The digital divide is the gap between those who have access to and full adoption of technology and those who do not. It is both a symptom and a cause of social inequity and affects all generations in both rural and urban communities. Join this session to learn about the digital divide and how your organization can be a driver for change.
Moderator: George Zuo, PhD candidate in economics, University of Maryland
Panelists
Lindsey Parker, Chief Technology Officer, District of Columbia
Debra Berlyn, President & CEO GOAL (Get Older Adults onLine)
Kevin Brown, Principal, Digital Transformation and Intelligent Automation Practice, EY
Webinar Recording
Summary
Five groups of individuals are most impacted by the “digital divide,” or the inability to access digital technology:
Low-income workers. Studies have found that programs that provide affordable broadband access have a measurable impact on economic mobility.
Racial minorities. Black and Hispanic communities are lagging 10 years behind white communities on average on technical connectivity and digital literacy. That impacts how prepared they are for technical jobs of the present and future.
Students. Many students do not have tools for remote learning and were left behind during the pandemic. The consequences of a year-long educational setback for those students will be irreversible.
Seniors. Telehealth has been a great way to connect doctors and patients, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital access also helped seniors to stay connected socially.
Rural Americans. Rural communities often do not have the same broadband technologies.
Federal funding can help close the gap. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be providing an internet subsidy up to $50/month to qualifying Americans, plus a subsidy for purchasing a computer. The private sector also has a role to play, and many companies have CSR programs that help low-income families get online.
Lindsey Parker, the Chief Technology Officer for the District of Columbia, said that closing the digital divide will also support our region’s competitiveness and set the DMV apart from other metro areas in the country.
COVID-19 magnified the consequences of the digital divide. Debra Berlyn of Get Older Adults online (GOAL) explained that during the pandemic, seniors lost access to many of the public places where they would normally access the internet, such as libraries. This left them isolated and unable to access services we all take for granted. The silver lining is that some seniors now see the value of internet access more clearly now than they did pre-pandemic.
Lindsey Parker explained that early in the pandemic, the District made it a priority to get kids online so that they could join virtual school. They were given computers and hot spots. This was the first time some households had access to the internet and some of those hot spots were quickly overloaded. Lindsey Parker said that District-wide LTE service would be superior to government-provided routers.
Kevin Brown of EY explained that many companies are pivoting to digital platforms and away from brick-and-mortar stores, especially since the pandemic. If you’re an employee or consumer who is not digitally literate or doesn’t have digital access, you will be left behind. This is another important reason to close the digital divide—digital access will only become more important with time.
About the Racial & Social Equity Webinar Series
The Greater Washington Board of Trade’s Racial and Social Equity Webinar Series will provide business leaders across the region the knowledge and tools they need to build more diverse, inclusive, and equitable organizations. It will help leaders identify drivers of inequity and injustice and take concrete steps towards being agents of positive change.
The pandemic has changed where and how many people want to work. In this webinar, Arbee Associates and Steelcase shared insights from a recent study of 32,000 people across 10 countries on expectations for the workplace. They reviewed key design and planning considerations for creating a better work experience for employees, including under a hybrid remote/on-site work model, and gave a virtual tour of Steelcase’s Global Business Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan to show examples of these insights in application.
Speakers:
Brian Wilkinson, Regional Vice President, Mid-Atlantic, Steelcase
Chris Hanes, Chief Operating Officer, Arbee Associates
John E. Hughes, Principal, Applied Research and Consulting, Steelcase
Tracy Brower, PhD, MM, MCRW, Principal, Applied Research + Consulting, Steelcase
The COVID-19 pandemic was especially hard for workers and business owners in the hospitality industry, but increasing vaccination rates bring hope. Watch this webinar to learn about the state of the hospitality industry today, the lasting changes we can expect, and its path towards recovering lost business and having a lucrative summer.
PRESENTER/FACILITATOR
Dyllis Hesse, Senior Managing Director, Accenture
PANEL
Erika Alexander, Chief Global Officer, Global Operations, Marriott International
Susan Lacz, Principal and CEO, Ridgewells Catering
Max Fisher, SVP & CFO, MGM Resorts International
Kathy Hollinger, President & CEO, Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington
Companies can improve the diversity of their talent pipelines by proactively recruiting “Opportunity Talent,” defined by Grads of Life as often overlooked talent pools such as young adults without a 4-year degree, persons with disabilities, veterans, formerly incarcerated individuals, and individuals with DACA status. In this webinar, Grads of Life introduced the Opportunity Employment Principles and speakers from Micron Technologies and Bank of America shared real-life examples of these principles in action.
