Humanidei + O’Rourke Launches Network for CU DEI Leaders
CU leaders tasked with developing diversity, equity and inclusion are invited to join the new peer group.
Being in charge of developing and integrating the relatively new strategic area of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is not an easy task, but now credit union professionals who are in this position don’t have to feel alone with their challenges.
Consulting firm Humanidei + O’Rourke announced the formation of a Credit Union DEI Practitioner Network Thursday, which it said is a supportive and resourceful peer group for credit union leaders who are at the helm of DEI strategy in their organizations. It will provide DEI practitioners the opportunity to share encouragement, resources and ideas to move DEI strategies forward, the firm said.
The network’s participants have begun engaging in monthly discussions via video conference, covering topics such as designing strategic diversity plans and equitable lending practices, sharing resources to support employees through gender reassignment, and the development of employee resource groups. So far, executives from approximately 20 credit unions representing over $60 billion in assets have participated, the firm said.
One of the network’s charter members is Creighton Blackwell, chief culture and impact officer for the $3.4 billion, Raleigh, N.C.-based Coastal Federal Credit Union. “Credit unions are known for their cooperation among cooperatives,” Blackwell said in a news release. “This DEI Practitioner Network is a great example of one more way credit unions are collaborating to change people’s lives and the communities we serve.”
“The chief diversity officer is a high stress, high turnover position in any industry,” Humanidei + O’Rourke President/CEO Jill Nowacki stated in the release. “For credit unions, the sense of urgency to integrate diversity, equity and inclusion strategies in a time when the workforce is already dealing with a global pandemic, economic uncertainty and brand new remote work challenges creates potential for even greater burnout of our leaders.”
Credit union executives who are interested in joining the network can send an email to info@humanidei.com.
Humanidei was organized to assist credit unions with building more inclusive workplaces; O’Rourke & Associates is the firm’s executive recruiting division.