With support from the Office of the President, IDEI launched the Leading Women@Tech program in 2016 to facilitate women’s professional development and academic and administrative leadership, and to build a community of leaders across the Institute who will advance a culture of inclusive excellence.

Pearl Alexander, executive director of diversity, inclusion, and engagement, and program director said, “This cohort will partake in a revised virtual and truncated development experience with women managers at a few different levels. The 2020 cohort will also be larger, to include up to 30 women.”

This year’s formal program will run September through December and close with a community conversation next January. An emphasis will be placed on networking and engagement of the entire Leading Women@Tech community during the spring semester.

“The curriculum is streamlined to integrate storytelling, self-efficacy principles, emotional intelligence, contemplative practices, and race dialogue,” added Alexander. “These are foundational skills to lead through unprecedented uncertainty and will serve leaders by increasing self-awareness, resilience, and effectiveness in a multicultural environment.”

To submit a nomination, including a self-nomination, visit here. Nominations will be accepted through Monday, July 13. 

Following the nomination period, selected nominees will be invited to confirm their participation.

To learn more about the program, visit http://diversity.gatech.edu/leadingwomenattech.

“Last weekend, President Cabrera and I discussed at length the horrific events that have occurred in the black community in the U.S. in recent weeks,” he began. “The statement the president released Sunday about the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the deaths of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, and Ahmaud Arbury in Brunswick, Georgia, inspired me.”

Read his full statement on the Chief Diversity Officer’s Corner blog.

Featuring guest facilitator Lani Peterson and speaker Birgit Burton, the soft closing offered words of encouragement to the fourth cohort in the midst of uncertain times.

Peterson, a psychotherapist, executive coach, and facilitator with expertise in storytelling as a leadership skill, opened the session with an ‘I am, I can, I will’ exercise for participants.

“How has this program influenced your transformation since you began the journey last October,” she asked?

Some of the responses:

‘I am calmer and more creative.’

‘I am more supportive of my team.’

‘I am more proactive and intentional.’

‘I am more resourceful.’

‘I am now more clear about how unfinished I am.’

“The program is designed to create space for women leaders to be deeply self-reflective and courageously share experiences as leaders,” said Pearl Alexander, executive director of diversity, inclusion, and engagement and the program’s director. “These comments are demonstrative of increased in agency and capacity to lead.”

With support from the Office of the President, Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion launched the Leading Women@Tech program in 2016 to facilitate women’s professional development and academic and administrative leadership, and to build a community of leaders across the Institute who will advance a culture of inclusive excellence.

Birgit Burton, executive director of Foundation Relations at Georgia Tech and past Leading Women@Tech program participant, offered words of encouragement and strength after a powerful story about her professional journey at Tech.

“Ladies, you have to remember that she who has knowledge has power,” she told the 20-woman cohort. Never forget these folks [your cohort] and watch yourselves rise. You now join the ranks of a powerful network of women leaders.”

“The insights I have learned in this program have made me more accountable to myself,” said Dominique Ennis, director of operations at Georgia Tech Professional Education and fourth cohort participant. “It has framed the way I not only describe and advocate for myself in all settings but also how I communicate with my staff. The program has truly been a transformative experience.”

The next cohort will experience a revised virtual and truncated program, set to feature women managers at a few different levels. The cohort will also be larger and include up to 30 participants. The curriculum will be streamlined to integrate storytelling, self-efficacy principles, contemplative practices and race dialogue.

The nomination period for the fifth cohort of the Leading Women@Tech program will open in June.

For more information on the Leading Women@Tech program, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/leadingwomenattech. 

The approved mission statement reads: The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university established by the state of Georgia in Atlanta in 1885 and committed to developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.

Feedback from internal and external campus stakeholders was used to guide the development of the mission statement.

Along with this new mission statement, the strategic planning process has also produced a vision and foundational narrative, values definition, and strategic themes, which are currently being further refined by active working groups. 

The strategic planning process is currently in phase two: goal setting. Working groups are focusing on six strategic themes that will drive the Institute’s actionable goals — Amplify Impact, Champion Innovation, Connect Globally, Expand Access, Cultivate Well-Being, Lead by Example. These themes resulted from the first phase of the strategic planning process: the visioning phase. During visioning, more than 5,700 students, faculty, staff, alumni, campus partners, and community leaders shared varied perspectives, aspirations, and dreams to help shape the future of the Institute. From there, the steering committee worked to extrapolate and organize the most relevant and salient themes from the data collected. The committee then divided into four sub-committees to draft the mission statement, vision narrative, values definitions, and strategic themes that are now being further developed.

“Our mission to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition has never been more relevant and necessary,” said Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera. “Georgia Tech is a leading research university devoted to inclusive and impactful innovation, relentlessly committed to serving the public good and breaking new ground in addressing the biggest local, national, and global challenges of our time. Our many contributions in combating the covid-19 pandemic offer a clear illustration of what our mission means in practice.”

Learn more about the work of these groups and each strategic impact theme by visiting the strategic plan website.

Do you know a faculty member, staff member, student, or unit (e.g., office, department, school, or lab) who advances the culture of accessibility and inclusive excellence at Georgia Tech?

Centered around accessibility, the 2020 Diversity Champion Awards will recognize those who have demonstrated a commitment to accessibility and creating an inclusive campus community for all.

Nominations, including those by previous nominees and self-nominations, may be made by Georgia Tech faculty, staff, and students for any award category. Honorees will be recognized at the 2020 Diversity Symposium in September.

Visit here for more information, including past winners, criteria, eligibility, and nomination form. Nominations will be accepted through June 15.

Jackson-Truitt, who has worked in higher education since 2010, previously worked in the mental health field with at-risk youth and adults. She has also worked as a forensic social worker for incarcerated populations. 

“In this new role, I hope to use my experiences in counseling and higher education to create diversity and inclusion programming that enhances the culture and climate of the Institute,” Jackson-Truitt said. “In the ten years that I’ve been at Tech, I have seen so much growth in how people with different backgrounds and areas of expertise are regarded and respected.”

Archie Ervin, vice president of IDEI added, "The addition of Dr. Jackson-Truitt to Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s professional staff represents an important milestone in the Institute’s commitment to creating an inclusive and welcoming campus community. She was selected for this position from a very competitive pool of talented candidates."

"She will develop and lead a broad range of education and training focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues that will be available to all members of the Tech community," Ervin continued. "Education and awareness about diversity, equity, and inclusion is a prerequisite to building the capacity to understand, embrace, and leverage differences that diversity brings. We fully expect Dr. Jackson-Triutt’s role as a diversity education and training specialist will be a difference-maker on Georgia Tech’s journey toward remaining a best-in-class model of diversity and inclusion among universities nationwide."

Jackson-Truitt received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Delaware; her master’s degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania; and her doctorate in counseling and student support services from the University of Georgia.

In her most previous role at Georgia Tech as associate director of the Center for Engineering Education and Diversity (CEED), Jackson-Truitt provided recruitment and retention programming for undergraduate and graduate students through the SURE, LSAMP, Grad REACH, and Grad RISE initiatives. Using best practices in STEM recruitment and retention, she has guided dozens of students from under represented backgrounds through master’s and doctoral degree programs at Georgia Tech and peer institutions. Combining her counseling background with her passion for students, she has also served as an advisor, advocate, and mentor.

Jackson-Truitt also serves as the Region B chairperson for the National Association of Multicultural Educational Program Administrators (NAMEPA) and is the principal empowerment officer for GRIOT -- the Georgia Tech African-heritage Employee Resource Group.

“I am ecstatic to be able to bring not only my professional and educational training into this role, but also my lived experiences,” Jackson-Truitt added. “I am optimistic for the opportunity to work across the campus’ various constituent groups and excited about this role’s many contributions to the Georgia Tech community to come.”

Working with partners across the Institute, Resilience – one of six ERG’s offered to campus staffers by Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement unit – has provided experiences to help participants increase resilience and strength, and proactively mitigate the impact of routine stress, crisis, and change. Program activities have included workshops, leadership panels, educational experiences, facilitated dialogues, mentoring, and peer support.

“Today, this work is more important than ever,” said Sonia Alvarez-Robinson, executive director of Georgia Tech Strategic Consulting and principal empowerment officer of the Resilience ERG. And that is why Resilience, together with the University System of Georgia Employee Assistance Program (EAP) partner KEPRO, is hosting a webinar called Building Resiliency and Coping with Change.

This online workshop will be offered to Georgia Tech students, faculty, and staff on three dates: April 20, 28, and May 1, from 1 to 2 p.m. Interested participants can register for one of the sessions here.

In other efforts to increase resilience awareness across the Tech community, the first Building Personal and Organizational Resilience “mini-mester” course – 1 credit hour, five-week class introducing students to nontraditional classroom material – was delivered to Georgia Tech students earlier this spring. The course will be offered again in early and late Summer semester and during all three Fall mini-mester terms. 

The class is designed to help students build skills to survive and thrive through chronic stresses and acute crises, and offers a variety of techniques for students to build resilience. Registration is now open and available on OSCAR.

To learn more about the Resilience ERG, workshop presentations, videos, resources, and information, visit sdie.gatech.edu/resilience-employee-resource-group. 

Since October 2019, more than 5,700 students, faculty, staff, alumni, campus partners, and community leaders provided input via surveys, in-person meetings, workshops, informal sessions, and webinars. They shared varied perspectives, aspirations, and dreams to help shape the future of the Institute.

The steering committee worked in tandem with the visioning and collection process to analyze volumes of raw data and provide the building blocks for the Institute’s new mission, vision, and values, and strategic impact theme areas.

Members of the Georgia Tech community are encouraged to visit strategicplan.gatech.edu to review the draft of the foundational narrative, vision, theme and values and beliefs that will ultimately shape the strategic plan. There, you can submit feedback through March 20, and learn more about the process, the data collection and analysis methodology, and next steps.

Applying to a Working Group

Starting now in Phase two — goal setting— working groups will cluster around six strategic themes. Applications are currently being accepted for any who are interested in serving on one of six themed working groups.

The strategic themes are as follows:

1. Amplify Impact: Embrace our power as agents of change for the public good and concentrate our research and learning efforts on identifying and solving the most critical and complex problems of our time, locally and globally.
2. Champion Innovation: Champion our leadership position as an engine of innovation and entrepreneurship and collaborate with other public and private actors to create economic opportunity and position Atlanta and Georgia as examples of inclusive innovation.
3. Connect Globally: Strengthen our role as a hub of worldwide collaboration and build a global learning platform to expand our reach and amplify our impact.
4. Expand Access: Empower people of all backgrounds and stages of life to learn and contribute to technological and human progress.
5. Cultivate Well-Being: Strengthen our culture of wellbeing and create an environment of holistic learning where all members of our community can grow and learn to lead healthy, purposeful, impactful lives.
6. Lead by Example: Lead and inspire by example by creating a culture of deliberate innovation in our own practices and by being an example of agility, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability.

The working groups will meet between March and May, and work to identify goals, objectives and measures of success necessary to bring those themes to life. The groups are expected to meet on a regular basis, with time commitments expected to be between four to six hours each week.

Interested working group applicants must complete the Institute Strategic Planning Working Group Application Form by Wednesday Feb. 26, 2020.

Questions can be sent to strategicplan@gatech.edu.

Launched by Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s Staff Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement (SDIE) unit, the Inclusive Leaders Academy kicked off with its fourth cohort on February 4, welcoming more than 100 managers, directors, executives, senior researchers, and faculty administrators from across the Institute who will embark on self-guided, 13-week, immersive learning experience. Participants who complete the program will gain the equivalent of 27 hours of learning and practice through a combined online and instructor-led core curriculum and will receive a “Culture Champions” certificate.

“This year, the Inclusive Leaders Academy is pleased to welcome additional faculty who will co-facilitate or lead some of the wisdom labs or group coaching sessions,” said Cheryl Cofield, director of SDIE’s inclusion and engagement. “We have tapped the expertise of colleagues such as Drs. Sonia Alvarez-Robinson and Mary Lynn Realff, and Joi Alexander. They will join our ongoing faculty participants, Stephanie Ray, Michelle Goss, and Bradley Wilkinson, and Clayton Platt from the Neuroleadership Institute,” she added.

Pearl Alexander, executive director of diversity, inclusion, and engagement offered, “The ILA offers leaders the opportunity and space to be deeply self-reflective and choose how best to integrate their learning into their everyday interactions with colleagues, including direct reports. Participants are strengthened in self-awareness, how to create psychological safety, interactions across difference or in the face of challenge, uncertainty, and change. This type of leadership development, procured externally, would cost significantly more per person and offers our leaders an invaluable competitive advantage.”

Cofield added, “One major change for the ILA cohort and graduates will be the selection of stories from this community for publishing in the Transformative Narratives digital library collection for our summer installation.”

Another major change within the ILA will be the addition of one-on-one culture and/or diversity and inclusion coaching for all Culture Champions across the Institute. The post-coaching program was piloted with success last summer and will continue in 2020.

Since the program’s 2017 initiative, 245 participants have completed the program, which touts learning benefits – and core curriculum topic areas – such as self-awareness, social intelligence, and courage. These skillsets support inclusive and engaging leadership behaviors. The cohort will also experience integration and practice techniques, through wisdom labs, group coaching sessions and dialogues.

Curriculum content has been curated from the NeuroLeadership Institute on the Neuroscience of Teams (INCLUDE), and Unconscious Bias and Dare to Lead, the most recent book authored by and based on the research of Brené Brown. Content is also inclusive of other research-based programs.

The 2020 Inclusive Leaders Academy participants are: David Adcock, Toni Ake, Patricia Allen, Taylor Bailey, Ricky Barkley, Sirocus Barnes, Cody Benedict, Elise Berk, Emma Blandford, Camilla Brewer, Terry Bridges, Jeremy Brown, Steve Brown, Ida Maria Brown, Susan Burns, Marcia Chandler, Michael Charlton, LaDonna Cherry, Jaydale Codrington-Poyotte, Tysh Coleman, Ina Collins, Suntaree Combs, Kevin Cone, Joscelyn Cooper, Carl Cox, Beth Davis, Melanie DeMaeyer, Lizanne  DeStefano, Stacey Doremus, Stephanie Douglas, Tim Edmonds-King, Marlon Ellis, Luci Erisman, Karen Feigh, Quinn Foster, Aaron Fowler, Ashlee Gardner, Karen Glover, Gordana Goudie, Renee Gourdine, Michelle Gowdy, Tony Graddick, Samuel Graham, Robert Hampson, James Harbour, Amy Hayes, Karen Head, Shannon Helton-Amos, Carla Hendricks, Brett Hulst, Brian James, Amanda Jones, Toya Jordan, Julie Joyce, Troy Justet, Glenn Kalish, Cheryl Kelley, Bridgett Kemp, Margaret Kosal, Lindsey Laney, Nicole Leonard, Keona Lewis, Tammie Long, Dannie Lyvers, Kevin Marks, Ben Mason, Brian McGlade, Christopher Moore, Derrick Morse, Roland Muncy, Sharon Murphy, Kerri Nauth, Kim Paige, Glenn Parker, Roland Parungao, Meghan Penland, Ken Poor, Michelle Powell, Analia Rao, Julia Rizzo, Michelle Robinson, Arianna Robinson, Jennifer Rocke, Vicki Rogers, Jessica Rose, Kyla Ross, Chris Sanders, Stefany Sanders, Nancy Sandlin, Richard Sargent, Michael Sheldon, Kimberly Sheldon, Stephanie Stephens, Jana Stone, Denise Thomas, Melissa (Robin) Tucker, Kate Wasch, Rachel Watts, Marcus Williams, Kristen Wingate, Mary Tipton Woolley, and Yi-Chin Wu.

To learn more about the Inclusive Leaders Academy, visit www.sdie.gatech.edu/inclusiveleadersacademy. 

Launched in 2017 by IDEI’s Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement (SDIE) unit, the Inclusive Leaders Academy fills the needs of campus managers – or “Culture Champions” – for career and leadership development. Its goal is to build a leadership community that will positively shape the campus culture through modeling inclusive excellence.

