe and mirror the words or situation back to the person you are speaking with, “So if I understand you correctly……..”
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State your position or idea. “My perspective is that ….” or “My understanding is….” or “The way I was approaching this was….”
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Now get curious. “Tell me about your perspective on….” or “How does what you are saying relate to the work we need to do?” or “Please share why you felt the need to say ….”
These are a few beginning thoughts on how curiosity could be a catalyst for engendering a shift for yourself in approaching conflict. Let me know your feedback if you try this out in the office - what was the impact or response from colleagues. I am ‘curious' to learn more about the possible intersection of curiosity and belonging in the workplace.
ON THE ROAD in JULY
Heading north this month I was honored to join Greg Ira, Director of the Environmental Stewards Program, to support a facilitation discussion around issues of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in environmental education at the 30th Anniversary of the California Environmental Education Interagency Network (CEEIN) hosted at Granite Bay State Park. Learning about the history and impact of this network and the partnerships that have been created and are still being developed brought back memories of my time in K12 education and the impact these types of programs and partnerships had on the students I taught.
Walking down to the Valley Conference room in Davis, the HR team warmly invited me to join their all staff meeting. Grouping into tables of 3-5 colleagues, each member brainstormed ways to articulate and operationalize our ANR Principles of Community. One team even created a rap song which they shared with the group.
Glenn County UCCE Staff: Christine Kampamann, Betsy Karle (County Director), Lea Eddy, Jamie Marron, Jamie Ott (Tehama County), Curt Pierce, Rachel Lee (Director UC ANR Publications), Becky Wheeler-Dykes, Sheron Violini (Associate Director Government & Community Relations)
Traveling north up to Glenn County UCCE, I road tripped with Rachel Lee (Director UC ANR Publications) and Sheron Violini (Associate Director of Government & Community Relations) to join Betsy Karle, County Director, and her team at their monthly staff meeting. We laughed and connected over stories of our favorite summer memories. Each member collaborated and shared their expertise of how we may want to operationalize the ANR Principles of Community (A visual of a three-legged race) and articulated some simplified buckets to group the more detailed points already written. Most importantly, I learned about their community and the positive impact they are each having with youth, farms, and ranches.
For each person I met this month, thank you for sharing yourself and your experiences, helping me to practice my ‘curiosity muscle'.
CONTACT
Interested in sharing ideas and challenges? Please visit the following feedback form: https://forms.gle/AWCinz3MYWGhzH5n9
Wish to discuss an issue directly with me, email: emoon@ucanr.edu , call 530-883-1174 (Ext 1612) or connect with me in-person.
- Author: Elizabeth Moon
Celebrations abound in June: Graduations- Juneteenth- Pride Month - ANR postcard contest winners!
For myself, I look forward to this time to reflect on an academic/fiscal year and the promise of a summer to dive deeper and set the pathways for creating more opportunities to grow.
JUNETEENTH
With Juneteenth next week, I am looking forward to reflecting with our Black and Allied Employees Resource Group on their Webinar on June 14 (10:30 - 12:00 pm) to hear from Dr. Mary Blackburn and Dr. Keith Nathaniel.They will describe their journeys in agriculture and extension, how their experiences shape their work, and how their lives connect to present patterns of inequity that are commonly believed to be a thing of the past. (zoom: https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/99024484120?pwd=b3hkeXBiMEhRNWJ1a1VrOWhVdHZFdz09 | Meeting ID: 990 2448 4120 | Passcode: 092774)
If you happen to be in the Bay area here is a list of 200+ Black-owned restaurants I helped to curate last year: 200+ Black-owned Restaurants Across The Bay Area.
PRIDE
In celebration of Pride, Ricardo Vela created this video celebrating the strides that have been made so far for LGBTQ+ rights. I also want to recognize that while we celebrate the advancements made, it is important to continue the progress and act to protect these rights. https://youtube.com/shorts/5CeomH5adO0?feature=share
2023 POSTCARD CONTEST WINNERS (photos of the postcards will be published soon).
- ThomasHarter, PHD, Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, Cooperative Extension
- Picture: Muted Colors of Browns and Blues
- Matthew Rodriguez, 4-H Youth DevelopmentAdvisor (Nevada, Placer, Sutter, Yuba)
- Picture: Heart with the words Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Elizabeth Bezark, Customer Service & Project Assistant, Business Operations - Davis
- Picture: Two trees in yellows and blues with roots intertwined with the words Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
- Bridgette Alvarez, Program and Events Specialist, Program Support Unit
- Picture: Earth with many people holding hands
- KelseyDugan, 4-H Community Education Specialist,UCCE San LuisObispo
- Picture: Ink drawing of crops with the words Diversity & Inclusion not just for enhancing our crops & soil
- SaoimanuSope, Digital Communication Specialist, Strategic Communications
- Picture: A variety of hairstyles with vibrant colors of blues, yellows, pink, brown and black
STATUS UPDATES
This will be a monthly update of ideas and challenges shared anonymously with me and the status of these requests.
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Learning Resource
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Gender Unicorn by Trans Student Educational Resources (An educational, interactive resource exploring the spectra of gender identity, gender expression, sex assigned at birth, and emotional and physical orientations.
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Once I have our website up and running there will be a special link to resources such as this.
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Webpage Language Change Request
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Worked with HR and Changed our Diversity Gender Inclusion page to the title: LGBTQIA+ Inclusion
Other requests submitted have been resolved through personal conversations with leadership and/or I am actively working with others to find ways to address the challenge shared.
DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA OR CHALLENGE?
Interested in sharing ideas and challenges? Please visit the following feedback form: https://forms.gle/AWCinz3MYWGhzH5n9
Wish to discuss an issue directly with me, email: emoon@ucanr.edu , call 530-883-1174 (Ext 1612) or connect with me in-person.