DIVERSITY & INCLUSION COMMITTEE

Created in 2016, the Diversity & Inclusion Committee acts to share, disseminate, and educate the NEDRA community on issues related to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Collaborating closely with NEDRA Programming, the Diversity & Inclusion Committee arranges for relevant presentations and workshops specifically for the NEDRA community. The committee also aims to provide informational and action-oriented resources for all interested individuals within the NEDRA community, and, when valuable, members of any community.

The Diversity & Inclusion Committee is currently co-chaired by Kiran Tahir of Yale University, and April Genung of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Committee members include Daniella Arthurs of Trinity College, Lauren Casas of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Samir Chapra of Princeton University Advancement, Roslyn Clarke of Partners in Health, Kristal Enter of Massachusetts General Hospital, Nancy Faughnan of Yale University, Bertrand Flament of University of California San Diego, Samantha Harris of Combined Jewish Philanthropies, and Andrea Simmons of University of Rhode Island.

The Diversity & Inclusion Committee thanks the following former committee members for their uncommon devotion to the ideas and actions this committee was formed to address (organization affiliations are as of time of committee service):

Richard Horne of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Jolene Crosby-Jones of Massachusetts General Hospital

Elizabeth Dill of Harvard Medical School

Marium Majid

Christina Mansdorf of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Deborah Neumann of Boston Children's Hospital

Qaya Thompson of The Cleveland Orchestra

Mission Statement: 

The Diversity and Inclusion Committee aims to provide tools and initiatives that support diversity and inclusion with the aim that all feel safe, empowered, respected, and valued in our growing development research community.

NEDRA D&I Committee Definitions:
The NEDRA D&I Committee defines DIVERSITY as encompassing all physical and cultural differences on the human spectrum.

The NEDRA D&I Committee defines INCLUSION to mean the acceptance, engagement, and empowerment of our entire community and the cultivation of a collaborative culture based on mutual respect.

Volunteer Tasks:

Diversity & Inclusion Committee members may:

• Collaborate with members of other NEDRA committees to incorporate diversity and inclusion.  Examples include:
• • Finding individuals of underrepresented groups and/or individuals whose organizations focus on underrepresented groups to spotlight for the Humans of NEDRA social media campaign
  • Finding speakers or workshop presenters for a NEDRA programming event that focus on aspects of diversity and inclusion
  • Writing articles and/or social media posts related to diversity and inclusion in the workplace, in the philanthropy sector, or beyond
• Meeting and brainstorming monthly via phone conference with other Diversity & Inclusion Committee members for updates and for greater diversity & inclusion incorporation and adoption by the NEDRA community and beyond

Time Commitment:

On average, the time commitment is estimated to be 1 - 2 hours per month fulfilling committee member tasks mentioned.

The Need for Diversity & Inclusion

(in NEDRA and in Other Apra Chapters)  

13 Reasons Why:

1. Because nonprofit organizations must champion diversity and inclusion
   
2. Because micro-aggression can get internalized without realizing it
   
3. Because male coworkers’ good intentions may actually hurt female colleagues
   
4. Because it might be easier to come out to coworkers/colleagues than family members
   
5. Because being a “model minority” is still a stereotype
   
6. Because career opportunities are still being lost due to one’s faith
   
7. Because unconscious bias still exists in the workplace
   
8. Because gender identity is more than just binary
   
9. Because nonprofit organizations can also lead like some corporate counterparts
   
10. Because conversations need to happen between employers and employees with disabilities 
    
11. Because age has more behind it than just a number
    
12. Because diversity and inclusion issues are complex and nuanced and require many allies
    
13. Because one snowflake melts easily but a critical mass can move mountains