“Our vision for the upcoming cohort is that the program will provide leaders the space to be reflective and engage proactively in practicing skills to enhance their leadership ability, realize their potential, and more,” said Pearl Alexander, executive director of SDIE and co‐founder of the program.

Curriculum content for the program is curated from the NeuroLeadership Institute on the neuroscience of teams, unconscious bias, and research on inclusion. The 2020 cohort will also study “Dare to Lead,” written by and based on the research of Brené Brown, New York Times bestselling author.

“We are looking forward to engaging a cohort of up to 100 leaders in this highly interactive experience,” added Cheryl Cofield, director of SDIE's Inclusion and Engagement and program co-founder.

The Inclusive Leaders Academy program is designed for those who supervise others as direct reports (including deans, associate deans, school chairs, vice presidents, executive directors, senior directors, directors, and department heads); and leaders of large-scale programs or projects (including program and project managers, communications managers, executive assistants, administrative managers, staff council leaders, diversity council leaders, and employee resource group leads).

Nominations, including self-nominations, for the 2020 cohort will be accepted through Friday, December 20.

For more information and to nominate, visit the program's website.

Sponsored by Georgia Tech's ADVANCE Program since 2016, the Adaptive Leadership Workshop is designed to provide tenured and non-tenure track faculty and staff members with an understanding of concepts and models that will enhance leadership competencies.

Facilitated by Robert “Bob” Thomas, professor of the practice and director of leadership education at the Scheller College of Business Institute for Leadership and Entrepreneurship (ILE), the workshop sessions provide an overview of tools and techniques of adaptive leadership, understanding immunity to change, the philosophy of servant leadership, and a framework for identifying and understanding individual values.

To learn more and to apply for the Spring 2020 program, visit http://www.advance.gatech.edu/adaptive-leadership-workshop. The application deadline has been extended through Friday, December 13, 5 p.m.

With support from the Strategic Plan Advisory Group (SPAG), in 2016, Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement (SDIE) unit set out to engage the campus with storytelling as a driver of inclusion. The Transformative Narratives initiative empowers the campus community by increasing self-awareness, cultural competence, and empathy.

The innovative initiative will host its second storytelling crawl this fall with a seven-event lineup scheduled November 11, 12, and 14, and will feature more than two dozen national and local Atlanta and Georgia Tech storytellers.

“In addition to our 75-story audio collection and 24-portrait traveling collection, we are proud of our live storytelling events, which showcase the array of individuals’ unique identities and common life experiences held by the Tech community,” said Cheryl Cofield, Transformative Narratives curator, director of SDIE’s Inclusion and Engagement and co-producer of the storytelling crawl. “Thirteen of these recorded stories are part of our growing collection focusing on mental health,” she added.

Campus storytelling crawl participants will include Stephen McLaughlin, dean of the College of Engineering; Katie Farris (School of Literature, Media, and Communication); Sandy Simpson (Strategic Consulting); Kamau Bobb (College of Computing); Stephanie Ray (Student Life); and the College of Sciences’ Juan Archila, Emma Blanford, and A. Maureen Rouhi, among a host of other Georgia Tech storytellers.

“Our annual crawl provides a concentrated opportunity to experience the power of connection through live storytelling, workshops, and other forms of spoken word,” said Pearl Alexander, executive director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement and crawl co-producer. “These experiences foster community and engagement in one of the oldest and most creative art forms.”

Attendees at the November 11 Story Coaching with the Masters workshop will receive coaching from experts Kathleen Schaag, Marion L. Brittain Postdoctoral Fellow with the School of Literature, Media, and Communication; Melissa Foulger, artistic director of DramaTech; Shannon Turner, story coach, radio host, and founder and creative director of StoryMuse; and Akbar Imhotep, award-winning storyteller and author of children's stories.

National touring artist Jamie Brickhouse, performance duo In the Spirit, and local artists Sandra Hughes, Maddie Fay, Randy Osborne, and Cola Rum will grace the stage at the Ferst Center for the Arts on November 13.

Through Transformative Narratives, SDIE has also curated two dozen artistically embellished traveling photographic portraits, currently hosted in the College of Engineering’s School of Mechanical Engineering MDRC and MDRC II buildings.

And, there have been a number of campus partners helping to make the storytelling initiative at Tech a reality.

Units such as Ivan Allen College's School of Literature, Media, and Communication, the College of Architecture’s School of Music, and Georgia Tech Professional Education have contributed through music and production assistance, while many faculty and staffers from across the campus have served on the steering committee to guide efforts.

The unit continues to lead the work of excavating, coaching, and publishing stories and seeks additional stories from faculty, staff, and students. Stories may be selected to become part of the Institute’s digital story library and featured in a future exhibit.

To learn more and to register for the Transformative Narratives Storytelling Crawl, visit c.gatech.edu/tnsc.

This story has been updated to reflect that the storytelling crawl will now host seven events instead of eight.

Launched in 2016 with support from the Office of the President, Leading Women@Tech was established to engage women leaders who are in director-level positions, and above, at the Institute.

The program accepted nominations for its current class earlier this spring.

“Leading Women@Tech represents an investment of time and other resources by the Institute in us as leaders, and also as individuals,” said Director of Leadership Communications, and member of the fourth cohort, Patti Futrell, after the kick-off session. “I was so encouraged that women who had participated in the first three cohorts came back to join us for the launch of our class. We’re part of a network, and they’re cheering us on.”

“Over the course of the program, I want to shore up my leadership skills," added Ann Hoevel, director of communications for the College of Design. “I want to give the strongest example of leadership I can to the communicators in my College."

"Leading Women@Tech represents an investment of time and other resources by the Institute in us as leaders, and also as individuals."

Co-led by Julie Ancis, associate vice president for Institute Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Pearl Alexander, executive director of its Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement unit, the program is designed to strengthen participants’ leadership abilities, enhance personal and professional growth, and support their overall career development, in addition to facilitating connections among women as an inclusive community across the campus.

“Leading Women@Tech was years in the making,” said Ancis at the opening. “From the 2013 Climate Assessment Survey and additional listening sessions, we heard your expressed interest in more mentoring and networking opportunities for women here at Tech. I am grateful that this vision came to fruition and three cohorts have since graduated from the program to build an expanded network of engaged leaders.”

Some of this year’s curriculum will focus on the topics of storytelling, self-efficacy, mindfulness, and intercultural dialogue.

 “This investment in fortifying and advancing women leaders is a visible commitment towards inclusive excellence,” said Alexander. “We must become even more intentional and expansive with such opportunities if we are to sustain our progress and live our values.”

The fourth cohort of Leading Women@Tech participants are: Angela Ayers (Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience), Shardonay Blueford (Georgia Tech Athletics), Carla Bradley (Georgia Tech Counseling Center), Suzy Briggs (Strategic Energy Institute; Corporate Relations), Pamela Buffington (Office of Information Technology), Tina Clonts (Institute Finance Support), Melanie DeMaeyer (Women’s Resource Center), Dominique Ennis (Georgia Tech Professional Education), Courtney Ferencik (Development, College of Sciences), Patti Futrell (Institute Communications), Sheree Gibson (Department of Housing), Kathleen Gosden (Office of Legal Affairs), Ann Hoevel (College of Design), Martina Hubbarth (Office of Development), Jennifer Hubert (Institute Planning and Resource Management), Marissa Jules (Architecture and Infrastructure), Tracey Reeves (Institute Communications), Tina Rousselot de Saint Ceran (International Student and Scholar Services), Myrtle Turner Harris (Innovation Institute and OSHA Training Institute Education Center), and JulieAnne Williamson (Administration and Finance).

For more information on the Leading Women@Tech program, including this year’s participant biographies and program guide, visit diversity.gatech.edu/leadingwomenattech.

Georgia Tech has received the 2019 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, one of the oldest and largest diversity-focused publications in higher education. As a recipient of the annual HEED Award — a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion — Georgia Tech will be featured along with 93 other recipients in the magazine's November 2019 issue.

This is the sixth consecutive year the Institute has been named a HEED Award recipient.

“Georgia Tech continues to be an influential thought leader in the areas of diversity and inclusion,” said Archie. W. Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “Receiving the HEED Award for a sixth year in a row signifies the Institute’s commitment to creating an inclusive and welcoming campus community for all as we continue on our path forward, together, as ‘One Georgia Tech.’”

Open to all colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada, the award measures an institution’s level of achievement and intensity of commitment in regard to broadening diversity and inclusion on campus through initiatives, programs, and outreach; student recruitment, retention, and completion; and hiring practices for faculty and staff.

The award announcement comes on the heels of Georgia Tech welcoming one of its most diverse class of incoming students last month and amid the expansion of campus diversity and inclusion programs and initiatives such as the Challenge program for incoming students; one-on-one leadership coaching for staff members; and added implicit bias workshops and trainings for faculty.

“The HEED Award process consists of a comprehensive and rigorous application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employees — and best practices for both — continued leadership support for diversity, and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity. “We take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being done every day across their campus.”

For a full listing of 2019 HEED Award recipients and to learn more, visit insightintodiversity.com/about-the-heed-award/.

Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity, welcomed guests to “Georgia Tech’s Racial Diversity Journey: Recognizing Our Past, Acknowledging Our Present, and Charting our Future.”  

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to look back at where Georgia Tech was and to think about where we can be,” said Ervin.

“It's often said that the current generation is the beneficiary of the sacrifices of previous generations,” he said. “This is especially appropriate today, for we are indeed standing on the shoulders of giants — strong men and women whose courage to act nearly six decades ago has altered the course of Georgia Tech forever.”

Tech’s new president, Ángel Cabrera, then addressed the gathering.

“What is clear to me is that things don’t just change. They don’t just happen. They may seem inevitable after they happen. But it actually takes courageous acts of people who call out injustice and who take personal risks,” Cabrera said. “What is inspiring to me is that when those courageous leaders take action and they show us the way, they help us see the world differently.”

One panel, facilitated by Jacqueline Royster, professor and former dean in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, featured Georgia Tech’s first three African American students: Ford C. Greene, Ralph A. Long Jr., and Lawrence Williams, and Georgia Tech’s first African American graduate: Ronald L. Yancey, EE 1965. Royster began by asking the panelists, “Why did you choose to come to Tech, and what did you bring with you?”

“All of us had outstanding academic achievements as well as sports and the arts," said Long, who graduated from what was then Henry McNeal Turner High School. "My objective was to dispel several myths — number one, that black kids could not withstand the academic rigors of Georgia Tech.”

After applying several times, the three young men were accepted and began classes in 1961. Yancey enrolled a year later. They didn't socialize or study together, but they knew each other’s schedules — just in case.

The men shared stories of feeling isolated and unwelcome at Tech. But there were some bright moments along the way.

Greene spoke about an incident in Army ROTC during which Tech football player Charles "Chick" Graning came to his aid.

“My very first class on my very first day was Army ROTC," Greene said. "It was mandatory. I was placed in the front rank. There were numerous ugly remarks coming from the rear of the rank. Fortunately, a big man on campus, Chick Graning, the star running back, was the platoon commander. I can't repeat what Chick told them, but it had something to do with severe bodily harm. His final threat was, 'I will put you out of ROTC.' ROTC was a requirement for graduation. So, never again did I hear that."

When the panelists were asked how their parents felt about sending their sons off to an all-white university, Yancey recalled, “My mother was terrified, but she never said it. My father asked what I was thinking, but they were both happy to see me get away from demonstrating in downtown Atlanta, so they felt I might be a little safer at Georgia Tech.”

Sculptures Dedication

The afternoon brought the unveiling of sculptures honoring Greene, Long, Williams, and Yancey.

“We are honored that all of these sculptures are dedicated today in Harrison Square, as they will be constant reminders of the trailblazers' courage in the face of adversity,” said Ervin.

President Cabrera thanked his predecessors G.P. “Bud” Peterson and G. Wayne Clough, for their support of the Trailblazers sculptures and the arts in general. He then thanked the honorees for sharing their stories

“Those four stories are of unassuming but incredibly effective leadership. Stories of courage. Stories of people who really knew the moment,” Cabrera said. “It is thanks to their work and their courage that this place is a global example of inclusion, and the place where more African American engineers graduate. You own that story, and we thank you for it.”

Rafael L. Bras, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs, the K. Harrison Brown Family Chair, and a champion of Arts@Tech, said, “These pieces have much to teach us. The journey of these four men, the trailblazers, is a part of our history that must not be forgotten.”

Francis S. “Bo” Godbold, IE 1965, a classmate of the trailblazers, was inspired by their courage. He and his wife Betsy provided the philanthropic support to make the sculptures possible.

“I wasn’t prepared for how emotional the last 24 hours were,” Godbold said. “When I was talking to Ron Yancey’s son Jason early this morning I felt myself tearing up. I couldn’t even talk.”

When they were students, Godbold sat in front of Ford Greene because students were seated alphabetically.

“These four guys are why I’m here and why I did this,” Godbold said. “I want to salute their bravery. I have thought long and hard about this. Would I have been brave enough to do this? And my answer is no. I just don’t think I would have had the courage to do what they did. I really appreciate you.”

Explaining his hopes for the impact of the scuptures, he told the crowd, “I would like today’s students, next year’s students, Ralph’s grandson, my grandson, their children, and their grandchildren to look at them someday and say, ‘What? Schools were segregated? Why? That’s really stupid. And wrong.'"

Godbold added, "I hope they will accomplish that, and we’ll continue to move forward, not backward."

Join us for a morning panel conversation with these four men as we explore the racial history and progress of our campus community at the 11^th Annual Diversity Symposium, ‘Georgia Tech's Racial Diversity Journey: Recognizing Our Past, Acknowledging Our Present, and Charting Our Future,’ on September 4 at the Georgia Tech Global Learning Center.

These trailblazers will also be honored with the dedication of bronze statues to be permanently affixed in Harrison Square and the G. Wayne Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons to mark their significance in the history of Georgia Tech.

For more information on the Diversity Symposium, and to register, visit https://diversity.gatech.edu/diversitysymposium.

Self-nominations and departmental nominations for the Inclusive Leaders Academy are now open for the third cohort, and will remain open until December 3, 2018.

Created by Institute Diversity’s Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement (SDIE) unit, the curriculum was designed to blend neuroscience and social science in ways that spark insights and guide personal transformation. The Inclusive Leaders Academy is open to managers at Georgia Tech.

“We encourage staff leaders to join the Inclusive Leaders Academy,” said Pearl Alexander, executive director of diversity, inclusion, and engagement and co-founder of the program. “Through this program, we provide leaders with the reflective space to contemplate who they are as people, and we engage them in becoming grounded in their common humanity and leading bravely.”

Within the first full year of its launching, more than 250 staff and faculty leaders have participated in the programming, yielding 165 Culture Champions.

“The curriculum blends individual online learning with facilitated group learning sessions to safely explore aspects of your identity, and who you uniquely are, to develop critical self-awareness and improve your personal influence,” said Cheryl Cofield, director of inclusion and engagement and co-founder of the Inclusive Leaders Academy.

Key learning benefits of the program – and core curriculum topic areas – facilitate self-awareness, social intelligence, and courage.

To learn more about the program and eligibility, and/or to submit a self-nomination or departmental nomination, visit sdie.gatech.edu/InclusiveLeadersAcademy.

The report from the 2017 Faculty and Staff Climate Assessment Surveys is now available from Institute Diversity and Academic Effectiveness at diversity.gatech.edu/ClimateAssessmentSurveys. In the report, longitudinal data from last year’s surveys were compared to the results from the 2013 Climate Assessment Surveys.

As Academic Effectiveness Assistant Director Joe Ludlum explained, “The content of the questions in the 2017 surveys remained unchanged from the 2013 surveys, which therefore allowed comparative analysis to track changes over time since the first surveys’ administration.”

The Climate Assessment Surveys assessed the lived experiences, perceptions, and satisfaction of faculty and staff with respect to the Strategic Plan’s aspiration to build “a culture of collegiality, close collaboration, global perspective, intercultural sensitivity and respect, and thoughtful interaction among a diverse community of scholars that includes all students, faculty, and staff.”

