Our Vision for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Being an immigrant, a mother, and a woman of color, I am committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. I am a culturally sensitive leader with over 20 years of experience with nonprofit management and leadership, coaching, multicultural counseling, and research on anti-racism and parenting.
As the Executive Director of Bridges Homeward, I am aware of how my identities show up and how people perceive me based on my skin color, my height, my accent, and my tone of voice. Sometimes, people would not know that I can bring a wealth of knowledge, skills, insights, outside-of-the-box thinking, and strategic intervention to individuals and families. But my leadership style has been described as warm, insightful, transparent, engaging, supportive, strategic, well-organized, and creative.
My vision of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for our organization is to create environments where everyone, regardless of background, can access equal opportunities, and everyone can be heard, be seen, and be valued. Each one of us has our unique identities that may be influenced or constructed by peers, individuals, families, culture, social, and political contexts. These rich identities will empower our work in serving children, adults, and families with all different backgrounds. My DEI pledge is to foster fairness, representation, and a sense of belonging for marginalized communities. I firmly believe that by embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion we not only enhance our collective strength but also reinforce our mission.
Bridges Homeward will continue to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in the following ways:
Inclusive Hiring: We are actively seeking candidates with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. We continue to use and improve our unbiased hiring practices to create a more representative workforce.
Monthly Trainings: We’ll continue to enhance staff understanding of different cultures, lived experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives.
Equitable individual and families access: We ensure that individuals and families are heard, seen, and valued in our services, regardless of background or identity.
Leadership Development: We cultivate leadership opportunities for people of color and/or diverse lived experiences to ensure diverse voices are heard at all organizational levels.
Embodying the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion is essential for fostering fairness, understanding, and a thriving community for everyone. I invite all of us to be present, open, curious, actively listen, notice, and engage in this co-learning space. Together, let's strive for an equitable future.
