Session Lead: Randy K. Rowel (C-StREAM Program Director, Chesapeake Research Consortium [CRC]
Co-Lead(s): William P. Ball (Emeritus Prof., JHU); Briana Yancy (US Environmental Protection Agency)
Session Format: Oral and poster presentations
Session Description:
In the last few years, a variety of organizations – including environmental government agencies, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and for-profit firms – have recognized the need for programs that address concerns around providing equitable opportunities of employment within the environmental workforce. This session is intended as a forum for discussing progress and challenges associated with increasing diversity in employment and leadership as well as the programs that support these initiatives. We would like to hear from stakeholders, including people who can better represent the affected communities.
Challenges: Various challenges have prevented environmental organizations, educators, and other key stakeholders from effectively reaching and engaging with communities of color during recruitment and hiring, and especially so for leadership positions. For example, we see a need to: more closely examine and assess readiness, recruitment, and retention efforts; better address barriers to inclusion within the organizational culture; and provide more culturally appropriate public facing organization documents. We encourage submission from those willing to share their own ideas and experiences concerning challenges, programs, and progress in this area.
Programs: Numerous programs are being undertaken that are aimed at better involving historically under-represented populations within leadership positions in the environmental field. We seek to better understand and explore these programs and are interested in hearing from anyone who wishes to share their experiences with such a program, including program planners, administrators, coordinators, participants, and assessors.
Best Practices: New approaches are needed to help solve the complex problems that surround equitable and just recruitment of a diverse workforce. There is a growing body of evidence indicating the importance of overcoming linguistic, cultural, and language barriers among the various stakeholders, as well as a need for developing and adopting more just and equitable “best practices”, including, for example, the application of asset-based theory in outreach and recruitment activities. We invite participants to share information about what various organizations have been doing and which practices they have found to be most effective, based on qualitative and quantitative assessments.
Presenters:
Melissa Fagan – Focusing on DEI at CRC through the Environmental Management Career Development Program and the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee
Randy Rowel – Focusing on the future of CRC’s Chesapeake Student Recruitment, Early Advisement, and Mentoring (C-StREAM) program and its vision.
Carmera Thomas – Focusing on the role of mentorship and how important it is that people of color feel welcome.
Paulinus Chigbu – Workforce Diversity in the Marine and Fisheries Sciences: Creating Access and Ensuring Success through the NOAA Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center
Rosemary Jagus – Development of summer undergraduate research experiences and graduate training for historically under-represented students in marine and environmental sciences