“The results of the surveys indicate significant progress on some important measures,” said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity. “For instance, there were positive gains over the past four years on faculty satisfaction with support from their chairs, and nearly 90 percent of staff respondents hold the opinions that they freely interact with colleagues across Georgia Tech and that the Institute is generally a comfortable and inclusive environment for them.”

“Despite the generally positive direction over four years, we have work to do. As another example, the level of agreement from staff respondents that adequate processes are in place to address grievances dropped by seven percent in 2017 in comparison to 2013,” added Ervin.

Following the evaluation of the faculty and staff surveys over the past year, all undergraduate and graduate students were invited to participate in the 2018 Student Climate Assessment Survey earlier this month. Results from this survey will be compared to the findings of the 2013 Student Climate Assessment Survey and released in 2019.

“Thank you to those who participated in the surveys as this feedback will help us better understand the lived experiences of faculty, staff, and students and inform Tech’s leadership about strategies to improve support for the campus community,” said Keona Lewis, program review and research manager for Institute Diversity. “Programs like the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program, Inclusive Leaders Academy, and Leading Women@Tech were launched, in part, after reviewing the findings from the 2013 survey.”

To learn more and read the reports from the 2013 and 2017 Climate Assessment Surveys, visit diversity.gatech.edu/ClimateAssessmentSurveys. 

“We are honored,” said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity and president of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education. “On the heels of a challenging year for our campus community, we remain steadfast in our commitment to an inclusive, safe, and healthy community on our path forward together as ‘One Georgia Tech.’”

Open to all colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada, the award measures an institution’s level of achievement and intensity of commitment in regard to broadening diversity and inclusion on campus through initiatives, programs, and outreach; student recruitment, retention, and completion; and hiring practices for faculty and staff.

Award applications are reviewed and evaluated by representatives of Potomac Publishing Inc., publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity, and the magazine’s editorial board members may have also been asked to assist with evaluating applications.

“Georgia Tech’s HEED Award application received our highest score to date,” said Keona Lewis, program review and research manager for Institute Diversity. “While we are grateful for the recognition, there is still work to do as evidenced by our recently released report from the 2017 Faculty and Staff Climate Assessment Surveys.”

Ninety-six higher education institutions, including Georgia Tech, received the HEED Award this year. They will be featured in the November 2018 and December 2018 issues of INSIGHT Into Diversity.

To learn more about the HEED Award, visit www.insightintodiversity.com/about-the-heed-award/. 

With support from Institute Diversity and the ADVANCE Program, this program brings together campus community members who individually and collectively advance their action, research, or teaching objectives while improving inclusivity on campus. The Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program is a bottom-up initiative tapping into the creativity and diversity of thought among our campus community to crowdsource ideas that create long-term culture change.

“The goals of the program are to cultivate a network of ambassadors who will advance a culture of inclusive excellence and to create an environment where people feel safe, comfortable, and empowered to discuss diversity and inclusion at Georgia Tech,” said Beril Toktay, ADVANCE Professor in the Ernest Scheller Jr. College of Business, Brady Family Chair and faculty director of the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business, and co-director of the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program.

Each applicant should submit an issue area or project idea to focus on as a potential Diversity and Inclusion Fellow. The program is seeking fellows who have been immersed in the topics of diversity and inclusion, as well as those interested in connecting these topics to different fields and perspectives.

All Georgia Tech faculty, post-doctoral fellows, staff, and graduate and undergraduate students are welcome to apply. The Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program will run from January 15 to December 1, 2019. During this time, fellows are expected to:

• Complete an individual or group action, teaching, or research objective and share with the campus community; and
• Attend the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program meetings, including the program’s final poster expo and celebration.

“Our intention is that Diversity and Inclusion Fellows will benefit from this program by building lasting connections among participants and accelerating culture change at Georgia Tech,” said Catherine Ross, Harry West Professor and ADVANCE Professor in the School of City and Regional Planning and incoming co-director of the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program. 

The application deadline is October 19, 2018 at 5 p.m. To read the application instructions, visit diversity.gatech.edu/DIFellowsProgramApplicationInstructions, and to apply, visit https://goo.gl/forms/WM3OOdBB5ndTi3dB3.

To learn more about the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program, visit diversity.gatech.edu/DIFellowsProgram. The program is one of three diversity and inclusion initiatives funded through a Strategic Planning Advisory Group proposal; the other two are the Diversity and Inclusion Councils and Transformative Narratives. 

After engaging in up to 24 hours of study and practice, 78 staff and faculty leaders from 52 campus units graduated as the second cohort of the Inclusive Leaders Academy and were celebrated as “Culture Champions” during the program’s closing ceremony.

Within the first full year of its launching, more than 250 staff and faculty leaders have participated in the programming, yielding 165 Culture Champions. “By launching the Inclusive Leaders Academy and creating a cadre of Culture Champions, we knew that we would move more rapidly down the road toward building an inclusive campus community,” said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity.

The Inclusive Leaders Academy is a professional leadership and legacy development program for Georgia Tech staff, faculty administrators, and research leaders who manage people. Created by Institute Diversity’s Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement (SDIE) unit, the curriculum was designed to blend neuroscience and social science in ways that spark insights and guide personal transformation.

“Through this program, we provide leaders with the reflective space to contemplate who they are as people, and we engage them in becoming grounded in their common humanity and leading bravely,” said Pearl Alexander, executive director of diversity, inclusion, and engagement and co-founder of the Inclusive Leaders Academy. “We value the wholeness of people, and the program is fostering both personal and community transformation.”

The Academy is designed to enhance self-awareness, social intelligence, and co-active leadership, which have been identified as critical competency areas for leadership development and agility. Curriculum content has been curated from the NeuroLeadership Institute on unconscious bias and from Brave Leaders Inc on Daring Leadership: The Four Pillars of Courage, based on the research of Brené Brown.

Upon completing the curriculum, Ashley Beavers, project manager for the Georgia Tech Research Institute, stated, “Many biases are in our lives because we are rushing from one thing to the next. Often, we don’t have time to reflect on the decisions made, and we don’t have time to integrate the ethics that we value into our actual daily practice.”

To date, more than 100 learning experiences have been offered, including wisdom labs, individual and group coaching sessions, and co-active leader and inclusive leader dialogues.

SDIE also launched an executive and senior leadership coaching program earlier this year. Eight participants – in positions of executive director or associate chair and above – engaged in the same online curriculum and commited to completing up to three individual 60-minute coaching sessions or experiential diversity and inclusion-related reflective activities.

“It is such a humbling experience to be with these wonderful leaders and witness their unfolding over the program cycle. Our Culture Champions have looked themselves squarely in the eye, courageously confronting the truth of who they are,” said Cheryl Cofield, director of inclusion and engagement and co-founder of the Inclusive Leaders Academy.

The Academy was recently honored by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education with a 2018 Circle of Excellence Award. A panel of experts from peer schools, colleges, and universities recognized the Inclusive Leaders Academy in the “Diversity Programs: Internal Constituencies” category among nine entries, and Georgia Tech was the only winner in the category.

The nomination period for the third cohort of the Inclusive Leaders Academy will open this fall, and the next program will run through the spring semester in 2019.

To view the Inclusive Leaders Academy second cohort highlight video, visit https://youtu.be/8BP5LUwYhD8, and to learn more, visit www.sdie.gatech.edu/InclusiveLeadersAcademy.

A panel of experts from peer schools, colleges, and universities selected the Inclusive Leaders Academy entry in the “Diversity Programs: Internal Constituencies” category among nine entries, and Georgia Tech was the only award winner in this category.

In 2017, Georgia Tech received a Circle of Excellence Award in the same category for the launch of Institute Diversity’s Leading Women@Tech program.

“This is the second year that CASE has recognized our outstanding commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we remain steadfast in our path forward to building an inclusive, safe, and healthy community,” said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity.

The Inclusive Leaders Academy is a professional leadership and legacy development program for staff and research leaders and faculty administrators, and Leading Women@Tech is a program to engage women leaders. To date, more than 250 faculty and staff members have participated in these programs.

“Both programs were launched intentionally after reviewing Georgia Tech’s Climate Assessment Survey. One of the major findings was a desire for targeted professional, career, and leadership development opportunities,” said Pearl Alexander, executive director of diversity, inclusion, and engagement for Institute Diversity. “We are grateful for the Institute’s investment and the opportunity to lead this transformative work of strengthening our faculty and staff managers. We appreciate the partnerships that make this experience possible and look forward to making even greater impact going forward.”

According to peer professionals in the judges’ report, “We were impressed that Georgia Tech used the 2012 Climate Assessment Survey as the basis for this program. Diversity and inclusion are everyone’s responsibility, and by creating culture champions, Georgia Tech is able to develop competent leaders on their campus and in the community.”

Entries are assessed on their overall quality, innovation, use of resources, and the impact on the institution or its external and internal communities. In 2018, more than 675 higher education institutions, independent schools, and nonprofits worldwide submitted 3,200 entries for consideration across 100 categories.

To learn more about the CASE Circle of Excellence Awards, visit www.case.org/Awards/Circle_of_Excellence_x75314.html. 

This year’s Faces of Inclusive Excellence publication and video will recognize deserving faculty, staff, and students at the 10th Annual Diversity Symposium on September 5, 2018.

“The theme of this year’s Diversity Symposium is ‘Building Inclusive Communities: The Path Forward – Together,’ which will explore both the progress made and the challenges that remain in the interrelated areas of academics, health and well-being, and student and community life," said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity. “We encourage you to nominate faculty, staff, and students for Faces of Inclusive Excellence to honor their accomplishments, and we look forward to celebrating their successes at the Diversity Symposium as we all work together to continue building an inclusive community at Georgia Tech.”

Faces of Inclusive Excellence recognizes campus community members who have distinguished themselves in their research, teaching, and/or service by receiving special awards or recognitions during the past academic year.

Nominations, including self-nominations, may be made by all Georgia Tech faculty, staff, or students and will be accepted until June 29, 2018.

For more information and the nomination form, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/facesofinclusiveexcellence. To view last year's Faces of Inclusive Excellence video, visit https://youtu.be/8L9OLnHIMwY.

Each year, the Diversity Champion Awards recognize those who demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Georgia Tech community. They will be honored at the 10^th Annual Diversity Symposium Awards Luncheon on September 5, 2018.

“This year’s Diversity Symposium theme is ‘Building Inclusive Communities: The Path Forward,’ and the awards will be given to campus community members who demonstrate leadership in building an inclusive community and advancing a culture of inclusive excellence,” said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity.

Award recipients will have demonstrated one or more of the following within the last 10 years:

• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Leadership in building an inclusive campus community and advancing a culture of inclusive excellence.
• Organized, conducted, and/or supported programs, events, and activities that promote cross-cultural understanding, respect, and inclusion of diverse individuals and groups.

Nominations will be accepted until June 1, 2018. For more information and the online nomination form, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/diversitychampionawards. 

With the support of the Office of the President, Institute Diversity launched Leading Women@Tech to facilitate women’s professional development and academic and administrative leadership, and to build a community of leaders across the Institute that will advance a culture of inclusive excellence.

“We invite staff women to participate in Leading Women@Tech,” said Julie Ancis, associate vice president for Institute Diversity and co-director of the program. “Through this program, participants will continue to grow their leadership skills, cultivate greater self-awareness, and connect with other leaders.”

Leading Women@Tech is open to staff women who are in director-level positions and above at Georgia Tech. Following the nomination period, nominees will be invited to both apply and confirm their program acceptance next month.

The third cohort will start the program in October 2018, and their sessions will conclude during spring semester 2019. Program faculty, comprised of national and international thought leaders and expert coaches, will facilitate sessions in the areas of efficacy, emotional intelligence, intercultural communication, mindful leadership, multiple role management, negotiation, and networking, among others.

“For the third cohort, we are excited to introduce elements of storytelling and vision boarding to the curriculum,” remarked Pearl Alexander, executive director of diversity, inclusion, and engagement for Institute Diversity and co-director of the program.

According to survey responses, 100 percent of participants thought that the program was relevant, informative, and engaging.  

To submit a nomination, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/leading-womentech-nomination-form. To learn more about the program, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/leadingwomenattech. 

“We’re thrilled that so many staff and faculty leaders have joined the second cohort,” said Cheryl Cofield, director of inclusion and engagement and co-founder of the Inclusive Leaders Academy. “Once the second cohort completes the program this semester, we will have engaged more than 500 campus leaders with the curriculum and created more than 200 ‘Culture Champions.’” Culture Champions are committed to modeling inclusivity and shifting the culture towards leadership excellence and inclusive excellence.

The Inclusive Leaders Academy is a professional leadership and legacy development program for staff, faculty administrators, and research leaders at Georgia Tech. Developed by Institute Diversity’s Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement (SDIE) unit, the curriculum was designed to blend neuroscience and social science in ways that spark insights and guide personal transformation.

Key learning benefits of the Inclusive Leaders Academy – and core curriculum topic areas – facilitate self-awareness, social intelligence, and co-active leadership, which have been identified as critical areas for leadership development. Curriculum content has been curated from the NeuroLeadership Institute on unconscious bias and from Brave Leaders Inc on Daring Leadership: The Four Pillars of Courage, based on the research of Brené Brown.

According to survey responses from the first cohort, 100 percent would recommend the unconscious bias content from the NeuroLeadership Institute, and 90 percent would recommend the Daring Leadership: The Four Pillars of Courage content. Additionally, 98 percent would recommend all wisdom labs and group coaching sessions to future participants.

In 2018, the Inclusive Leaders Academy has been condensed from an eight-month to a four-month program based on lessons learned and current capacity for execution. This year’s curriculum expands on the model of an individualized path of self-guided learning, interactive practice, and knowledge integration through wisdom labs, group coaching sessions, and dialogue discussions. Upon completing 12-24 hours of learning, participants will receive a “Culture Champion” certificate at the end of this semester.

Andy Register, chief scientist in the Electronic Systems Laboratory at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), remarked, “I was motivated to participate in the Inclusive Leaders Academy because greater diversity at GTRI is critical to our future as an exceptional research organization, and there is a disparity in the number of women engineers at GTRI compared to the number of women earning engineering degrees from Georgia Tech.”

SDIE is also offering an executive and senior leadership coaching program through the Inclusive Leaders Academy this year. Selected participants – in positions of executive director or associate chair and above – will participate in the same Inclusive Leaders Academy online curriculum and complete up to three individual 60-minute coaching sessions or experiential reflective activities by May.

“I hope to leave the Inclusive Leaders Academy with specific tools that will inform and guide my decision-making about important processes such as hiring, tenure and promotion, and performance reviews,” stated Richard Utz, chair and professor, School of Literature, Media, and Communication. “More generally, I also hope for a renewed sense of solidarity to be part of a campus culture in which inclusiveness is at the heart of all we do.”

“There is a mindful leadership movement toward managing organizational culture that is growing across the country, and as we’ve learned, we cannot separate leadership and culture,” said Pearl Alexander, executive director of diversity, inclusion, and engagement and co-founder of the Inclusive Leaders Academy. “At Georgia Tech, we are responding to the desire for leadership development through the Inclusive Leaders Academy as the work is focused on practicing valued leadership behaviors that, in turn, foster inclusivity, healthy levels of engagement, and resilience in our workforce.”

To view the Inclusive Leaders Academy video sizzle reel, visit https://youtu.be/6tNpT1V54J0, and to learn more, visit www.sdie.gatech.edu/inclusiveleadersacademy. 

According to Georgia Tech’s Fifth Annual Black History Month Lecture Keynote Speaker Angela Rye, this is the wrong ask.

“In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘Where Do We Go from Here?’ speech, he discussed power, and he defined power as the ability to achieve purpose,” said Rye. “When you can’t achieve your purpose, does it matter if you are dealt with fairly?”