Presenters:
Dwight Powery, National Site Director, Year Up
Krysta Sadowski, Director of Advisory Services, Grads of Life
Business Case Study Speakers:
Zuzana Steen, Academic and Community Relations Senior Manager, Micron Technology
Camille John, D&I Enterprise Head of Underrepresented Ethnic Talent Strategy, Bank of America
Webinar Recording
Summary
Bridging the Opportunity Divide is a win-win for employers and prospective employees. Employers get to fill open roles with great talent, and those who have faced persistent barriers to education and good jobs have a shot at opportunity.
Each of the six Opportunity Employment principles is important. The six principles are:
Culture of inclusion and belonging. Is the company truly committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion at the leadership level and throughout its culture?
Minimizing barriers to accessing roles. For example, is the company willing to eliminate unnecessary degree requirements?
Family sustaining wages & benefits for all employees. Does the company pay a living wage for the metro area its operating in? Does it provide health benefits?
Data-driven approach to equity. Does it have systems in place to measure its progress towards diversity, equity, and inclusion goals?
Proactive & intentional recruitment. Is the company making relationships with new communities so that it can hire from a more diverse pool?
Systems that support on-the-job success and ongoing professional development. Is the organization giving staff at all levels opportunities to learn, grow, and advance?
To learn more about the six Opportunity Employment principles and view their affiliated list of practices, see this guide.
You can also use the Opportunity Navigator, a 10-minute online assessment that can help you see where you company’s strengths and growth areas are in hiring, advancing, and retaining Opportunity Talent.
About the Racial and Social Equity Webinar Series
The Greater Washington Board of Trade’s Racial and Social Equity Webinar Series will provide business leaders across the region the knowledge and tools they need to build more diverse, inclusive, and equitable organizations. It will help leaders identify drivers of inequity and injustice and take concrete steps towards being agents of positive change.
COVID-19 vaccines are being distributed in all 50 states—there is now light at the end of the tunnel. Many employers may be wondering if, when, and how they should begin reopening workplaces that have now been closed or at partial capacity for over a year. Watch this webinar to gain a better understanding of vaccine availability timelines, human resources best practices, and fluctuating transportation demands so that you can better manage your workplace in the next 6-12 months.
Moderator: Evelyn Lee, President, Greater Washington Region, SunTrust Bank now Truist
Panelists: • Dr. Jesse Goodman, Director, Georgetown University’s Center on Medical Product Access, Safety & Stewardship • Reggie Jones, DC Office Managing Partner, Fox Rothschild • Shyam Kannan, Vice President of Planning, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Watch the Recording
Read the Summary
Evelyn Lee began the webinar on a positive note, reminding viewers that a year ago we faced much more ambiguity and anxiety than we do now. Our understanding about how to protect ourselves against COVID-19 is more robust and many people are vaccinated, which is why many employers are preparing to reopen their offices. This panel discussion will investigate what the next 6-12 months might look like on that front.
Will everyone be able to get vaccinated in May?
Probably not. Dr. Jesse Goodman said that it will likely take some time to get the whole eligible population vaccinated, even if all adults are eligible as of May 1, as the Biden Administrations claims they will be. It will also take some time to get the vaccines approved for use in children.
What can employers require of their employees?
Reggie Jones explained that we are in uncharted territory and guidance is pulled from a patchwork of legal precedent.
First, companies should know that they can legally ask employees whether they are vaccinated so long as they keep that information confidential.
Second, they can also require their employees to be vaccinated, but it gets much more complicated. This is easier in the healthcare industry or education where an infected person could be a threat to others around them. But in other industries where employees could continue to work remotely, they may ask for that accommodation rather than be vaccinated. In that case, the employer would determine if there is a legitimate disability or sincerely held religious belief that prevents the employee from being vaccinated. (A sincerely held religious belief is different than a simple personal belief.) In that case, if possible, the company may wish to provide remote work accommodations.
In some cases, employees may want to come to work though they are not vaccinated, in other cases employees may have special circumstances that make them afraid to come to work regardless of their vaccination status.
Whether you should require vaccination depends on your bandwidth to navigate these complexities. But Mr. Jones stressed that it is navigable.
