To intentionally develop the leadership of people of color at all levels of the organization our board is committed to actively review and think of different ways to make board meetings open to cultural diversity. Our board offers to pay for leadership training for board members, especially anyone interested in being the board chair.

The board also faciliates intentional transitions – training someone to become the next board chair and apprenticing. Our board has also committed to:

• Help with barriers, i.e., pay for child care or elderly care and provide other support as necessary;
• Poll the board to find out what would make it easier for them to participate;
• Encourage people to not talk too much;
• Provide translation during Board meetings.

ESC believes people from the dominant culture should leave space for others to come up with answers – holding off on offering solutions and ideas. With this in mind, ESC encourages board and staff to slow the meetings down, allow more time for silence, and create venues for smaller, group discussions and informal dialogue when engaged in strategic planning and other activities.  

The Environmental Support Center provides staff training opportunities. ESC is committed to providing:

• Mentoring either with an ESC representative (Board and Staff) or someone in another organization;
• Making time for staff to participate in trainings/coaching opportunities;
• Leadership training;
• Creating built in mechanisms for professional development check-ins; and
• Making professional development part of the staff evaluation process.

To create an anti-racist environment for all staff and board at ESC, we commit to:

• Review ESC policies regularly
• Address any cultural barriers or language differences within organizational policy
• Develop user-friendly forms, materials, et cetera
• Create a professional environment that reflects the cultural diversity of board and staff

Back to our DR Goals