“If you’re released from a form of bondage, and you’re not equipped to fully engage in society in a meaningful way, your justice means nothing. Society can treat you fairly, but if you don’t have the tools to achieve your purpose, or power, you’re going to fail. Black activists have been asking for justice and equality, but what we need is equity and power.”

The theme of this year’s Black History Month Lecture was “Giving Voice to Justice for 50 Years.” “The theme was selected to mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. King and the founding of AASU at Georgia Tech,” explained Leah Miller, president of the African American Student Union (AASU) and undergraduate student in the Ernest Scheller Jr. College of Business. “Moreover, 2018 is seeing a continuation of the #MeToo movement in the ongoing struggle for gender equity.”

Rye, a national political strategist and commentator, discussed the recent controversies surrounding pervasive sexual harassment, the unmasking of male privilege, and the impact of the #MeToo movement through the lens of Black History Month. As a central narrative, Rye repeatedly referenced “Ain’t I a Woman?,” a powerful speech delivered by Sojourner Truth at the Women’s Rights Convention in 1851.

“I wonder what Sojourner would say today given our current discord and state of the struggle. Not just for women’s rights but for black women’s rights,” reflected Rye. “When I think of the many black women throughout history who have blazed trails, opened doors, persisted, and resisted, I pull from their strength. I get to stand on their shoulders. And ain’t I a woman?”

In addition to #MeToo, Rye talked about the #StayWoke movement. “We can’t afford to talk about ‘Stay Woke’ anymore; we have to ‘Work Woke.’ We have to use our gifts to truly change our path forward. Black History Month is about honoring the legacy of people who blazed trails for us. They were working woke.”

Institute Diversity Vice President Archie Ervin concluded the lecture by stating that he was inspired by the references to “Ain’t I a Woman.” “Today’s lecture was an uplifting experience, and at Georgia Tech, we are honored to continue the conversation on April 5 by unveiling a sculpture of Rosa Parks in one of our most cherished locations, Harrison Square.”

To view the Black History Month Lecture in its entirety, visit https://youtu.be/n_W4WzIx9dw.

Georgia Tech’s Black History Month Lecture was sponsored by Institute Diversity and AASU. To learn more, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/2018-black-history-month-lecture. 

The second cohort of 23 women leaders were recently honored at the Leading Women@Tech closing ceremony for completing the program. Honorees included Joeleen Akin, Donna Ashley, Marisa Atencio, Lori Brown, Dian Chung, Carla Gilson, Amy Herron, Jennifer Hirsch, Tiffiny Hughes-Troutman, Maria Hunter, Cynthia Jennings, Keona Lewis, Connie Masters, Patrice Miles, Cynthia Moore, Susan Morrell, Pamela Rary, Mia Reini, Maureen Rouhi, Jana Stone, Kimberly Toatley, Michelle Tullier, and Kate Wasch.

With support from the Office of the President, Institute Diversity launched the Leading Women@Tech program to facilitate women’s professional development and academic and administrative leadership, and to build a community of leaders across the Institute that will advance a culture of inclusive excellence.

“Two of the major program goals include facilitating participants’ professional development and creating a larger community of women colleagues,” remarked Julie Ancis, associate vice president for Institute Diversity and co-director of the program. “Continuing to invest in programs like Leading Women@Tech is imperative to fostering equity and inclusion, and we are grateful for the Instititute’s commitment. It was gratifying to witness the two cohorts come together at different points last year and build stronger relationships with each other.”

Institute Diversity Vice President Archie Ervin concurred. “We have many opportunities to improve the gender balances among the leadership ranks at Georgia Tech, but the question is, ‘Do we have the courage and will to do that?’ Through this program, we’re saying that we can do better, and we’re committed to doing better.”

Over 10 months, 10 program faculty, comprised of national and international thought leaders and expert coaches, facilitated sessions or provided individual leadership coaching in the areas of efficacy, emotional intelligence, strengths-based leadership, intercultural communication, mindful leadership, multiple role management, career vision, and other aspects of navigating the complexities of work-life integration.

According to survey responses, 100 percent of participants thought the program was relevant, informative, and engaging. Ancis added, “We have taken under advisement the two years of data that we now have from women completing the program, and continue to refine Leading Women@Tech. We anticipate an even more powerful experience being delivered for our next cohort.”

“We appreciate the institutional support from the Office of the President and Institute Diversity, supervisors of the participants across the Institute, the excellence of our partners, and the stellar guidance of our advisory board members to proactively define the next generation of leaders at Georgia Tech,” said Pearl Alexander, executive director of diversity, inclusion, and engagement and co-director of the program.

Advisory board members included Maryam Alavi, dean and Stephen P. Zelnak Jr. Chair, Ernest Scheller Jr. College of Business; Terry Blum, faculty director, Institute for Leadership and Entrepreneurship; Errika Moore, executive director, Technology Association of Georgia Education Collaborative; and John Stein, dean of students and vice president, Student Life. In addition to Alexander, Cheryl Cofield, director of inclusion and engagement, served as an executive coach.

The nomination period for the third cohort of the Leading Women@Tech program will open in April. More information will be available in the coming weeks.

“The privilege to actively work with the caliber of women in this program has been personally rewarding,” said Alexander. “We encourage women leaders to participate in this unique experience. Leading Women@Tech provides an opportunity for participants to reflect on who they are and who they want to be, and to network among like-minded women committed to positive culture change at Georgia Tech.”

To view the Leading Women@Tech video about the second cohort’s experience, visit https://youtu.be/Uk3xZOPthu8. For more information on Leading Women@Tech, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/leadingwomenattech. 

Earlier this month, Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement (SDIE) hosted the inaugural Transformative Narratives Storytelling Crawl, an immersive, six-event series featuring 51 stories, four poems, and two monologues from 26 national, local, and Georgia Tech storytellers and six musicians over two days.

“Transformative Narratives was launched as a major storytelling initiative at Georgia Tech because we want to be among the best at modeling and achieving inclusive excellence,” said Cheryl D. Cofield, director of inclusion and engagement and curator of the initiative. “The reciprocal relationship between storytellers and story listeners sparks connection among people and the opportunity for ‘being with’ and understanding others.”

The storytelling crawl elicited strong reactions from attendees. “It was cathartic to hear the stories of pain, hope, and triumph from my colleagues and invited guests. While we may be in a different time, stage, or season in life, we can all persevere and help one another grow by taking the time to listen and truly care about what others have experienced,” remarked Laura Pusateri, assistant director of Institute special events and protocol for Institute Communications.

Aisha Oliver-Staley, executive director for Affiliated Organizations, found it an enriching experience. “I left inspired by stories of lived experiences that connect all of us beyond our identifiable differences.”

Through the Transformative Narratives initiative, SDIE has curated 24 artistically embellished photographic portraits as a traveling exhibit, currently hosted by the Ernest Scheller Jr. College of Business, and 17 audio recordings that capture the rich diversity of the campus community. The curated sets of photographic portraits and audio recordings are maintained in the growing digital story library.

Now, SDIE is seeking stories from faculty, staff, and students as part of Transformative Narratives, which is endorsed by the Strategic Plan Advisory Group. Submitted stories may be selected to become part of the Institute’s digital story library and showcased in a future exhibit. To participate, campus community members can submit 55-word story summaries at www.sdie.gatech.edu/share-your-story.

“The initiative aligns well with growing the capacity of our faculty, staff, and students to increase their intercultural competence and interpersonal savvy through the sharing of their identities, experiences, and perspectives,” Cofield noted.

Pearl Alexander, executive director for diversity, inclusion, and engagement and co-producer of Transformative Narratives, credits Cofield’s leadership as well as input from the steering committee with the initiative’s success to date. “We are creating the spaces and means for our campus community to excavate and express their personal stories,” she said. “I’m extremely proud of Cheryl’s vision, the work of the committee, and the sponsorship that we’ve been afforded to make this initiative happen.”

Visit www.sdie.gatech.edu/transformative-narratives to learn more, share your story, or register to attend an upcoming storytelling workshop. 

“During this pivotal time, it seems as if we are at the height of the struggle toward becoming an inclusive society, and our journey continues during this evolution toward becoming a truly just and beloved community,” said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity.

During Georgia Tech’s Seventh Annual MLK Lecture, “Actualizing the Dream: The Future of Nonviolent Political Protest,” Joy-Ann Reid, national correspondent for MSNBC, discussed King’s legacy and his vision of a beloved community, achieved through nonviolent principles.

“I sometimes object to the ‘postcardization’ of Dr. King,” said Reid. “During these anniversaries, it is easier to remember the beautiful words that he said and to forget the more complicated person that he was. If Dr. King were alive today, he wouldn’t be the man who is saying that we can get to the table of brotherhood; he would be agitating for the change that he was trying to create.”

After discussing the complexities of American history, including the Poor People’s Campaign, King’s last days, and the designation of a federal holiday honoring him, Reid shifted her focus to today’s national climate. “The wealth gap is only getting worse, and the political power gap is just as wide. The country has a long way to go to be a more perfect union.” 

As Reid stated, the median black family has $1,700 in wealth, and the median Latino family has $2,000 in wealth – total assets minus total debt – which has declined over the past three decades. Meanwhile, white median household wealth is significantly higher – $116,800 – up from $102,000 30 years ago.¹

“Anyone who wants to advocate for economic justice needs to understand that you need to fight for racial justice as a unique, special, and separate thing. Then, you need to fight for economic justice as a reparative, multi-community, and interdenominational thing,” concluded Reid. “Otherwise, America is a tribal country, and all the tribes will fight for whatever limited resources there are.”

Following the lecture, Allen Hyde, assistant professor in the School of History and Sociology, remarked, “It is important to understand the complexity of Dr. King and American history, so we can understand the connections between racial justice and economic justice in both the past and today’s society.”

“Despite America’s tribal nature, we can come together by developing Dr. King’s dangerous unselfishness, particularly in today’s narcissistic era, as the need for economic justice cuts across everything,” said John Jordan, alumnus of Morehouse College and managing partner for Fight for Light Inc.

To view the MLK Lecture in its entirety, visit https://youtu.be/LF9PiJpzW2U.

Georgia Tech’s MLK Lecture is sponsored by Institute Diversity, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, Office of Government and Community Relations, and Office of Student Diversity Programs. To learn more about the MLK Lecture, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/mlk-celebration.

¹ Josh Hoxie, “Blacks and Latinos Will Be Broke in a Few Decades,” FORTUNE, (September 19, 2017). 

The first cohort of fellows included Jennifer Beveridge, Brienné Coates, Santanu Dey, Lana Ferreira, Michelle Gaines, Stephanie Gillespie, Tia Jackson-Truitt, Ronald Johnson, Timothy Lieuwen, Susannah McFaul, Jerrold Mobley, Lauren Neefe, Dionne Nickerson, Irina Nikivincze, Yelena Rivera-Vale, Sebastian Ruf, Calvin Runnels, Hussein Sayani, Jacquelyn Strickland, and William Todd.

“Through this program, we wanted to create a grassroots movement that would accelerate cultural change at Georgia Tech,” said Magnus Egerstedt, professor and Julian T. Hightower Chair in Systems and Controls in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, executive director of the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines, and co-director of the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program.

According to the Harvard Business Review, a number of organizations experienced consistently positive results with diversity and inclusion programs that apply three basic principles: engage ambassadors in solving the problem, expose them to people from different groups, and encourage social accountability for change.¹

With support from Institute Diversity, the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program was launched last year to bring together faculty, staff, and students who individually and collectively advance their action, research, or teaching objectives while improving inclusivity on campus.

The goals of the program are to cultivate a network of ambassadors who will advance a culture of inclusive excellence and create an environment where people feel safe, comfortable, and empowered to discuss diversity and inclusion at Georgia Tech.

“After selecting the first cohort from their submitted proposals, the fellows were grouped into teams, and each team had a leader or co-leaders,” remarked Beril Toktay, ADVANCE Professor in the Ernest Scheller Jr. College of Business, Brady Family Chair and faculty director of the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business, and co-director of the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program. “This cohort represented an excellent cross-section of the Institute. We are proud of the authenticity of this program thanks to the unique perspecties of the fellows.”

Projects from the first cohort included podcast stories, blogs, icebreakers, online training modules, panel discussions, and circus arts performances focusing on the dimensions and intersectionalities of diversity, including race, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, and disability. To learn more about the fellows’ projects, visit
www.diversity.gatech.edu/DIFellowsProgram/2017ProjectSpotlights.

Yelena Rivera-Vale, one of the fellows and TV and web operations coordinator for the Georgia Tech Cable Network, described her team’s project: “Accent Stories is a series of podcasts where campus community members share their personal recollections and perspectives related to the way they speak. The way one speaks tells a story, and accents can be related to bias. After hearing these stories, it is our hope that listeners will think about accents in a different way.”

The second cohort of 21 faculty, staff, and students was recently selected for the 2018 Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program. Following an application period last fall, this year’s fellows will be expected to:

• Complete an individual action, teaching, or research objective and share with the campus community;
• Contribute to a group project, to be determined by the fellows, that will raise the profile of the diversity and inclusion theme on campus or make a campus-wide contribution; and
• Attend the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program meetings.

“Institute Diversity is pleased to support the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program, which was launched after a Strategic Plan Advisory Group proposal was submitted. We applaud the first and second cohorts who are making a difference and transforming the culture through modeling inclusive excellence,” said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity.

To learn more about the program, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/DIFellowsProgram.

^{1 Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev, “Why Diversity Programs Fail,” Harvard Business Review (July-August 2016).}

Launched earlier this year by Institute Diversity’s Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement unit, the Inclusive Leaders Academy is a professional leadership and legacy development program for managers at Georgia Tech.

“We encourage staff leaders to join the Inclusive Leaders Academy,” said Pearl Alexander, executive director of diversity, inclusion, and engagement and co-founder of the program. “Through this program, you will generate insights to distinguish yourself as a leader, create synergy among work teams, and inclusively deepen engagement of others.”

The Inclusive Leaders Academy is open to managers at Georgia Tech. Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement will invite approximately 150 managers to the second cohort during spring semester 2018. This will include individuals who began the curriculum in 2017 and would like the option to complete the program in 2018.

The second cohort will start the program in February 2018, and the curriculum will span four months, wrapping up all coursework in May 2018.

“The curriculum blends individual online learning with facilitated group learning sessions to safely explore aspects of your identity, and who you uniquely are, to develop critical self-awareness and improve your personal influence,” remarked Cheryl Cofield, director of inclusion and engagement and co-founder of the Inclusive Leaders Academy.

Key learning benefits of the program – and core curriculum topic areas – facilitate self-awareness, social intelligence, and co-active leadership. Fully 100 percent of 2017 participants would recommend the breaking bias content from the curriculum, and this content will continue to be featured in 2018.

In addition to the core curriculum topic areas, an executive and senior leadership coaching component of the Inclusive Leaders Academy will be available on a first-come, first-served basis to the first eight leaders who enroll and are in positions of executive director or associate chair and above. Executive and senior leadership coaching program participants will participate in the Inclusive Leaders Academy online content and three to four individual 60-minute coaching sessions from March 5, 2018 to May 17, 2018.

To learn more about the program and eligibility, and/or to submit a self-nomination or departmental nomination, visit sdie.gatech.edu/InclusiveLeadersAcademy.

Brown, research professor at the University of Houston, founder and CEO of Brave Leaders Inc, and author of four No. 1 New York Times best-sellers, offered these insights to the first class: “Ask yourself, ‘Do I choose comfort or courage?’ Courage is a prerequisite for leadership and culture change, but leadership is hard, uncomfortable, and ultimately to serve others, not ourselves. To be an inclusive leader, you need to be willing to be uncomfortable because you are choosing to enter the ‘arena,’ a place where showing up and being brave requires us to face uncertainty and risk emotional exposure.”

Launched earlier this year as a pilot from Institute Diversity’s Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement unit, the Inclusive Leaders Academy is a professional leadership and legacy development program for managers at Georgia Tech.