Is public transit a vector for COVID-19?
Shyam Kannan says no, research has shown that taking public transit is not a serious risk for COVID-19 transmission. That is because people spend less time on transit than they do in other spaces like office buildings, and the air inside Metro transit vehicles is recycled every 180 seconds. Metro has also continued to ensure proper spacing to avoid over crowding on trains and busses.
Mr. Kannan calls on Board of Trade members and friends to help with the “myth busting” that is needed to calm fears about getting back on transit.
Dr. Goodman agrees with Shyam’s assertion that public transit is not a significant vector for disease, assuming people are wearing masks and relatively distanced. He later added that the virus is not usually passed through surfaces. It passes through the air around people who have it. That’s why mask wearing and ventilation are so important, and why transit is not a significant vector.
Why have vaccination rates increased so rapidly in the past few months, and are there barriers left ahead of us?
Dr. Goodman says that the biggest factors that have contributed to increased vaccination rates are increased supply and improved organization and logistics. However, public acceptance is still an issue. Republican males are statistically much more likely to say they do not plan to be vaccinated, and minority populations have historically been hesitant as well.
How did Metro continue operating during the pandemic and how does Metro plan to operate over the next few months?
Mr. Kannan stressed that safety has been and will be a top priority for Metro. To protect riders, they have enhanced station and vehicle cleaning and kept capacity above demand to allow for social distancing while on trains and busses. To protect workers, they have switched to rear boarding and eliminated fares on busses so that the bus operator would not encounter customers, and they made changes to staffing, creating A teams and B teams so that workers had less exposure to each other.
Right now, they are providing 85% of pre-pandemic bus service and 80% of rail service, even though ridership is still down to about 5% of what it was pre-pandemic. On rail during peak commuting hours, there will be a train every 4-6 minutes. All stations will be open as normal. Metro will continue these service levels through June 2022.
Metrobus customers will have some service improvements coming soon. They will extend late night service until 2am on 32 lines. It should feel to riders like the transit system is much more “normal.”
What liabilities might employers face if they require employees to report to the office now, and how might those liabilities change over the year?
Some people may claim that an employer is not providing accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Title VII. They may also claim negligence, which is why companies should follow CDC guidance even if it is not required in their state. If you require people to be vaccinated, you may need to also provide paid time off to do so. If someone gets COVID-19 on the job, sick leave and treatment should be covered by workers’ compensation. Your HR staff are probably sensitive to these issues but may need a refresher.
What creative tactics have you seen employers use to encourage vaccination if they are not going to require it?
Mr. Jones says some companies have given out gift cards or small cash gifts. But if it is worth $500 or more you may violate the ADA because some individuals are not eligible to receive the vaccine, so you end up giving large gifts to some people and not others.
Will the vaccines be effective against the variants? How long do the vaccines work?
Dr. Goodman says that as of now it appears that a high degree of effectiveness lasts at least six months. They will likely provide protection for a year or more, but as of now we do not know the vaccines’ duration for certain.
Variants are an attempt by the virus to confuse our immune systems. Fortunately, the vaccines appear to be quite effective at preventing severe disease and death from the variants, but they may be less effective at preventing mild disease. Boosters against variants in the future may be needed and it should be a much more accelerated production/distribution process compared to what it took to provide the vaccines.
Corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) leaders must consider how their organization can best appreciate and accommodate our differences, including differences in how our minds operate. We interviewed Larysa Kautz, President & CEO of Melwood to learn more about neurodiversity and what it means to employers.
What does the term “neurodiversity” mean, and why is it an important concept for CEOs to understand?
“Neurodiversity” is the recognition that we all learn and process information differently.
Any CEO interested in innovation is well served by understanding neurodiversity. A Melwood participant once described her autism as having a brain that worked on a different operating system. Several studies note that people with autism often benefit from hyper focus, enhanced pattern recognition, improved memory, and strong mathematical thinking. Who better to offer creative ways to solve a problem or offer new perspectives?
How would you rate the DC area business community’s current treatment of neurodiversity? What have you seen from business leaders in our region?
The DC area business community has a lot to be proud of. There is a strong sense that businesses in this area want to embrace inclusion and neurodiversity.
