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Diversity Breeds Innovation

ESD’s history of exploring new approaches and creative solutions starts with a culture based on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

ESD has a long reputation of innovation, creativity, and professional excellence. At the heart of this entrepreneurial spirit is its people. At ESD, we are committed to building a diverse team, fostering an inclusive culture, and investing in equity across our organization. Over the past year, we have taken tangible action toward the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) objectives we committed to, such as listening, donating to non-profits that further DEI, offering a Community Service Day to all employees, and consulting a Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) expert.

Arin N. Reeves, Ph.D., has conducted learning sessions, participated in several calls, and has responded to many emails gathering feedback from ESD employees. Dr. Reeves suggested the development of an infrastructure to develop and pursue DEI goals. Our first objective was to create a committee of individuals whose experience and diligence reflect a wide range of perspectives working to ensure the advancement of DEI at ESD.

Since its formation, ESD’s DEI Council has conducted in-house discussions on topics such as microaggression (an everyday exchange that cues a sense of hostility or subordination based on any one of a number of social identities, including race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, nationality, religion, and disability). The council provided useful resources to learn more about microaggression including:

The DEI Council regularly solicits recommendations from employees on related resources they have been reading, listening to, or visiting. Some of these include:


For more information about the ESD’s culture, mission, and values, visit our website.

To learn more about our DEI Council, please reach out to co-chairs LaSundra Brown and/or Jeff Kemp.

Related News

Interested in learning more? Check out these related news items.

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