“Positive and sustainable culture change begins with leaders modeling our institutional values and valued organizational behaviors,” said Pearl Alexander, executive director of diversity, inclusion, and engagement and co-founder of the Inclusive Leaders Academy. “The program was created to provide managers with an opportunity to engage with other leaders, to learn the science of inclusion, and to practice valued behaviors that increase inclusivity, engagement, and resilience. Ultimately, through the personal transformation and growth of individual leaders, we are transforming our culture by modeling inclusive excellence.”

The curriculum was designed to blend neuroscience and social science in ways that spark insights and in turn guide personal transformation. Key learning benefits of the Inclusive Leaders Academy – and core curriculum topic areas – facilitated self-awareness, social intelligence, and co-active leadership. In addition to the online, self-guided modules from the NeuroLeadership Institute on unconscious bias and from Brave Leaders Inc, which is based on the research of Brown, 60 course sessions were offered through the Inclusive Leaders Academy this year, including 26 wisdom labs, four co-active leader dialogues, 19 individual coaching sessions, and 11 group coaching sessions.

“I was impressed with how well the program was put together,” said Randall Burke, sergeant for the Georgia Tech Police Department. “The Inclusive Leaders Academy encouraged out-of-the-box thinking through the online curriculum, wisdom labs, and coaching. I particularly enjoyed collaborating with other participants during the wisdom labs to learn how they applied the curriculum.”

More than 120 staff leaders representing over 40 campus units joined the first class of the Inclusive Leaders Academy earlier this year and gained exposure to the concepts being put into practice. Based on initial feedback, 100 percent of the participants would recommend the breaking bias content from the curriculum.

Melissa Arceneaux, financial manager II for Procurement and Business Services, stated, “The Inclusive Leaders Academy taught me what it takes to be a brave leader, how to embrace vulnerability, and that we all have unconscious biases. Anyone who supervises others and wants to foster an inclusive environment should participate in this program.”

“The Inclusive Leaders Academy was life-changing for me as it opened my eyes to being more open,” said Tina Clonts, director of administration and finance for Institute Budget Planning and Administration. “From this program, I learned about being engaged, present, and vulnerable. When I open up and show my vulnerability, I am creating inclusiveness.”

The nomination period for the second class of the Inclusive Leaders Academy will open on November 30, 2017. The next program will start in February 2018, feature a few curriculum enhancements, and span four months, wrapping up all coursework in May 2018 based on participant feedback during this year’s pilot.

“I strongly endorse and encourage all current and future managers at Georgia Tech to participate in the Inclusive Leaders Academy,” said Paul Strouts, vice president for Campus Services. “I am proud of the managers and HR leaders from Campus Services who are now ‘Culture Champions’ and actively practicing greater inclusivity and fostering engagement as a result of this year’s program.”

Brené Brown added, “Georgia Tech is blazing a trail that is uncommon and remarkable. We are grateful for leaders like Pearl Alexander and Cheryl Cofield who are courageously leading the efforts at the Institute to make the campus and world braver.”

For more information on the Inclusive Leaders Academy, visit www.sdie.gatech.edu/inclusiveleadersacademy.

The findings from the 2017 Climate Assessment Surveys will provide longitudinal data that will be analyzed and compared to the results from the Institute’s 2013 Climate Assessment Surveys.

“The climate assessment survey comparisons will help us measure progress toward achieving the goals in our strategic plan and inform the Institute’s leadership about our strengths and opportunities to improve efforts with supporting a culture of collegiality, close collaboration, and professional development,” said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity.

Beginning the week of November 13, 2017, faculty and staff will receive an email that includes a link to their respective online survey. The survey should take approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete, and participation is completely voluntary.

Students will receive a climate assessment survey email during spring semester 2018.

“On behalf of Institute Diversity and Academic Effectiveness, thank you for your time to complete this survey, as your feedback is greatly valued,” added Ervin.

Contact Academic Effectiveness at 404.385.1292 or survey@oars.gatech.edu with any questions. To read the 2013 Climate Assessment Survey findings, visit http://b.gatech.edu/17c2DzK.

The magazine’s cover profile of CEO Satya Nadella centers on the culture of empathy and inclusion he has cultivated since taking the reins of Microsoft three years ago. In the old days, the article says, employees were know-it-alls. Nadella is working to make them learn-it-alls, and that requires strengthening interpersonal competencies.

“You have to be able to say, ‘Where is this person coming from?’ Nadella says. ‘What makes them tick? Why are they excited or frustrated by something that’s happening?’”

It’s exactly that kind of thinking that’s at the heart of a remarkable new initiative taking shape within Georgia Tech’s Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory. Partnering with the Vice President for Institute Diversity’s Office at Georgia Tech, the initiative hopes to change the ways student’s think before they go on to their careers.

The department announced this summer it had been awarded a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to do something unheard of in engineering education: prepare students to shape and lead teams of people who have different backgrounds and perspectives.

The logic behind the initiative is simple. The big problems facing the world are so complex, they can only be solved by teams. A number of studies show the highest-performing teams not only have people of varied cultures and influences — these different members are able to connect with each other. Diversity is a start; harnessing diversity is the key.

By infusing such awareness among student teams in classrooms and labs, the thinking goes, the department will produce graduates so well equipped to collaborate, they’ll ultimately transform the engineering workplace.

“I like to think of it as creating situations in teams where people feel both respected and connected,” says Joe LeDoux, the department’s associate chair for undergraduate learning. “We all need to feel like we’re valued as individuals, for who we are. But just as important is feeling like we belong.”

The initiative is part cultural transformation and part scientific research. The grant comes from NSF’s “REvolutionizing engineering and computer science Departments” program, which supports “groundbreaking, scalable and sustainable changes in undergraduate education.”

An obvious question is, why the Coulter Department? The department itself is already a model of fusion: Since its founding 20 years ago, it’s been the nation’s only academic engineering enterprise comprised of both a public and private university (Georgia Tech and Emory). In 2013, the state Board of Regents recognized the department for its teaching innovation. And a “climate study” conducted last year revealed favorable perceptions from students on matters of diversity and acceptance.

“Yet, I hear anecdotally all the time that faculty at Georgia Tech witness interpersonal issues on teams of students,” says Wendy Newstetter, the College of Engineering’s assistant dean for educational innovation. “There are conflicts that go on in undergraduate teams. For example, female members are sometimes given writing tasks, rather than technical work. I don’t think it always means that boys on teams consciously say, ‘We’re going to give these jobs to the girls.’ But it happens.”

Julie Ancis, associate vice president for Institute Diversity, who has studied such attitudes and behaviors over a 30-year career, agrees. “Some biases affect our judgments, actions and decisions unconsciously,” says Ancis, Tech’s associate vice president for diversity. “These implicit biases differ from the more conscious biases that people may choose to conceal. They’re automatic reactions to people and events.

Ancis – who, along with Paul Benkeser, senior associate chair of the Coulter Department, holds faculty workshops on the issue – points to a number of examples in academe. Letters of recommendation written for female students and faculty tend to hedge on achievements, compared to the descriptors in letters written for men. Students of color often report feeling marginalized in classroom and lab work. “They may be perceived as less capable by others, which impacts how they are treated, or they may be picked last,” Ancis says. “Their input is not sought out, or they say they don’t feel included in a group or team.”

How the new Coulter Department and Institute Diversity initiative will peel back bias, interpersonal conflicts and other issues affecting team performance stems from a well-considered plan. The 15-page grant application to NSF presents organizational change theories and frameworks – the kind of social science exploration not typically seen around engineering departments.

The thrust of the approach is independence and collaboration. Faculty, staff and industry representatives, guided by learning specialists, will work in “incubator” teams to engineer strategies and tactics for student groups in classrooms and labs. Their approach is not prescriptive – each team develops its own interventions, which are tried, then refined. Outside of this effort are a host of other activities, such as the creation of a “Faculty Learning Community,” in which faculty collectively explore approaches that work.

By addressing student pairings, or dyads, as well as larger groups, the plan creates an architecture that ultimately will influence the culture of the department. Five years of this kind of activity is expected to produce knowledge that will then be shared across Georgia Tech and exported to other universities around the country.

“It’s essential that we create engineers in the workforce who understand what inclusion is and can help promote it,” Newstetter says. “We need to be graduating those people.”

“There is such a thing as an ‘inclusion dividend,’ and that’s really at the heart of what we’re doing,” says Le Doux. “The inclusion dividend is the positive impact that high-functioning teams make, not just because they’re diverse, but because they’re inclusive.”

To appreciate the distinction, he points to a 2015 talk from consultant Verna Myers. “She said, it’s the difference between being invited to a dance — and being asked to dance,” Le Doux says. “Who among us doesn’t want to be asked to dance?”

AT-A-GLANCE

The Wallace H. Coulter Department ’s RED Grant

$2 million from the National Science Foundation

Five-year program to prepare students to shape and lead teams of people who have different backgrounds and perspectives

Three-part effort:

1. Create “incubator” squads of faculty, students, industry reps and learning specialists to invent classroom and lab practices that equip students to shape and optimize diverse teams
2. Hold ongoing dialogues to exchange ideas and share experiences on strengthening interpersonal competencies
3. Take actions to apply what’s learned to transform department culture

For More Information:

Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory

www.bme.gatech.edu

Office of Institute Diversity

diversity.gatech.edu

Implicit Bias Workshops

advance.gatech.edu/implicit-bias-workshops

With support from Institute Diversity, this program brings together campus community members who individually and collectively advance their action, research, or teaching objectives while improving inclusivity on campus. The Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program is a bottom-up initiative tapping into the creativity and diversity of thought among our campus community to crowdsource ideas that create long-term culture change.

“The goals of the program are to cultivate a network of ambassadors who will advance a culture of inclusive excellence and to create an environment where people feel safe, comfortable, and empowered to discuss diversity and inclusion at Georgia Tech,” said Beril Toktay, ADVANCE Professor in the Ernest Scheller Jr. College of Business, Brady Family Chair and faculty director of the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business, and co-director of the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program.

Each applicant should submit an issue area or project idea to focus on as a potential Diversity and Inclusion Fellow. The program is seeking fellows who have been immersed in the topics of diversity and inclusion as well as those who are interested in connecting these topics to different fields and perspectives.

All Georgia Tech faculty, post-doctoral fellows, staff, and graduate and undergraduate students are welcome to apply. The Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program will run from January 15 to December 1, 2018, and during this time, fellows are expected to:

• Complete an individual or group action, teaching, or research objective and share with the campus community; and
• Attend the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program meetings.

“The bottom-up nature of this program recognizes the importance of ensuring that the Institute leverages the thoughts and actions of each individual in promoting diversity and inclusion,” remarked Magnus Egerstedt, professor and Julian T. Hightower Chair in Systems and Controls in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, executive director of the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines, and co-director of the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program.

The application deadline is October 20, 2017 at 5 p.m. To read the application instructions, click here, and to apply, visit https://goo.gl/forms/NSsxCjy8FSwB0Yyd2.

To learn more about the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/DIFellowsProgram. The program is one of three diversity and inclusion initiatives funded through a SPAG proposal; the other two are the Diversity and Inclusion Councils and Transformative Narratives. 

In light of this year’s theme, “Building Inclusive Communities,” the Diversity Symposium featured a variety of lectures, panels, and performances that explored the impact and implications of race and class on individual success and community engagement in higher education institutions.

The morning sessions featured an opening keynote from John Quiñones, author, broadcast journalist, and host and creator of What Would You Do?, and panel discussions on race, class, and bias.

Quiñones shared his inspiring journey from migrant farm work and poverty to more than 30 years at ABC News and the anchor desk at 20/20 and Primetime. “When journalism is done right, stories can shed light on injustice,” he said. “Peter Jennings once told me to talk to the moved and the shaken – not the movers and the shakers.”

After the morning sessions, the Diversity Symposium awards luncheon included Diversity Champion Awards and Faces of Inclusive Excellence presentations and an artistic performance that addressed issues of race in contemporary society.

Four Diversity Champion Award winners were honored for advancing equity at the Institute, particularly at the intersections of race and class. This year’s winners are Anne Pollock (faculty), Jocelyn Thomas (staff), Jennifer Salcedo (student), and the Center for Engineering Education and Diversity (CEED) (unit). To view the 2017 Diversity Champion Awards video, visit https://youtu.be/NrK61wCwIzY.

“The Diversity Champion Award means so much to me, everyone within our office, and the students we serve. The recognition shows that not only do you see us, but you accept us, and value what we do,” remarked Felicia Benton-Johnson, assistant dean and director for CEED.

Sixty-five honorees were featured in this year’s Faces of Inclusive Excellence publication, which was distributed at the Diversity Symposium. The publication recognized a diverse group of faculty, staff, and students who are committed to advancing a culture of inclusive excellence at Georgia Tech and who have distinguished themselves in their research, teaching, and/or service. To view the 2017 Faces of Inclusive Excellence video, visit https://youtu.be/8L9OLnHIMwY.

Following the awards and recognition presentations, Dahlak Brathwaite, writer and performer of Spiritrials, delivered a powerful performance on race and the criminal justice system. To view his performance, visit www.bit.ly/2xiQQr4.

“The last five years have been particularly challenging on college campuses as we have grappled with issues of free speech, political ideologies, race, gender identities, access, and disability,” said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity. “I want to thank the faculty, staff, and students who attended and contributed to the discussions during this year’s Diversity Symposium. These conversations are important to our journey toward becoming the kind of community that we want to be.”

To learn more about the Diversity Symposium, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/diversitysymposium.

“The HEED Award, open to all colleges and universities across the country, measures an institution’s level of achievement and intensity of commitment in regard to broadening diversity and inclusion on campus through initiatives, programs, and outreach; student recruitment, retention, and completion; and hiring practices for faculty and staff,” said Holly Mendelson, co-publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.

Eighty higher education institutions, including Georgia Tech, received the HEED Award this year, and these institutions will be featured in the November 2017 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.

“We are honored to receive the HEED Award for four consecutive years,” said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity and president of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education. “Following a landmark year for the Institute, Georgia Tech’s HEED Award application received our highest score to date from INSIGHT Into Diversity. We remain steadfast in our commitment to fostering a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment, particularly in this time of uncertainty in the U.S.”

To learn more about the HEED Award, visit www.insightintodiversity.com/about-the-heed-award/.

For this reason, Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement launched the Inclusive Leaders Academy, a professional leadership and legacy development program for managers at Georgia Tech. The goal of the program is two-fold: to support managers’ career development by creating opportunities to learn and grow, and to build a leadership community that will transform Institute culture through modeling inclusive excellence.

“More self-aware managers collaborate better with others, are more effective in leading change, can be more inclusive and engaging, and proactively seek to develop others,” said Pearl Alexander, executive director of Institute Diversity’s Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement unit and co-founder of the Inclusive Leaders Academy.

The key learning benefits of the Inclusive Leaders Academy – and core curriculum topic areas – facilitate self-awareness, social intelligence, and co-active leadership. Curriculum content has been curated from the NeuroLeadership Institute on unconscious bias and from Brave Leaders Inc on Daring Leadership: The Four Pillars of Courage based on the research of Brené Brown. This combination of self-paced online learning is supplemented with interactive group activities through wisdom labs and coaching sessions to reinforce skill building in each of the core curriculum areas.

As Alexander added, “The program engages leaders in reflective practices, such as journaling, intergroup dialogue, storytelling, and coaching, to evoke personal insights and promote self-discovery and transformation.”

More than 120 staff leaders representing over 40 campus units joined the first class of the Inclusive Leaders Academy during spring semester 2017.

“The interactive wisdom labs with the highest participation include ‘Identity Cores, Self-Acceptance and Power of Authenticity,’ ‘Mitigating Unconscious Bias,’ ‘Emotional Intelligence – Triggers and Saboteurs,’ and ‘Resilience.’ These wisdom labs affirm leaders in the practices of making good business decisions, showing up authentically with their teams, discovering behaviors that inhibit authenticity, improving self-care, and growing their emotional fluency to navigate difficult circumstances,” remarked Cheryl Cofield, director of inclusion and engagement and co-founder of the Inclusive Leaders Academy. “We’re very grateful for our collaborators across campus, and brilliant teammates, Faith Sumpter and Alden Eavenson, who have been critical to the program’s success. With their support, a total of 41 interactive, facilitated sessions will be delivered by August 7.”

