Leading with a Purpose:
Elevating an Organization’s Community Engagement by Incorporating a DEI Lens

By Wylea Chase

Building an equitable organization takes work and dedication.  It may mean that change is necessary and navigating change isn’t always easy for many organizations. However, when companies and organizations take the initiative to become more equitable and diverse, they can attract talent to improve the bottom line.

One recent example of putting this concept into practice is the organization, Montgomery Women.

Upon receiving funding from the Health Initiative Foundation for leadership training, Montgomery Women co-presidents Jennifer Russel and Tedi Osias along with board member Crystal Townsend, reached out to Leadership Montgomery to inquire about their desire to provide something for their membership that would highlight Montgomery Women’s organizational commitment to the importance of Racial Equity in their own personal lives and the life of their organization.  To that end, Leadership Montgomery designed and facilitated the training, Building An Equitable Organization which took place virtually on Saturday, September 18th.

The goal for the Building An Equitable Organization was to:

  • Deepen the awareness of and impact of equity
  • Begin the action planning process to implement an equity lens into their workplace/organization

Montgomery Women participants were fully engaged during this highly interactive and collaborative training!  The training provided a safe space where personal stories and lived experiences were shared; everyone was nurtured and supported.  Montgomery Women is well equipped as they continue on their journey to Race Equity, Diversity and inclusion.

LM has a menu of trainings to help your company or organization lead through a DE&I lens. Your team/staff/members can participate in one of our pre-scheduled trainings or we can create and customize a private training specifically for your group. To find out more about how, visit our website or reach out to me directly.

Wylea Chase is the Director, Partnerships and Corporate Engagement for Leadership Montgomery. She can be reached at wylea.chase@leadermont.org or 301.881.3333.