Dr. Everett’s DEIB Vision Statement:

A Journey to Excellence: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging - A Catalyst for Transformation!

“In my roles as a member of the President’s Black Community Council; Senior Advisor to the Provost on Equity and Inclusion; and Senior Advisor to the IDEAL Advisory Committee, I am working with the Provost and other senior university leaders towards building a culture that embraces diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and is align with the primary goal of eradicating hate and discrimination in all forms here at Stanford. DEIB is a catalyst for transformation!”

Dr. Shirley J. Everett, Senior Associate Vice Provost, R&DE
Senior Adviser to the Provost on Equity and Inclusion

Diversity in R&DE

Research and experience both confirm that when a company embraces diversity, the most talented people are not just attracted to joining the company, but are also much more productive and motivated to stay. Maintaining a truly diverse environment has been proven to be a leading indicator of the quality of our culture in addition to being an effective way of connecting to an equally diverse client base.

In R&DE, our employees reflect the remarkable range of cultures and perspectives of our clients across the more than 160 countries and jurisdictions where we do business – a powerful advantage that combines global insights with deep local knowledge. We recognize that unique individuals, collaborative teams and inclusive leaders have far-reaching impact and are the engines of new ideas. It’s our willingness to embrace the richness of our diverse teams, ideas and possibilities that drives our growth and progress.

Embracing diverse teams, ideas and possibilities helps us drive growth and progress because it’s a key part of who we are and how we thrive.

R&DE HR Safe and Brave Space Pilot: Lessons Learned

At the request of Dr. Everett, Human Resources Officer for R&DE piloted the HR Safe and Brave Space beginning summer 2020. This pilot involved learning about a range of different topics related to systemic racism (government, institutions, groups, individuals) among Black people and other marginalized groups. The sessions were enlightening and educational. The combination of content and lived experiences increase our cultural sensitivity and cultural competency.

The “R&DE HR Safe and Brave Space Topics and Resource Catalog” is a blueprint to help divisions design and implement their Safe and Brave Space Program. The catalog provides divisions with a list of topics and related resources materials such as, videos, articles, film clips, used during the pilot. Leaders and/or facilitators can select their own related resources after selecting a topic from the catalog.

Safe and Brave Space Models

Milliken “Becoming Anti-racist Model”

Any form of discrimination and racism is against Stanford and R&DE’s values of diversity, equity and inclusion. Racism harms ALL of us in many ways. It harms and destroys our communities, institutions, lives, health, well-being, relationships, integrity, and spirituality. The journey from racism to anti-racism has to happen on many levels (individual, institutional, community, organization etc.). To be anti-racist, the easiest place to start is with personal action. We are called on to act even when we are uncertain, afraid, not fully informed, and uncomfortable. Consider and reflect on this info-graph that shows how anti-racism progresses from fear, to learning to growth. The key here is taking personal action.

The key is to review and reflect where each of us fall within these zones—Fear Zone, Learning Zone, and Growth Zone. Then, develop individual or team action plans to eliminate anti-racism behaviors and promote a culture of inclusion in our workplace.

R&DE HR Safe and Brave Space: “Race, Racism & Whiteness” and Key Definitions

R&DE HR Foundations of Supervision Module III:
DEIB Practices and Employee Experience Calendar At-A-Glance

Process Design

Rania Perry emails the Safe and Brave Space schedule to the team.
Team members interested in facilitating a session will select a date and topic, then confirms both with Rania Perry. There is the option to solo or ask another team member to co-facilitate the session.
Facilitator researches and identifies topic resources such as articles, video, you tube, Ted Talks and emails resources with reflection questions and the Zoom invitation 7-10 days in advance of the session—which gives interested participants the opportunity to review the resource materials.
During the session, the facilitator (s) introduces the topic and starts the conversation. These sessions are designed to be spontaneous with open and honest conversation among participants. Participants have the option to talk and contribute to the conversation or remain silent and listen. Since these are Zoom sessions, participants have the option to activate their video. Facilitators have the option to share their resources, such as videos during the session. After watching the video(s), participants share their impressions as well as any personal story or experience.
Facilitators select session topics according to interest. We acknowledge upfront that facilitators are not subject matter experts. Rather, these sessions encourage mutual learning and sharing opportunities.
In the event there is not a facilitator for a session, Rania Perry can assist in identifying a back-up facilitator. We encourage divisional leaders to develop a back-up plan if no one volunteers to facilitate a scheduled session.