“One of the greatest insights from this program is how to be present in the moment and listen,” said Peter Severa, director of MBA student engagement in the Ernest Scheller Jr. College of Business and one of the participants. “The Inclusive Leaders Academy teaches you about yourself and your presence with others. You also learn about the soft skills needed to be more vulnerable and to establish better connections with your team.”

On October 24, the program’s closing ceremony will feature keynote speaker Brené Brown, research professor at the University of Houston, founder and CEO of Brave Leaders Inc, and author of three New York Times best sellers. In addition to recognizing the qualifying program participants, campus community members are welcome to attend the closing ceremony to engage in a dialogue on “Transforming Our Culture through Daring Leadership.” Invitations to register will be sent next month, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

“The Inclusive Leaders Academy is intended to cultivate valued leadership behaviors that, if practiced, will positively influence the lived experiences of staff, faculty, and students,” remarked Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity.

For more information on the Inclusive Leaders Academy, visit www.sdie.gatech.edu/inclusiveleadersacademy.

Each year, the Faces of Inclusive Excellence publication and video are featured at the Diversity Symposium Awards Luncheon. In addition to the Diversity Champion Awards, this year’s Faces of Inclusive Excellence publication and video will recognize deserving faculty, staff, and students at the Diversity Symposium Awards Luncheon on September 6, 2017.

Faces of Inclusive Excellence recognizes campus community members who have distinguished themselves in their research, teaching, and/or service by receiving special awards or recognitions during the past academic year.

“We encourage you to nominate faculty, staff, and students for the Faces of Inclusive Excellence to honor our diverse community of students, faculty, and staff whose accomplishments consistently exemplify inclusive excellence,” said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity.

Nominations, including self-nominations, may be made by all Georgia Tech faculty, staff, or students. Nominations will be accepted until June 30, 2017.

For more information and the nomination form, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/facesofinclusiveexcellence.

“Lavender Graduation rewards graduates for their accomplishments at Tech and serves as a formal farewell to the community,” said Aby Parsons, director of the Center. “The celebration also gives students the opportunity to connect with our alumni and learn how they can stay involved with LGBTQIA life at Tech after graduation.” 

During the celebration, Student Life Vice President and Dean of Students John Stein welcomed attendees, and Institute Diversity Vice President Archie Ervin invited each graduate to the stage to receive a lavender diploma from the LGBTQIA Resource Center and a letter from Stein.

“Lavender Graduation means to me that there is progress at Georgia Tech,” said Jefferson Dixon, a mechanical engineering student and Greek Allies facilitator with the Center. “In the last few years, Tech has made astounding progress in creating an inclusive, welcoming community.”

Following the event, the Center presented the Third Annual Lavender Awards to recognize individuals who have made the Institute a safer and more inclusive environment for LGBTQIA students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Award recipients included:

• LGBTQIA Alum of the Year Award – Katie Olliff, grant consultant, Palmetto Grant Consulting
• Award for LGBTQIA Employee Leadership – Jennifer Hasler, professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Award for LGBTQIA Student Leadership – Andrea Welsh, doctoral student, School of Physics
• The Billiee Pendleton-Parker Award for Outstanding Allyship – Rev. Steve Fazenbaker, director, Wesley Foundation at Georgia Tech

“It is such an honor to receive this award, as I know Billiee personally,” remarked Fazenbaker. “We strive to be a good partner to the LGBTQIA community. It is our belief that you can explore your sexuality in light of your spirituality, and explore your spirituality in light of your sexuality.”

The Fifth Annual Lavender Graduation and Third Annual Lavender Awards were supported by Institute Diversity, Parent and Family Programs, Georgia Tech Alumni Association, ADVANCE Program, and the Campus Recreation Center.

To learn more about Lavender Graduation and Lavender Awards, visit www.lgbtqia.gatech.edu.

“Receiving the nomination to participate in the Leading Women@Tech program was one of the most validating experiences I have had at Georgia Tech,” said Tiffiny Hughes-Troutman, director of health behavior for Health and Well-Being and one of the invited participants. “This program provides me with critical leadership skills and coaching to help advance my career and a strong network of support from other women leaders on campus and in the broader community.”

The goal of the Leading Women@Tech program is to facilitate women’s professional development and academic and administrative leadership, and to build a community across the Institute that will advance a culture of inclusive excellence.

Co-led by Julie Ancis, associate vice president for Institute Diversity, and Pearl Alexander, executive director for Institute Diversity’s Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement unit, the program is designed to strengthen participants’ leadership abilities, enhance personal and professional growth, and support their overall career development, in addition to facilitating connections across the Institiute.

During the opening ceremony on March 23, Ancis stated, “Leading Women@Tech was a program that was years in the making. From the Climate Assessment Survey in 2013 to President Peterson’s listening sessions on gender equity in 2015, your expressed interest in more mentoring, networking, and collaboration experiences was taken seriously.”

This year’s expanded curriculum and activities will focus on the topics of efficacy, emotional intelligence, mindful leadership, strength building, intercultural dynamics, multiple role management, and networking. According to survey responses, 100 percent of the first cohort thought that Leading Women@Tech was relevant, informative, and engaging.

“We are thrilled to continue offering this program as an opportunity for participants to cultivate their leadership competencies individually and for the cohort to grow collectively through workshops, dialogues, and executive coaching,” reflected Alexander. “The second cohort has exceptional talent. Our vision is that this program will create the next generation of leaders at Georgia Tech who will realize their full potential.”

For more information on Leading Women@Tech, including this year’s participant biographies and program topics, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/leadingwomenattech.

The Diversity Champion Awards recognize faculty, staff, students, and units who significantly demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Georgia Tech community. They will be selected and recognized at the Ninth Annual Diversity Symposium Awards Luncheon on September 6, 2017.

“This year’s Diversity Symposium theme is ‘Building Inclusive Campus Communities,’ and the Diversity Champion Awards will be given to campus community members who are advancing equity at the Institute, particularly at the intersections of race and class,” said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity.

Award recipients will have demonstrated one or more of the following within the last three years:

• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, particularly at the intersections of race and class.
• Leadership in building an inclusive campus community.
• Behavior that illustrates commitment to the inclusion of persons within the Institute who represent the diversity of the Georgia Tech community.
• Organized, conducted, and/or supported events and activities that promote cross-cultural understanding, respect, and inclusion of diverse individuals and groups.

Nominations will be accepted until May 26, 2017. For more information and the online nomination form, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/diversitychampionawards.

With support from Institute Diversity, the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program brings together faculty, staff, and students who individually and collectively advance their action, research, or teaching objectives while improving inclusivity on campus.

“This program is a bottom-up initiative, tapping into the creativity and diversity of thought among our campus community to crowdsource ideas that create long-term culture change,” said Beril Toktay, ADVANCE Professor in the Scheller College of Business, Brady Family Chair and faculty director of the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business, and co-director of the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program.

The goals of the program are to cultivate a network of ambassadors who will advance a culture of inclusive excellence and to create an environment where people feel safe, comfortable, and empowered to discuss diversity and inclusion at Georgia Tech.

Following an application period last fall, 21 faculty, staff, and students were selected as fellows based on their submitted proposals, which were scored on their inventiveness and likelihood to change the campus culture. The fellows were then grouped into three teams. Each team has a leader or co-leaders, and teams are expected to meet at least six times per year.

“Diverse collaboration often sparks great innovation,” remarked Magnus Egerstedt, professor and Julian T. Hightower Chair in Systems and Controls in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, executive director of the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines, and co-director of the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program. “Some of the teams’ ideas may be institutionalized and scaled to the broader campus community over time.”

Initial ideas from the fellows include symposia, workshops, improv performances, surveys, mentorship programs, and journaling exercises focusing on the dimensions and intersectionalities of diversity, including race, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, and disability.

On March 7, some of the fellows hosted the Talking Race@Tech: Student Voices panel discussion with student leaders, which was sponsored by the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts; School of Literature, Media, and Communication; Writing and Communication Program; and Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program.

“Through the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program, I was able to draw broader support and diverse audiences to this panel discussion,” said Lauren Neefe, Marion L. Brittain Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, and Diversity and Inclusion Fellow. “The more we make spaces for these conversations, the more likely they are to occur again.”

SPAG solicits new ideas from the campus community each year that will continue the implementation of the strategic plan and address gaps in advancing the goals of the Institute. The three-year Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program is one of three diversity and inclusion initiatives funded through a SPAG proposal; the other two are the Diversity and Inclusion Councils and the Transformative Narratives project.

“This program is one example of Georgia Tech being steered in the right direction,” commented Brienné Coates, alumna of the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering, and Diversity and Inclusion Fellow. “We are helping to create ideal outcomes instead of waiting for these outcomes.”

For more information on the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/DIFellowsProgram.

Janet Mock, an activist, author, and media personality, discussed the rewards, challenges, and implications of being black and trans as the featured speaker for Georgia Tech’s Fourth Annual Black History Month Lecture. The visit was co-sponsored by Institute Diversity, African American Student Union (AASU), and the LGBTQIA Resource Center.

“By bringing the achievements of queer black people to the forefront, we hope to honor these exceptional individuals and uncover histories that educate, inspire, and uplift,” said Adreanna Nattiel, graduate assistant in the LGBTQIA Resource Center.

Throughout her speech, Mock emphasized the importance of storytelling. “It gave me visibility and voice and allowed me to shift conversations such as living at the intersections of gender, race, and class, how restrictive gender expectations oppress us all, and the significance of media representation.”

She began with her own story of living in conflict as a young person to “express femininity in a culture that often demeans and devalues feminine people, is binary-prone, and mandates that if you are born with certain body parts, you are not allowed to express who you truly are.”

Mock said many black transgender women are struggling with interconnected issues of homelessness, joblessness, and lack of access to health care and education. “Our history as trans and queer people of color fighting against poverty, policing, brutality, hunger, racism, misogyny, and HIV/AIDS is deep,” she said. “Yet despite the tragedies, there is great resilience in our communities.”

“We must remember that telling our stories can be met with love, understanding, transcendence, and community, which has brought all of us here.”

Mock charged the audience to use its voice, story, privilege, and access to ignite change, and offered guidance “toward becoming more conscious partners in the struggle:”

• Realize allyship is not a label or identity but an action that requires self-education.
• Don’t be basic: Keep it intersectional.
• Remember when you donate your skills, time, and/or money, you are working with a group of people who are already working toward their own liberation.
• Recognize your privilege and use the access that it has given you to uplift marginalized voices.

As AASU Black History Chair Raianna Brown reflected, “I was moved by the vulnerability and realness of Janet Mock. At the end of the lecture, she opened up about the difficulties in being strong for your community and how becoming a symbol can sometimes be alienating. However, you can draw strength to keep going from those who came before us.”

“This lecture was one of the most inspirational events that I have seen at Georgia Tech,” said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity. “It takes tremendous courage to share your own journey publicly, and the Georgia Tech community immediately embraced her story — rewards and challenges alike.”

To learn more about the Black History Month Lecture, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu. Members of the Georgia Tech community who are interested in learning more about transgender issues can register for Trans 101 trainings at www.lgbtqia.gatech.edu/trans-101.

Students, faculty, and staff departed in charter buses on the night of January 12 to visit museums and memorials over the next two days, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the King Memorial, National Mall, National Museum of the American Indian, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 

Associate Dean of Students and Director of Student Diversity Programs Stephanie Ray reflected on why Georgia Tech’s MLK Student Board organized the civil rights tour in D.C.: “We followed the life of Dr. King. After leading civil rights trips in Montgomery, Ala. in 2012 and Birmingham, Ala. in 2013, the next goal was to end our tour by visiting the King Memorial and National Museum of African American History and Culture in our nation’s capital.”

Here is what student participants said about their experiences during the civil rights tour:

Why did you want to go on this trip?

“I wanted to experience the history and culture of Africans before being brought to America. I also wanted to learn more about the Native American culture beyond what is presented in history books.”

– Alexander Pegues, undergraduate student in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

What was your favorite part of this trip?

“The National Museum of African American History and Culture, hands down. From the photos to the interactive learning, it was beautifully designed and presented. The experience was more than you could imagine.”

– Khadijah Boles, undergraduate student in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering

What have you learned from this experience that you could apply in your daily life?

“For us, as a people, to progress, we need to come together as one. We also need to make education available to everyone, especially our youth. I plan to start programs for youth that I didn’t have in school but was blessed to have family who taught me.”

– Khadijah Boles, undergraduate student in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering

“I saw the triumph of the human spirit over oppression. I apply that triumph to my own daily small victories.”

– TJ Funso, undergraduate student in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering

School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Assistant Professor Jennifer Glass also shared her experiences on the civil rights tour at www.storify.com/jenniglass/gt-civil-rights-tour-of-dc.

This year’s tour was sponsored by the College of Engineering, College of Sciences, Department of Housing, Division of Student Life, Institute Diversity, LGBTQIA Resource Center, Office of Student Diversity Programs, and Parent’s Fund for Student Life and Leadership. To learn more about the civil rights tour and Georgia Tech’s MLK Celebration, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/mlk-celebration.

“It has been nearly 50 years since the assassination of Dr. King, yet many of the same issues he worked to address, including racial discrimination, poverty, and social justice, continue to be important to many in our nation today,” said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity. “That is why the theme of this year’s MLK Celebration at Georgia Tech is ‘Setting the Agenda for the Next Civil Rights Movement.’”

During Georgia Tech’s MLK Lecture on January 11, Bakari Sellers, CNN political analyst, lawyer, and activist, honored Dr. King’s legacy while setting the agenda for the next civil rights movement with students, faculty, staff, and community members. During his remarks, Sellers asked the audience: “How far have we come, and where do we go from here?”

“When you think about the sacrifice of the civil rights leaders like Marion Barry and Julian Bond, and you ask yourself, ‘Where do we go from here?’ there are two choices — chaos or community — as Dr. King once outlined,” said Sellers. “The answer between these choices lies fundamentally in our ability to dream with our eyes open.”

According to Sellers, “When you dream with your eyes open, you seek nothing less than excellence.” He gave an example from his own life, when he made history in 2006 as the youngest member of the South Carolina state legislature and the youngest African-American elected official in the nation.

“We have to remember the names that are not taught. For example, Shirley Chisholm helped paved the way for Hillary Clinton,” remarked Sellers. “We stand on the shoulders of countless heroes who deserve from us to continue this journey on the race to excellence.”

To view the MLK Lecture in its entirety, visit https://youtu.be/I1QildvSWeA.

Georgia Tech’s MLK Celebration is sponsored by Institute Diversity, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, Office of Government and Community Relations, Office of Student Diversity Programs, and Student Government Association. To learn more about the MLK Celebration, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/mlk-celebration.

Sixteen women leaders were honored at the event for completing the inaugural, 10-month Leading Women@Tech program. Honorees included Lindsay Bryant, Birgit Burton, Sherry Davidson, Brandi Foley-Rodgers, Marta Garcia, Carol Gibson, Amy Henry, Mary Hallisey Hunt, Farah Kashlan, Liz Maryanski, Julie McCoy, Kimberly Mull, Aisha Oliver-Staley, Vanessa Payne, Charvette Webb, and Nazia Zakir.

Leading Women@Tech was designed to strengthen participants’ leadership abilities, enhance personal and professional growth, and support their overall career development, in addition to facilitating connections across the Institiute.

“This program was launched to respond to a call from women for more career advancement opportunities and for greater community with women leaders across the Institute,” said Julie Ancis, associate vice president for Institute Diversity and co-director of Leading Women@Tech. “We arranged for experienced thought leaders, both external and internal to Georgia Tech, to facilitate targeted sessions on efficacy, emotional intelligence, mindful leadership, multiple role management, negotiation, and networking.”