The private sector has been a great partner in helping us build better training programs to prepare people with disabilities for the careers of the future. We partnered with Cybrary, a cybersecurity training firm based in College Park, MD, to develop abilIT, a technology training program that teaches technical and soft skills to help participants build lifelong careers as competitive technology professionals. Now, close to a dozen companies and organizations – including GDIT and MITRE – have not only hired program graduates but have joined the KPMG/Melwood Industry Council to provide feedback to help us improve, scale up, and sustain our model.
We are still a long way from solving the unemployment and underemployment of people with disabilities, but it is clear that DC-area business leaders are stepping up to do their part.
What does it look like for a company to lead on neurodiversity? What actions are most important?
The most important thing a company can do is to establish a diversity policy that includes all abilities and actively recruit from this talented pool of eager candidates. In our experience, having a coordinated approach that includes human resources, diversity and inclusion leads, and the project leads for the departments in need of talent helps streamline the hiring process. Engagement by an executive champion also makes a big difference because they can encourage key people to come to the table and make neurodiverse hiring a priority.
Providing proper accommodations, like natural lighting, workspaces that reduce sensory violations, noise blocking, accessible technology, and assistive devices, is also important, and not as difficult or expensive as you may think. Recent data from the Jobs Accommodation Network shows that the average investment is around $500 per employee who needs special accommodations.
Resources exist to help companies rate and improve their inclusion of neurodiverse talent. The Disability Employment Index (DEI) scores a corporation’s inclusiveness on a scale from 0 to 100. The index measures a wide range of criteria within six categories, including culture and leadership, enterprise-wide access, employment practices, community engagement, supplier diversity, and non-U.S. operations. More importantly, it provides a framework for companies to follow so they can understand what kinds of practices they can adopt to be more inclusive.
What public policies have improved employment rates for people with disabilities?
The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed 30 years ago. This sweeping legislation sought to end the discrimination, exclusion, and isolation so many people with disabilities were experiencing at the time. The laws created by the ADA were designed to help people with disabilities overcome the physical barriers to success – through things like wheelchair ramps and curb cuts – while also trying to reduce disability stigma and create new opportunities for employment.
More recently, the U.S. federal government established the AbilityOne program to bring more people with disabilities into the federal workforce. The AbilityOne Commission oversees nearly $3B worth of federal contracts set aside for people with disabilities. Recently, the program called on 24 federal agencies to pledge 1% of their funds to AbilityOne contracts, with an increase to 1.5% in FY22. These and other initiatives that the Office of Federal Procurement (OFPP) is implementing will result in new jobs for thousands of people with disabilities.
Unfortunately, there are also federal policies that have allowed people with disabilities to be paid less than minimum wage. Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was created in 1938, at a time when people with disabilities had no civil rights and were segregated from mainstream society. Melwood does not agree with the discriminatory practice of 14(c) and, in 2016, voluntarily relinquished our 14(c) certificate and over the next several years successfully advocated for the elimination of the practice in Maryland. However, currently there are only a handful of states that have abolished this practice and we are working to eliminate it at the federal level.
There is a lot of research showing that diverse organizations perform better than more homogenous ones. Does this extend to organizations that accommodate neurodiversity as well? Is there a business case to doing this work?
There is definitely a business case for disability inclusion and embracing neurodiversity.
61 million adults in the United States live with a disability according to the CDC and 1 in 54 children are diagnosed with autism each year. We are talking about a large population full of talent and unique strengths. Businesses can’t afford to overlook this group as consumers or talent.
In 2017, the Harvard Business Review made the case for Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage, stating that neurodivergent people “bring new perspectives to a company’s efforts to create or recognize value.”
It is widely accepted that organizations benefit from a diverse workforce. A variety of employee backgrounds and cultures brings a range of ideas, solutions, and proposals to a company. The same thought process should be applied to hiring neurodiverse workforces.
The neurodiverse population remains a largely untapped talent pool, the Harvard review notes, but tech companies like SAP, Microsoft, Dell Technologies, IBM, and more have either started or are exploring ways to expand the neurodiversity of their workforces where those business lines are a good fit for neurodiverse talent.
As a result, these companies are finding benefits from these programs, including higher productivity, improved corporate communication, higher employee engagement, lower turnover, higher employee morale, and more.
Historically, companies have held the view that “it’s easier to fit people together if they are all perfect rectangles,” the review states. “But that requires employees to leave their differences at home – differences firms need in order to innovate.”
