Maryland Tech Council’s DEI in Action Pledge Makers Coffee & Conversation
The Maryland Tech Council (MTC) launched its Technology Inclusivity Initiative (TI2) to advance diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI) within the State’s technology-based industries and fuel socioeconomic advancement via technological solutions for underrepresented and underestimated groups throughout Maryland. MTC believes that it makes good business sense and creates a competitive advantage for an organization to develop a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce, leadership, strategy and culture.
It’s never enough to simply recognize the importance and value of DEI. It is critical that a commitment to DEI include implementation of an action-oriented approach for achieving DEI. That’s why the TI2 Steering Committee developed a DEI in Action Pledge through which organizations are invited to join MTC in the commitment to advance DEI by taking the MTC DEI In Action Pledge.
Since releasing the DEI in Action Pledge in February, companies of varying sizes across a variety of industry sectors, have taken the Pledge. As part of “taking the Pledge,” each organization indicates three action items they will undertake to advance DEI within their own organization. There were several common action items selected by a majority of the Pledge Makers. Some of them include:
- Discuss DEI topics regularly in leadership meetings
- Ensure that all employees are given equitable access to professional development opportunities
- Review our job descriptions and hiring processes to ensure we’re creating equal access to the job opportunities in our company and ensuring lack of bias
- Develop a one-year DEI plan
- Enable diverse career paths across roles
- Host at least one DEI related program within our organization for team members
- Routinely assess compensation, comparing employee salaries to industry, community, and organizational benchmarks. Disaggregate this data by race, gender and other diverse identities.
Every organization that has taken the DEI in Action Pledge indicated they would appreciate help from the Maryland Tech Council in accomplishing their three selected diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI) action items. In response to those requests, MTC is hosting its first DEI in Action Pledge Makers Coffee & Conversation on October 18th from 8-10 AM at the Maryland Innovation Center in Columbia, MD. Attendance is limited to team members from organizations that have taken the Pledge. It is no cost to do so.
For this informal program, Pledge Makers will be joined by two professionals with experience in helping organizations on their DEI journey, one with strategy and tool development expertise, the other with HR-specific expertise. The forum is designed to connect each with other individuals and organizations committed to advancing DEI and to hear experiences and discover tips and tools for use in advancing DEI within their own organization from two DEI thought-leaders and practitioners.
The Technology Inclusivity Initiative is not only important to the Maryland Tech Council for its own commitment to DEI,” said LaToya Staten, Strategic Projects Specialist for Fearless, MTC Board Member and TI2 Chairperson, “but as an organization dedicated to providing resources to help its members grow and succeed, MTC also wants to make sure those members have the information, tools and access to whatever they may need to be more diverse, equitable and inclusive, no matter where they are on that journey.
The two DEI subject matter specialists for the October 18th DEI in Action Pledge Makers program are:
- Sertrice Grice, Co-Owner & Chief Consulting Officer of Mattingly Solutions, a woman-owned diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consulting firm
- Kimberly N. Prescott, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, President, Prescott HR, Inc.
The TI2 Steering Committee expects that discussions at the October 18th program will inform them on ideas for future programming to meet the needs of the DEI Pledge Makers.
There is no cost to attend the Pledge Makers program, but attendance is limited to team members from Pledge Maker organizations. For more information on the DEI in Action Pledge, including what organizations have already taken the Pledge, and/or to take the Pledge for your organization, click here.
DEI in Action Pledge Makers can register to attend the October 18th program here.