The persistent problem of low participation of women in senior management ranks requires innovative efforts, as highlighted by many recent studies. According to the Harvard Business Review¹, “The obstacles women face in today’s workplaces tend to be a lot subtler. If we want to finally make real progress on promoting more women, after decades of talking about it, men, women, and organizations all need to step up and take decisive action to make it happen.”

Currently, only 28 percent of Georgia Tech staff positions above the director level are held by women. Leading Women@Tech supports and strengthens women in values-based leadership practices and navigating adaptively to change. The program increases the visibility of their current talent and skills sets, invites them to imagine advancement into the highest levels of leadership, and designs specific plans to do so.

“I’ve been in many meetings where I was the only woman. We’ve come a long way, but Georgia Tech still has a way to go,” said Nazia Zakir, assistant vice president for Environmental Health and Safety. “It would be very advantageous for other women, especially if recently promoted, to also participate in this program to become a more effective leader at Tech.”

As Farah Kashlan, director of development for the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, reflected, “This program opened me up personally and spiritually in ways that I never imagined. There was an unbelievable amount of support that came from this group of like-minded individuals.”

Following the closing ceremony, a new cohort of women leaders is actively being accepted into the Leading Women@Tech program, which will start in March 2017.

“We are creating the next generation of leaders at Georgia Tech – leaders who are introspective, listen reflexively, and understand how to master themselves, so they can honestly lead others in connected and transformational ways. We look forward to involving more of our executive and senior ranking men leaders in being brave allies by creating mentoring and sponsoring opportunities for our leading women,” said Pearl Alexander, executive director for Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement and co-director of Leading Women@Tech.

For more information on Leading Women@Tech and to read the program participants’ success stories, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/leadingwomenattech.

Members of the Georgia Tech community are sharing their personal stories through Transformative Narratives, a traveling exhibit that was first debuted at the Eighth Annual Diversity Symposium in September. 

This exhibit features 24 members of the campus community and showcases the rich tapestry of diversity at Tech through personal stories. 

“There is power in visual narratives, and I am pleased we’ve come together in this way to offer the gift of our stories to one another,” said Pearl Alexander, executive director of Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement in Institute Diversity and co-organizer of the exhibit. “The steering committee did an amazing job of shepherding this collection into being.”

Office of the Arts Director Madison Cario remarked, “To date, more than 5,000 visitors have experienced the power of the Transformative Narratives exhibit in the Ferst Center for the Arts, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. The exhibit displays courageous messages of self-expression that we hope will inspire others to celebrate their own wonderful diversities.”

The steering committee worked with artist Adam Mastoon to capture images of the subjects, and local contributing artists helped individuals express their stories with words, images, and artistry that complemented their narratives. 

Together, the portraits highlight the array of unique identities and life experiences held by members of the Tech community, many of which fall outside traditional notions of diversity. 

Participants range from second-year students to seasoned staff and faculty members. Their stories capture varied aspects of their personal journeys but share a common thread of introspection and self-expression.   

Ultimately, the exhibit is designed to enhance and deepen personal awareness, and engender connection, empathy, and compassion for all who experience it. 

The collection of museum quality portraits is also scheduled to be on display at the Bill Moore Student Success Center, Scheller College of Business, Smithgall Student Services (Flag) Building, and other campus locations in the year ahead. 

“We encourage campus partners who host the physical exhibit to create space for viewers’ self-reflection and dialogue about aspects of their own unique identities,” said Cheryl Cofield, director of inclusion and engagement for Institute Diversity and curator of the exhibit. “As a starting place, the campus community can view the digital exhibit online. Additionally, we hope to feature more community members through future iterations of Transformative Narratives as well as other creative storytelling mediums.” 

Transformative Narratives is one of three initiatives from this year’s Diversity and Inclusion proposal to the Strategic Plan Advisory Group. Other initiatives underway include the creation of Diversity and Inclusion Councils and the emerging Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program.

To request hosting the collection, contact transformativenarratives@gatech.edu. To view the digital exhibit, visit sdie.gatech.edu/transformative-narratives. 

The Gender Equity Champion Award winners were honored at the Eighth Annual Diversity Symposium on Friday, September 16.

“I am excited to be part of an effort that celebrates and recognizes the remarkable contributions of campus community members who are advancing gender equity at Georgia Tech,” said Julie Ancis, associate vice president of Institute Diversity and chair of the Gender Equity Champion Awards Committee.

Gender Equity Champion Award recipients have demonstrated one or more of the following in the last three years:

• Commitment to gender diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Leadership in building a culture of gender inclusion and equity.
• Behavior that illustrates commitment to the inclusion of persons within the Institute who represent the gender diversity of the Georgia Tech community.
• Organized, conducted, and/or supported events and activities that promote respect and inclusion related to gender and gender expression.

Award recipients included:

• Faculty Award – Mary Frank Fox, ADVANCE Professor, School of Public Policy, and co-director, Center for the Study of Women, Science, and Technology
• Staff Award – Shannon Sullivan, graduate program manager, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering
• Student Award – Kendall Rankin, undergraduate student, H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering
• Unit Award – School of Physics

Mary Frank Fox’s research focuses on gender, science, and academia — the study of women and men in academic and scientific organizations and occupations — with significant implications for science and technology policy. “The Gender Equity Champion Award embodies values that are close to my heart — equitable conditions that benefit all,” said Fox.

Shannon Sullivan is a licensed professional counselor whose passion is empowering young people to develop themselves personally and professionally. “My work is about daily conversations with people. For someone to recognize that our individual conversations make a difference in students’ lives, I am deeply touched by this honor,” remarked Sullivan.

Kendall Rankin is the founder and executive director of The Diamond Campaign, a nonprofit she started during her sophomore year to empower women through service and education. As Rankin stated, “I believe that Georgia Tech is committed to gender equity as we have made huge strides in recent years, but I encourage each of you to find a way to support women on campus and to ensure we have an inclusive community.”

Diversity is a top priority to the School of Physics, and the school is committed to recruiting and retaining women faculty and students. “For the past two years, the incoming class of graduate students is 30 percent female in the School of Physics, which is currently above the national average,” explained Pablo Laguna, school chair and professor.

These awards at the Eighth Annual Diversity Symposium come on the heels of Georgia Tech’s Gender Equity Initiatives announcement at the Institute Address in fall 2016 and the Office of the President’s listening sessions on gender equity in fall 2015.

“One of the impact areas of the Gender Equity Initiatives is to create recognition opportunities and increase the visibility of the Institute’s commitment to gender equity,” said Archie Ervin, vice president of Institute Diversity. “The annual Diversity Symposium is one of the best opportunities to come together as a campus community, honor campus leaders who are committed to diversity, and have robust, informed discussions on important issues like gender equity.”

To learn more about the Gender Equity Champion Awards and the Diversity Symposium, visit diversity.gatech.edu.

Five Leadership Excellence Award winners were recognized at the Diversity Symposium Reception on Thursday, September 15, hosted by Institute Diversity, the Center for the Study of Women, Science, and Technology, Women in Engineering, and the Women’s Resource Center.

“This year, the Leadership Excellence Awards were established to celebrate and recognize the outstanding contributions of women in the Georgia Tech community. Recognition opportunities are one of the impact areas of the recently announced Gender Equity Initiatives,” said Archie Ervin, vice president of Institute Diversity.

Through their work, award recipients are women leaders who have accomplished one or more of the following:

• Built communities and raised the capacity of others to collectively advance the Institute’s potential.
• Either had national or international impact, or if at the regional level, attracted wider recognition.
• Created needed institutions, initiatives, and/or programs.
• Transformed their chosen field and presented fundamental and influential research contributions.

Award recipients included:

• Meltem Alemdar, assistant director and senior research scientist, Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC)
• Sherry Farrugia, chief operations and strategy officer, Pediatric Technology Center
• Elizabeth Mynatt, executive director, Institute for People and Technology
• Sungmee Park, co-founder and CTO, Sarvint Technologies Inc.
• Jacqueline J. Royster, dean and Ivan Allen Jr. Chair, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts

Meltem Alemdar’s research focuses on improving K-12 STEM education and evaluating K-12 STEM initiatives that target low-income and minority students. In 2009, she established CEISMC’s Evaluation Group to provide research and evaluation support for projects across Georgia Tech, the Georgia Department of Education, other higher education institutions, and the greater Atlanta community.

In her role at the Pediatric Technology Center, Sherry Farrugia works to build and sustain public-private partnerships and manage Georgia Tech and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s $20 million research portfolio. She also serves on multiple boards and was appointed to the Governor’s Council for Child Welfare. Farrugia has 25 years’ experience in the health information field, working in data analytics, data visualization, and clinical and financial outcomes.

In addition to her role at the Institute for People and Technology, Elizabeth Mynatt serves as a distinguished professor in the College of Computing and director of the Everyday Computing Lab. She is the chair of the Computing Community Consortium and a member of the National Academies Computer Science and Telecommunications Board. Mynatt has been recognized as an Association for Computing Machinery Fellow and a member of the Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction Academy.  

While at Georgia Tech, Sungmee Park co-invented the world’s first Wearable Motherboard™, or “Smart Shirt.” She received the Jang Yeong-Sil Award from the Korean Ministry of Science and Technology for the development of HeaTex in 2008 and the Korean Prime Minister’s New Growth Business Award in 2010. In 2011, Park was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni at Georgia Tech.

Jacqueline J. Royster’s research explores the intersections of the history of rhetoric, feminist studies, and cultural studies with a primary interest in the connections between human and civil rights. She has received several awards, including The Winifred Bryan Horner Award from the Coalition of Women Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition and being named a Fellow of the Rhetoric Society of America.

To learn more about the Leadership Excellence Awards, visit diversity.gatech.edu.

“Lavender Graduation rewards graduates for their accomplishments while at Tech and serves as a formal farewell to the community,” explained Aby Parsons, director of the LGBTQIA Resource Center. “This ceremony also gives students the opportunity to connect with our LGBTQIA alumni and learn how they can stay involved with LGBTQIA life at Tech after graduation.”

During the ceremony, Student Life Vice President and Dean of Students John Stein welcomed attendees, and Institute Diversity Vice President Archie Ervin invited each graduate on stage to receive a lavender diploma from the LGBTQIA Resource Center, a gift from the Georgia Tech Pride Alumni, and a letter from Stein.

“It is nice to be honored at Lavender Graduation before Commencement,” said R. Chase Adams, a computer engineering and Applied Languages and Intercultural Studies (ALIS) in Japanese student and Greek Allies facilitator with the LGBTQIA Resource Center. “Graduation is a bittersweet time for me as I have enjoyed my five years at Tech, but I am excited to start working at Intel in Oregon this summer.”

Following Lavender Graduation, the LGBTQIA Resource Center presented the Second Annual Lavender Awards to recognize individuals who have made the Institute a safer and more inclusive environment for LGBTQIA students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Award recipients included:

• LGBTQIA Alum of the Year Award – Bradley Wilkinson, founding member, Georgia Tech Pride Alliance and Class of 1983
• Award for LGBTQIA Faculty/Staff Leadership – Melanie DeMaeyer, assistant director, Women’s Resource Center
• Award for LGBTQIA Student Leadership – Neha Singh, student, School of Computer Science
• The Billiee Pendleton-Parker Award for Outstanding Allyship – Emily Li, student, The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

The Lavender Lifetime Achievement Award was also introduced at this year’s Lavender Awards. Stephanie Ray, associate dean of students and director of Student Diversity Programs, received this special recognition for her support of and commitment to LGBTQIA inclusion at Tech for nearly 20 years.

“From launching the Safe Space program to helping create the LGBTQIA Resource Center, Dean Ray has been vocal and visible in innumerable courageous ways,” remarked Parsons. “It takes bravery, tenacity, and determination to keep going in the face of many obstacles, but she has never wavered in her commitment to overcoming these obstacles in support of the LGBTQIA community.”

“I am deeply humbled and touched to receive this high honor,” said Ray. “A few years ago, we didn't have a dedicated office to provide services for LGBTQIA communities; there were several committed individuals like Billiee Pendleton-Parker and myself who reached out to students. Our goal was to always make Georgia Tech a warm and inviting community for all.”

The Fourth Annual Lavender Graduation and Second Annual Lavender Awards were supported by Institute Diversity, Parent and Family Programs, Georgia Tech Pride Alumni, Georgia Tech Athletic Association, and Grace House.

To learn more about Lavender Graduation and Lavender Awards, visit www.lgbtqia.gatech.edu.

The Office of the President conducted a number of listening sessions last fall with female students, faculty, and staff to gather feedback about gender-related campus issues. That feedback was collected, categorized, and synthesized into a set of recommendations that will be pursued by departments across campus.

President G.P. “Bud” Peterson met with other Institute leaders earlier this semester to begin disseminating recommendations to relevant areas. Going forward, the implementation will be led by Institute Diversity, in close partnership with Human Resources and Faculty Affairs. These offices will call upon others for input and to hand off recommendations when needed or appropriate.

In a memo last week, Peterson endorsed the work of this task force and notified campus leaders that they may have a role. 

“We are all called upon to create a campus culture of dignity, respect, and inclusion,” Peterson said. 

For faculty and staff, many of the recommendations focus on policy or human resources initiatives. Some of those include providing diversity guidelines for search committees, evaluating and promoting family-friendly programming and policies, conducting a salary equity study for staff (to complement a recent one for faculty), and identifying pathways for advancement for professional staff.

Feedback from students was more cultural than institutional, but many of the opportunities created through the working group will also benefit students and lend to a more inclusive culture for all. Some of those campuswide opportunities will include implicit bias workshops, mentoring, professional and leadership development, highlighting the success of women on campus, and promoting events that feature and celebrate women.

“The whole process has been eye-opening for the Institute’s senior leaders,” said Lynn Durham, assistant vice president and chief of staff for the Office of the President, who helped lead the working group. “Having these conversations has brought to light some of the issues that may not have been readily apparent on campus.”

Per Peterson’s memo, two themes will continue guide the Institute’s work in this area:

1. Promoting gender equity through policies and processes related to the recruitment, hiring, retention, promotion, professional development, and appointment to leadership roles of faculty and staff members.
2. Celebrating the contributions of women in our community and making the commitment to inclusion more visible in communications.

Institute Diversity will meet quarterly with unit representatives from Human Resources, Faculty Affairs, Institute Communications, and other units to prioritize and track progress on these initiatives. 

At the recommendation of the working group, the 2016 Diversity Symposium will put a focus on gender equity. Institute Diversity also recently launched a Leading Women at Tech initiative, which engages senior and emerging women leaders on campus in collaboration and empowerment opportunities. Another recent step was a modified Regents Professor selection process to better incorporate diversity. 

With support from the Office of the President, Institute Diversity has launched Leading Women @ Tech to engage senior and emerging women leaders at the Institute. The goal is to create empowerment opportunities for women leaders and build a community of women who will advance a culture of inclusive excellence at Georgia Tech. Currently, only 28 percent of staff positions above director-level at Georgia Tech are held by women.

“We are dedicated to creating the next community of leaders who will guide Tech in the 21^st century. The representation of diverse women among all levels of leadership is central to our ongoing success,” said Julie Ancis, associate vice president of Institute Diversity. “The vision of Leading Women @ Tech aligns with Tech’s commitment to an inclusive campus environment, as outlined in our Strategic Plan.”

Amy Henry, executive director of the Office of International Education and one of the invited participants, commented, “Many staff women feel isolated at Georgia Tech, and they are seeking more career advancement and collaboration opportunities. I look forward to learning, sharing, giving, supporting, and growing in this program.”

Co-led by Ancis and Pearl Alexander, executive director of Institute Diversity’s Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement unit, Leading Women @ Tech is designed to strengthen leadership ability, enhance personal and professional growth, and support participants’ overall career development. The program’s kickoff event took place on March 8; program activities for the year will include skill building in the areas of emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, mentoring and networking, mindfulness practices, negotiation and financial management, and intentional leadership.

“Organizations worldwide are taking steps to develop, deploy, and measure effective leadership strategies as a competitive advantage,” Alexander said. “Fostering and leveraging the talents of our women leaders at Tech enable them to thrive in their current roles. This prepares them to achieve advancement in ways that are fulfilling throughout various stages of their careers.”

