Not long after I started working at ATR 11 years ago, ATR’s founders, Jerry and Maria Brenholz, wanted to be more formally involved in the diversity community. I was excited when I was offered the opportunity to take on these new diversity and inclusion efforts, and I wasn’t wrong to feel that way. My passion and commitment have only grown over the years, as have ATR’s. I feel lucky that my job is both personally meaningful and professionally rewarding.
Why am I telling you this? Because Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) has named me one of 50 DE&I Influencers for 2021. I want to say thank you to SIA. I am honored to be named alongside these other impressive professionals. I feel like I’ve just been doing my job, a job I love. I am also part of an amazing team at a wonderful company that created the opportunity to work in this space in the first place, so being named anything is a group effort and an honor that I share with them. I truly appreciate the recognition!
Thank you also for shining a light on the DE&I community in general. Showcasing those who are working for change is inspiring and demonstrates the breadth of what is being done in the space. The DE&I influencers on the list make a difference in so many different ways, working at companies of all sizes, some informal diversity roles, others through more informal channels. There is always room for improvement and more to do but I am proud of what we’ve all accomplished as a community so far.
A true commitment to diversity starts at the core. I encourage all companies big and small to focus on DE&I internally. It has been a focus of mine over the past year to improve and strengthen our own diversity and inclusion efforts. We’ve made changes to our website, including improved job descriptions for both internal and client job postings to remove biased language. We’re working to partner with organizations like Latinas in Tech to reach underrepresented talent, to join our own staff, and to help our clients achieve more diverse workforces. Being able to push initiatives forward because of this support is great and it is an honor to be trusted to do so.
Looking back to when I started working and seeing how the landscape of DE&I has changed is gratifying. Solutions are possible. Improvement happens. Those changes have happened because of many people working for a long time. More people than one list can highlight and much longer than my 11 years. I reiterate: I didn’t accomplish anything on my own. I am on the list because of ATR’s commitment and the wonderful colleagues that I have always been surrounded by – thank you all.
I am proud of what I’ve accomplished but I am mindful that there is still much to be done. I’m grateful to be included with all of you other wonderful, like-minded people, and look forward to working with everyone to continue to build a society that recognizes and celebrates our diversity and provides equality and opportunity for everyone.
Please feel free to reach out to me and share your thoughts or if you would like to discuss DE&I efforts for your organization.
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