A 2018 report by Accenture looked at 45 companies that created new specialized disability policies and practices. The data revealed that those 45 companies achieved, on average, 28% higher revenue, double the net income, and 30% higher economic profit margins over the four-year period analyzed, compared to other companies in the sample. According to that study, companies should participate in “cutting-edge disability recruitment, hiring, and on-boarding strategies – not as charity or marketing, but because it serves their bottom line.” Additionally, the Department of Labor found that employers who embraced disability saw a 90% increase in employee retention.
How has COVID impacted disability employment?
On paper, COVID-19 has set the disability employment movement back by nearly a decade. In 2019, when national working age unemployment was at a record low of 3.5%, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities was also at a record low of 7.3% – down from nearly 15% a decade ago. In 2020, the unemployment rate for persons with a disability stood at 12.6%, an increase of 5.3 percentage points from the previous year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Their jobless rate continued to be much higher than the rate for those without a disability.
But COVID-19 has also provided reasons for optimism about the future. For example, employers are now more open to workplace flexibility and accommodation. To survive the impacts of COVID-19, many companies had to fundamentally re-think how they operate so they could enable their employees to be productive and succeed. Telework and flexible schedules – both commonly requested workplace accommodations – are now the norm in many sectors. Smart employers are going to recognize that figuring out how to accommodate their workers is key to survival. There is no going back – embracing workplace accommodation will be the silver lining of COVID-19.
About Melwood
Melwood is an AbilityOne nonprofit agency with more than 1,600 employees, nearly 1,000 of whom have a disability. For more than 57 years, Melwood has served adults and children with disabilities through job training and placement, day services, inclusive summer camps, healing retreats for injured veterans, as well as direct employment through more than 60 federal contracts in the greater Washington, DC area.
About Larysa Kautz
Larysa Kautz serves as Melwood’s President and & CEO. Prior to becoming CEO, Kautz had served as a vital part of Melwood’s executive leadership for more than seven years as Melwood’s first In-house General Counsel, Chief of Staff, and founder of Melwood’s Advocacy Department.
About the AbilityOne Program
The AbilityOne Program is made up of approximately 600 nonprofit organizations like Melwood across the United States that employ more than 45,000 people with disabilities who provide quality products and services to the Federal Government.
Black and Brown communities have historically been denied fair access to the services, amenities, and conditions we all need to live healthy lives, and as a result they often suffer worse health outcomes. This was made abundantly clear during the COVID-19 pandemic. Employers can help reverse this problem by designing benefits programs that meet the needs of their diverse workforce.
On March 25, 2021, we brought together three experts with deep insights on health equity to discuss the issue and what it means for employers.
Moderator: Dr. Christina Stasiuk, Senior Medical Director, Cigna
Panelists:
Anita Jenkins, Chief Executive Officer, Howard University Hospital/Adventist HealthCare, Inc.
Dr. Yele Aluko, Chief Medical Officer, EY Americas
Webinar Recording
Summary
What are “Social Determinants of Health”?
Dr. Stasiuk began the webinar with a presentation on “social determinants of health.” This term refers to factors that impact health and wellbeing, such as language barriers; bias on the part of medical practitioners; cultural beliefs and practices; awareness of, access to, and quality of care; health literacy; and physical environment and geographic location.
Health inequities arise when these factors disproportionately affect some communities. This is why we have seen differences in how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Black and Brown communities vs. majority white ones.
Attitudes About the COVID-19 Vaccines
Dr. Yele Aluko explained that all three vaccines that have emergency use authorization from the FDA (Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson) are designed to provoke an immune response to the COVID-19 virus without exposing the person to the live virus.
Though all FDA-approved viruses underwent a rigorous process of clinical trials, many people are still nervous that they will cause harmful side effects. Anita Jenkins said that initially, even leaders within the Howard University heath system were asking questions about whether the vaccine could be trusted. They cited historical examples of Black and Brown communities being mistreated by the medical community, such as the Tuskegee Experiment.
Mrs. Jenkins’s hospital system calmed the concerns of its staff by providing accurate information on the COVID-19 vaccine through daily briefings. The helped staff understand how the vaccines were developed and why the vaccines are safe for everybody. Acknowledging and responding to concerns were key to winning trust.
How the Pandemic Highlighted Health Inequity
The pandemic raised the visibility of a historic truth that some communities have more exposure to disease and worse care. For example, in low-income communities it may be common for extended families to share a home. The higher density of people living together makes it difficult to stop the spread of disease. This may be true for all diseases but was made a more critical problem by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is important to understand that Black and Brown people are not biologically or genetically more prone to disease—this is a myth. They have been impacted more by the COVID-19 vaccine because of social determinants of health like the one described above.