For more information on Leading Women @ Tech, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/leadingwomenattech.

“Georgia Tech is an academic institution that is dedicated to inclusive excellence. Through our MLK Celebration, we are pleased to honor the lives of civil rights leaders like Dr. King and Julian Bond, as the journey continues for social justice and sustainable social change,” said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity.

Traditionally, the MLK Celebration’s educational programs and service opportunities kick off with the MLK Lecture. On January 13, MLK Lecture Keynote Speaker Jeffrey Johnson delivered an inspiring speech to nearly 500 students, faculty, staff, and community members in the Student Center Ballroom. Entitled “Unclaimed Legacy: Who Will Lead the Next Social Movement?”, Johnson’s remarks challenged attendees to celebrate the real legacy of Dr. King and create transformation by speaking the truth, maybe becoming a little uncomfortable, and gaining the courage to lead.

Johnson, an award-winning journalist, activist, and thought leader, also posed the following questions:

• Are we willing to be our authentic selves, which can be difficult in higher education institutions?
• What does it mean to have a real social movement like #BlackLivesMatter?
• Are we prepared to cast out visions that no longer make sense?
• Can we create a seemingly ridiculous vision that its leaders will not see realized in their lifetimes?
• In your own life, how will you lead? Who will be part of your ecosystem of leadership? Who will you touch? What will you transform?

“Dr. King knew the importance of being surrounded by an ecosystem of leadership that enabled him to deliver the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech,” remarked Johnson. “However, we keep hearing the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech because it is used to manipulate emotions out of leaders who lack vision today. If Dr. King was living in 2016, why would he still be dreaming a 1960s dream?”

Colin Potts, vice provost of Undergraduate Education, who expressed his support for having discussions generated by such thought-provoking addresses more often, said, “This MLK Lecture challenged us to not be self-satisfied and retreat to the same language as the 1960s.”

To continue these discussions at Georgia Tech, Institute Diversity and the African-American Student Union will host the Black History Month Lecture on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 4 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. Black History Month Lecture Keynote Speaker Benjamin Crump, partner of Parks & Crump Law Firm and known for his cases with civil rights implications, will discuss “The Criminal Justice System, #BlackLivesMatter, and College Student Activism Today.” To register for this event, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/rsvp-2016-black-history-month-lecture.

To learn more about the MLK Celebration and to view Johnson’s MLK Lecture, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/mlk-celebration.

RESILIENCE is intended to be a peer empowerment group for employees who want to proactively pursue "wholehearted living" and/or give attention to the complexities of their experiences; manage the impact of adversity; turn adversity into opportunity; and effectively adapt to change. 

“Since the ERG pilot in 2013, we have considered the creation of additional ERGs. In particular, we thought the concept behind RESILIENCE was innovative and much-needed for the campus community,” said Cheryl Cofield, director of inclusion and engagement at SDIE. “We knew this ERG would have far-reaching impact to the campus community. We thought it would be useful to strengthen employees by developing their individual capacities to proactively navigate both routine and extraordinary life challenges.” 

Through RESILIENCE, employees will have opportunities to increase interpersonal savvy, resilience, and strength, and proactively mitigate the impact of routine stress, crisis, and change through educational experiences, facilitated dialogues, mentoring, and peer support. 

“Once launched,” Cofield added, “RESILIENCE will be complementary to the emerging campus wellness initiative, and will move employees toward self-efficacy in a variety of ways.”

Sonia Alvarez-Robinson, executive director of Strategic Consulting, will be the new ERG’s executive champion, and Cofield will serve as its principal empowerment officer. 

“Under the combined leadership, wisdom, and synergy of this dynamic duo, RESILIENCE will surely flourish,” remarked SDIE Executive Director Pearl Alexander.

RESILIENCE is one of six ERGs at Georgia Tech designed to support the Institute’s goal of ensuring like-minded employees can enhance their employment experience and have a greater sense of belonging. The six ERGs are GRIOT (African Heritage), HOLA (Hispanics/Latinos), Web of Brilliance (Introverts), PRIDE (LGBTQIA), RESILIENCE, and Women of Georgia Tech. 

ERGs were originally founded by the Office of Human Resources in September 2013, and following an 18-month pilot, the Institute’s official ERG initiative was launched in April 2015. Today, there are more than 1,300 members of the ERGs, which are managed by Institute Diversity’s SDIE unit. 

“While ERGs are fairly popular in large U.S. corporations, Georgia Tech is recognized as a national thought leader in higher education for having successfully launched these groups,” Alexander said. “Our ERGs are successful because of phenomenal support from key executive leaders, fierce and courageous leadership by our ERG principal empowerment officers and core leadership teams, and extraordinary employee commitment.”  

Fore more information and to sign up for the RESILIENCE ERG or launch event, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/erg. 

During the workshop, attendees recognized Transgender Day of Remembrance, learned appropriate language specific to the transgender community, and identified strategies to practice allyship and create inclusive spaces on campus. 

Recognized annually on November 20, Transgender Day of Remembrance honors the memory of those murdered because of anti-transgender violence. So far in 2015, 22 transgender and gender non-conforming people have been killed in the U.S., and 19 of these were trans women of color. At the start of the Transgender @ Tech workshop, 22 Georgia Tech employees and students participated in a candlelight vigil to remember those who were lost to anti-transgender violence in the past year.

“Our campus community needs to be engaged in learning and implementing language and practices that create a safe and welcoming environment for our trans students and employees,” said Aby Parsons, director of the LGBTQIA Resource Center. “This growing community has been historically underserved at Georgia Tech, and it's important that we're all invested in changing that narrative and experience." 

In spring, the LGBTQIA Resource Center will launch Trans 101 training sessions to educate faculty, staff, and student participants about the transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender questioning communities, and provide participants with the skills and knowledge necessary to create a welcoming and supportive climate for people of all gender identities and expressions.

“Even though privacy and safety are often concerns, it is important to raise awareness about these programs to continue building a stronger trans community and inclusive culture at Georgia Tech,” said Aiden Payne, graduate student in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and one of the facilitators at Transgender @ Tech.

Trans 101 will be offered February 23, from 2 to 4 p.m., and March 16, from 10 a.m. to noon. To register, visit www.lgbtqia.gatech.edu. 

The LGBTQIA Resource Center, part of the Office of Student Life and Institute Diversity, is located in Room 138, Smithgall Student Services (Flag) Building.

Peterson has already met with one group and will be meeting with additional groups in the coming weeks to hear their thoughts and better understand the experiences and challenges unique to women at Georgia Tech. The information gathered will be used to develop specific actions that can be taken to continue to create a more welcoming environment for all people at Georgia Tech.

“We’ve seen spirited discussion around this topic, and I would like to continue the dialogue to continue our efforts to create a more inclusive campus environment,” Peterson said.

Representatives from each of the segments, faculty, staff and both undergraduate and graduate students, will be invited to participate in the conversations.

Keynote speaker Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, set the tone for the event by stating, “America is in a state of change. Embracing this change is what diversity in the 21^st century is all about. Diversity is a value for this country; it isn’t limited to an office or a symposium.”

This “state of change” was explored by James H. Johnson, Jr., distinguished professor and director of the Urban Investment Strategies Center at the University of North Carolina, during the morning sessions of the Diversity Symposium. Johnson shared how demographic disruptions will impact higher education in the next 25 years, such as the growing population in the South; the shifting immigration-driven population; the approaching “Silver Tsunami” from changing life expectancy, declining fertility, and aging Baby Boomers; and the increasing rate of intermarriage.

“Our next generation of talent must be more diverse than the current generation,” said Johnson. “Institutions cannot afford to leave out anyone in the future. To anticipate these changing demographics, we must provide an alternative model of greater access and affordability.”

To conclude the morning sessions, ADVANCE Professors Mary Frank Fox, Pinar Keskinocak, Wing Suet Li, Dana Randall, Catherine Ross, and Beril Toktay discussed equity in faculty hiring, and Institute Diversity Associate Vice President Julie Ancis analyzed how unconscious thoughts influence behaviors at work.

“This event is important because we don’t pay enough attention to diversity issues in general,” said Ashok Goel, professor in the School of Interactive Computing. “Being a good citizen of the community means being inclusive and embracing diversity in all of its forms.”

During the Diversity Symposium Awards Luncheon, Morial addressed how to redefine civil rights in the 21^st century through his “Three D’s of Diversity”:

• Defend democracy by pushing against the ideas of voter suppression (or voter self-suppression).
• Develop human capital by educating people to be self-sufficient and successful in this society.
• Demand jobs for all and economic opportunity for the next generation.

Prior to the keynote address, eight Diversity Champion Award winners were recognized for actively demonstrating and positively promoting the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Georgia Tech campus community. This year’s winners are Mary Lynn Realff (faculty co-winner), Stephen Ruffin (faculty co-winner), Madison Cario (staff co-winner), Matthew Hall (staff co-winner), Alex Berry (student co-winner), Andrea Welsh (student co-winner), Division of Student Life (unit co-winner), and School of Mathematics (unit co-winner).

Following the Diversity Symposium Awards Luncheon, faculty, staff, and students had the opportunity to attend afternoon sessions on LGBTQIA rights; sexual violence; or bullying, incivility, and lack of collegiality in the workplace and classroom. 

“Thank you to the campus community members who participated in and contributed to the Diversity Symposium,” said Archie W. Ervin, vice president of Institute Diversity. “Events like these are important in helping us build an inclusive community where every human being is valued and respected—especially in light of recent discrimination issues.”

To learn more about the Diversity Symposium and/or view Johnson’s presentation on disruptive demographics, visit diversity.gatech.edu/seventh-annual-diversity-symposium.

When Aby Parsons became director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and Ally (LGBTQIA) Resource Center in 2014, she made it a goal to update the curriculum of the Safe Space training program to meet growing interest from the campus community. 

Parsons presented the new curriculum at a training last month, and in the fall and spring semesters, the LGBTQIA Resource Center will offer monthly trainings to faculty and staff. 

Launched in 2001 by Stephanie Ray, associate dean of students and director of Student Diversity Programs, Safe Space is Georgia Tech’s LGBTQIA ally training program for faculty, staff, and supporters. Featuring the new curriculum, each four-hour Safe Space training will be an interactive opportunity for participants to explore, discuss, and practice how to be an ally to their LGBTQIA colleagues and students. 

“While many Safe Space programs focus on offering one-on-one support, our program looks at allyship as a whole,” said Parsons. “We want participants to leave this training program thinking about updating workplace policies, using more inclusive language, and educating themselves and others, so they can truly make a difference at Georgia Tech and beyond.” 

The updated Safe Space curriculum addresses seven key learning goals relating to language, privilege and oppression, identity development, “allyship,” advocacy, policies, and resources. The training program also examines how gender and sexuality intersect with race, disability, education level, socioeconomic status, and age to impact the lives of LGBTQIA faculty and staff.

“Safe Space is engaging and effective at increasing the knowledge, self-awareness, and skills necessary to support the LGBTQIA community,” said Erin English, staff therapist and collegiate recovery program coordinator in the Counseling Center who participated in a recent training. “It is an invaluable resource; I cannot recommend it highly enough.”

To offer more training programs, Parsons recruited seven new facilitators from the Offices of Admissions, Health Promotion, Housing, and Student Life who will lead each session. 

Safe Space will be offered on September 23 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., October 22 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., and November 23 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Additional trainings can also be set up for groups or departments. To register or learn how to request a training, visit www.safespace.gatech.edu. 

Parsons’ office and the LGBTQIA Resource Center, part of the Office of Student Life and Institute Diversity, are located in Room 138, Smithgall Student Services (Flag) Building.

— Sara Warner, Office of Student Life, contributed to this story.

“Storytelling Salons” took center stage during the morning portion of the event at the Ferst Center of the Arts, followed by a luncheon at the Student Center Ballroom. 

Both the Storytelling Salons and luncheon highlighted how lived experiences are important aspects of diversity. 

During the morning session, storytellers explored a variety of diversity topics, including race relations, sexual violence, body image, class, shame, gender expressions, male oppression, and identity dichotomies. Storytellers included Jennifer Edwards, Mark Gindick, and Susan O’Halloran, who are nationally acclaimed speakers and performers, and Tech’s own Sonia Alvarez-Robinson and LaJauna Ellis. 

“I appreciate that Georgia Tech is providing us with an opportunity to discuss diversity and cultural issues,” said Lisa Mitchem, senior associate director of the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. “These stories — and their potential impact in the workplace — were phenomenal.”

This year, Institute Diversity’s Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement (SDIE) team invited a more expansive audience to the Diversity Roundtable, which included Georgia Tech faculty and staff; community, civic, non-profit, government, industry, and professional organization leaders; and fellow diversity and inclusion practitioners. The theme of the luncheon was “Death by 1,000 Cuts: The Impact of Giants…and Very Small Stings.” 

“Together, the programs were designed to juxtapose the lingering and detrimental impact of ‘giant’ life experiences with the insidious nature of ‘small, yet stinging’ micro-events that we repeatedly endure,” said Cheryl Cofield, director of inclusion and engagement at Institute Diversity and primary choreographer of the event.

Pearl Alexander, executive director of SDIE at Institute Diversity, expanded on this idea.

“Micro-messages are the little things that we do from a behavioral standpoint that diminish the way others feel,” she said. “Conversely, when our intentions are not full of pretense or ego, these messages can be affirming, creating positive, inclusive, and inspiring interactions.”

The SDIE team will continue to use the annual roundtable as one way to facilitate connection, engage employees in growing together, and enable diversity of talent to thrive on campus. 

“As an ongoing initiative designed to help Georgia Tech reach its goal of inclusive excellence, the Diversity Roundtable is an experiential event, which features a series of powerful stories and small group dialogues,” said Archie W. Ervin, vice president of Institute Diversity. “Through a uniquely crafted methodology, participants are able to safely, courageously share experiences that encourage them to notice the impact of behaviors on relationships.”

Many attendees were moved by the sharing of stories that took place.

“I learned about the power of sharing stories and how these community conversations can bind together people who are hearing these stories, thus lowering barriers and enabling us to communicate better with one another,” said Paul Goldbart, dean of the College of Sciences. 

Susan O’Halloran, one of the storytellers, explained why storytelling is so effective. 

“It goes right to the heart,” she said. “You can’t argue with someone else’s experience. Once you understand someone’s experience, you can start to make connections.” 

As a follow-up to the Diversity Roundtable, Institute Diversity’s SDIE team will host a conversation series that further explores micro-messages on July 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Center Crescent Room, and August 14 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Center Peachtree Room. To register for this conversation series, visit www.c.gatech.edu/micro-july22 and www.c.gatech.edu/micro-aug14. 

— Christine Kapurch, Office of Human Resources, contributed to this story.

Effective June 1, 2015, the Culture, Diversity, and Inclusion team (Pearl Alexander, Cheryl Cofield, and Jardyn Lake) from the Office of Human Resources (OHR) will join Institute Diversity to form the core of its new Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement (SDIE) team. 

Under the leadership of Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Archie W. Ervin, the SDIE team will expand Institute Diversity's capacity to address staff diversity and inclusion issues; increase programmatic support and advancement for the Institute's Employee Resource Groups; and facilitate community dialogues, workshops, and staff-focused forums. Additionally, their role will include consulting Institute units on best practices to attain diversity and inclusion goals, expanding multicultural and cross-cultural leadership development activities in innovative ways, and providing thought leadership for diversity-related Institute councils or committees. 

“The opportunity to more closely align our efforts toward inclusive excellence and expand our diversity initiatives is energizing and fulfilling for us,” said Alexander. “We are thrilled to be joining the Institute Diversity team.” 

“As the stewards and primary communicators of the Institute’s aspirations and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Institute Diversity will be strengthened by this expansion,” said Ervin. “This new team will significantly enhance our work to transform the campus culture in pursuit of our inclusive excellence agenda for all staff, and continue to be a national leader in promulgating staff diversity and inclusion best practices.”