Congratulations to the February Chapter of the Month, Rochester!
Beginning in 2020, the Rochester Chapter committed to making diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) central to chapter operations and incorporating it into the ATD Talent Development Capability Model. Over the next two years, the chapter brought on a VP of DEI as a standalone board position, founded a DEI community of practice to discuss the intersection of DEI and leadership and development, and explored diversifying chapter membership and bringing a DEI lens into existing programming. As part of their commitment to facilitating productive conversation around DEI, the board also developed a set of dialogue guidelines to be shared with the chapter. Additionally, the chapter hosted both a mini conference on DEI and a series of inclusion labs where participants discussed issues like inclusive language, policies, and instructional design, as well as developed practical tools to bring equitable practices into the field. Over time, these DEI-centered activities have helped increase member engagement, recruit new members, and generate positive feedback from attendees.