Inadequacies in the Health System
Mrs. Jenkins described that medical care has become “sick care,” where medical practitioners typically treat injury and disease but do not proactively help patients manage their health. Meanwhile, “wellness” is often thought of as the industry of health food subscription services, supplements, and boutique exercise studios that cater to the affluent. Howard University Hospital is trying to make wellness relevant and accessible to a wider variety of people by going back to the basics of preventative care and healthy cooking, using affordable and culturally relevant recipes.
There is statistical evidence that people receive worse care when their doctor is of a different racial or ethnic background. For that reason, we must increase diversity among medical practitioners. Dr. Aluko said it will take a long time to achieve parity in the percentage of Black and Brown physicians and the communities they serve, so in the meantime it is important that physicians be trained in cultural nuances. Dr. Aluko also said that historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have typically been the educators for Black and Brown physicians, but other medical schools need to have strategies. HBCUs cannot do it all.
Tips and Guidance for Employers
Mrs. Jenkins and Dr. Aluko agree that employees’ health is of material importance to business. This was made abundantly clear in the pandemic. Together, they offered the following tips for employers to ensure their workforce is as healthy and productive as possible, taking into account the different needs of Black and Brown communities.
Make sure it is easy for employees to navigate their healthcare benefits and to take advantage of employee wellness programs. Incentivize the usage of those programs and treat it as part of the core operations of the business.
Take a step back. There has been a lot of reactivity to COVID-19 but smart employers will develop more comprehensive strategies that enhance awareness, health literacy, and workforce resilience in an equitable manner.
Do not forget behavioral health. People are still dealing with a lot of anxiety and fear related to the pandemic and its consequences. Make sure employees have mental healthcare resources and know how/why to use them.
Be honest about the presence of racism and proactively work to dismantle its drivers, without defensiveness.
About the Racial and Social Equity Webinar Series
The Greater Washington Board of Trade’s Racial and Social Equity Webinar Series will provide business leaders across the region the knowledge and tools they need to build more diverse, inclusive, and equitable organizations. It will help leaders identify drivers of inequity and injustice and take concrete steps towards being agents of positive change.
The TD Bank Morning Star Speaker Series event on March 16 featured Bruce Mau, a celebrated design thinking expert with big ideas about the power and importance of empathetic, intentional design.
Watch Bruce’s Presentation
Happening now: Bruce Mau is making the case for massive change in our society and economy, and explaining how empathetic design can get us there.
— Greater Washington Board of Trade (@GWBoardofTrade) March 16, 2021
A powerful concept: what if we intentionally and carefully designed our relationship with nature? "It's not about taking control, it's about taking responsibility" says Mau. pic.twitter.com/qLVln43RcT
— Greater Washington Board of Trade (@GWBoardofTrade) March 16, 2021
The presentation was followed by a Q&A led by David Cronrath, Associate Provost and Professor at the School of Architecture, Planning, & Preservation at the University of Maryland.
Watch the Q&A
About MC24
Bruce Mau has long applied the power of design to transforming the world. Developed over the past three decades, this remarkable book is organized by 24 values that are at the core of Mau’s philosophy. MC24 features essays, observations, project documentation, and design work by Mau and other high-profile architects, designers, artists, scientists, environmentalists, and thinkers of our time. Practical, playful, and critical, it equips readers with a tool kit and empowers them to make an impact and engender change on all scales.
About the TD Bank Morning Star Speaker Series
For over ten years, this series has brought incredible authors and thought-leaders to the Board of Trade community for enlightening presentation and discussion. We are grateful to the series sponsor, TD Bank, for its commitment to providing this benefit to Board of Trade members and community stakeholders.
Members of the Board of Directors, Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA):
The Greater Washington Board of Trade urges you to reconsider the significant cuts proposed for the fiscal 2022 budget. Any of these reductions, individually or in combination, would dramatically stymie both near-term economic recovery and long-term economic growth. In particular, these cuts would adversely impact the essential workers we all rely on and further widen the region’s stubborn opportunity gaps and racial inequities.
We recognize the extraordinary financial challenges facing WMATA resulting from decreased ridership since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Options are limited, we know. The two federal stimulus programs passed in 2020 provided sufficient funds to stabilize WMATA’s budget through fiscal year end 2021. And now it appears that additional funds will be available to carry through to the end of the 2022 fiscal year. This is great news for the public transit system that serves the national capital region, and our home, yet it’s not a long-term, sustainable approach for reliable day-to-day operations, system expansion and necessary capital expenditures. For example, even prior to current shortfalls, WMATA faced significant funding and strategic challenges.
The Board of Trade continues to support your efforts as we have since Metro’s inception. We have advocated for Metro’s growth, federal and local funding and more; including the founding of MetroNow to help secure long overdue dedicated funding in 2018. Now that our region looks to emerge from the pandemic, we should take this opportunity to reimagine the future of WMATA and public transit. Recognizing the outsized role that buses have played of late – this service made essential work possible throughout the pandemic and carried two to three times as many customers as rail – implementing the regional Bus Transformation Project is a good place to start.
Our economy continues to diversify away from the federal employment base for which Metro was originally designed. A growing population, new businesses and emerging technologies require us to think anew about goals for how WMATA will provide reliable, safe, and convenient regional mobility. And perhaps most importantly, how might we move the system away from the need to consider service cuts during challenging times. Pre-pandemic, transit only captured 3% of the 17 million daily trips in our region – mostly work trips – opening the door to look beyond the commute as a construct for the future. We look forward to working with all of you and WMATA’s management team to explore ways to do better.
Thank you for all you do to make our region more competitive, help decrease the use of single-occupancy vehicles and enhance our quality of life and for considering our position on this important matter. Metro stimulates regional economic opportunities and is a linchpin in the region’s economy. We must find ways to grow not shrink Metro.
Sincerely,
Jack McDougle President & CEO Greater Washington Board of Trade
Millions of hard-working Americans lack access to good jobs and career pathways while at the same time, many employers struggle to hire the talent they need to succeed. This is referred to as the “Opportunity Divide.” At a national level, this dynamic is threatening US economic competitiveness. At the local level, many talented individuals are excluded from opportunities to build a long-term career and financial security. In this webinar, experts explored the perceptions, policies, and practices that often exacerbate the Opportunity Divide and begin to explore how your organization can be a driver for change.
PRESENTERS & MODERATORS
Ronda Thompson, Chief Diversity Equity & Inclusion Officer, Grads of Life
Krysta Sadowski, Director of Advisory Services, Grads of Life
PANELISTS
Rae Vann, Shareholder, Carlton Fields
Ken Jenkins, Business Development at NFP
Rebecca Shambaugh, President and CEO, SHAMBAUGH Leadership
Webinar Recording
Summary
Videos shown in the presentation from Grads of Life:
The “Opportunity Divide” impacts individuals and employers. On one side of the divide are individuals without traditional career pathways (for example, they may not have the opportunity to go to college). On the other side are employers who have roles, typically “middle-skill” roles, that they struggle to fill.
“Opportunity Talent” are those individuals who lack traditional career pathways but do posses unique skills and the desire to work. They may be young people not in higher education, people with disabilities, or the formerly incarcerated.
Companies are most successful in their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts when the very highest levels of leadership support and advocate for it. Companies should identify executives who are responsible for DEI outcomes and provide resources and businesses processes to support them.
Ken Jenkins of NFP said that the most the most critical step is to define the relationship between the DEI advisory board and the executive leadership team and the governance model. The company should decide if the DEI advisory board is a recommending body or a decision-making body, and how changes will be reviewed and implemented. Establishing a strong structure ahead of time ensures that DEI efforts are fully supported by the organization.
It is important that companies have structures in place to hold executives accountable for DEI outcomes. As Rebecca Shambaugh of Leadership put it, “What gets measured gets done.” Companies should track their DEI performance with quantifiable metrics and data, and make outcomes an expected part of executive performance.
It is also important that executives understand how their employees are experiencing work. One way to do this is to go on a listening tour and create a space where employees can share their needs and concerns. Black employees often report unfair disadvantages, such as not being given the same levels of constructive feedback or opportunities to build visibility in their organization.
About the Racial and Social Equity Webinar Series
The Greater Washington Board of Trade’s Racial and Social Equity Webinar Series will provide business leaders across the region the knowledge and tools they need to build more diverse, inclusive, and equitable organizations. It will help leaders identify drivers of inequity and injustice and take concrete steps towards being agents of positive change.
