Developing DEI That Matters

“The cars get bumped because everybody’s coming in at different speeds. I got bumped and I bumped into the car in front, and when I exited the vehicle, there was a white man and his son standing over to the side,” Braswell recalled. “And as I walked by, he approached me and grabbed me in the back of my neck and used the terrible epitaph, the terrible word, the N-word, and said that if I ever hurt him or his son, he would hang me.”

That was a catalyst for Braswell to move forward, somehow managing not to let anger fester from that terrible experience, which he said made a difference in his life.

That difference fueled Braswell’s prodigious career shaping his passion for diversity and inclusion that he brought with him when he joined the $10 ­billion VyStar Credit Union in Jacksonville, Fla., in June. Within just six months, he has successfully led the development of DEI initiatives for Florida’s second largest credit union, which employs more than 2,000 full-time and part-time people who operate 80 branches and serve nearly 750,000 members.

Some of VyStar’s accomplishments include implementing a “Let’s Talk About It” initiative that facilitates safe and respectful discussions about difficult DEI issues, establishing employee resource groups and social groups to give a voice to minority employees, veterans, employees with disabilities and working parents, and developing a gender and racial management analysis throughout the entire organization to advance diversity and inclusion within the leadership ranks.

“It takes commitment, dedication and the resources because as Brian [Wolburg, president/CEO of VyStar] says, we need to put our money where our mouth is, and I’m really proud to work at a company that is doing that,” Braswell said. “Are we perfect yet? No. Are we going to have to deal with all of the isms from racism to sexism, to multiculturalism as a country? Yes, but what we hope at Vystar is to be the beacon of light in the credit union industry, an organization that’s engaged in doing it right. And setting practices that we will share with others to continue to move forward and never let diversity and inclusion fade away.”

Braswell was one of a slew of DEI vice presidents who were hired by credit unions during the summer and fall months following the killing of George Floyd in May and the subsequent demonstrations and protests that elevated a new national awareness and action to address social and racial inequalities.

In fact, the fastest-growing C-suite title in 2020 was “chief ­diversity officer.” According to a LinkedIn analysis of nearly 100,000 C-suite hires in the U.S. from January to October, the appointments of chief diversity officers grew 84% as a proportion of the total of senior executives hired last year.

For Braswell, his circuitous career path eventually led him to become a DEI leader about 30 years after that unhappy and life-changing experience at the theme park. In 2003 he was hired as a technical services manager at Walt Disney World, and three years later was named manager of global strategies for diversity and inclusion for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, where he worked with Marty Sklar, a legendary Disney Imagineer.

“So actually I’m a weird animal,” Braswell acknowledged. “I’m high tech and high touch with an undergraduate degree in information technology, and my ­graduate ­degree was in HR. But I had some incredible team members that were with me at Disney.” Before joining the civilian workforce in 1992 and working in a variety of industries, he served in the United States Marine Corps as a cryptologic technician and analyst, and as a Bahasa Indonesian Linguist. He also held a DEI leadership position at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.

As a D&I executive, Braswell worked in Disney’s imaginations program, which identified men and women from around the world to join the organization’s new generation of Imagineers with whom he developed long-term relationships.

“When you can create a platform for people to feel authentically able to represent who they are and in bringing their best self to the table, be heard and feel a sense of belonging, I think that’s what D&I is all about,” he explained.

After establishing the credit union’s first-ever DEI policy, mission and goals, Braswell and his team developed a structure through initiatives and programs to help VyStar employees be heard and feel a sense of belonging to the organization similar to the environment Braswell helped develop during his Disney World days.

The concept of the credit union’s “Let’s Talk About It” initiative sprang from a branch vice president who was challenged by her feelings and thoughts about the social injustice and unrest that was occurring throughout Florida and the rest of the nation following the tragic killing of George Floyd and others, in addition to numerous pressures and stresses caused by the coronavirus economic and health crisis.

Because of the political climate, cultural sensitivities and other barriers, the branch vice president didn’t feel she could talk about the issues that were looming over her like a dark cloud.

To help leaders have difficult conversations about DEI issues, VyStar used the 13 principles developed by Valencia College’s Peace and Justice Institute. The principles set ground rules that create a hospitable and accountable community that enables people to speak their truth, listen deeply, suspend judgements, practice asking honest and open questions, and give space for unpopular answers.

The first “Let’s Talk About It” discussion was rolled out at branches in one region. The conversations centered on the political climate, the cultural sensitivities and the social unrest that were at the heart of the protests occurring around the country.

“It was amazing to watch the small group exercises that allowed for a platform to share how employees felt and the relationships that were built from that,” Braswell said. “We probably saved that young branch vice president from leaving our organization because she found out that other people care.”

He noted that the conversations also broke down the barriers of thoughts like “I don’t really know what to say. I want to say something, but I don’t know how to say it and I don’t want to get it wrong. So, I’m not going to say anything.”

“What happened out of the first sessions helped continue relationships among branch vice presidents. Even though they are in a competitive environment with each other to be the best and the brightest, they nevertheless began reaching out to each other to say, ‘Are you OK?’ ‘How are you feeling today?’” Braswell said. “And that builds a sense of unity, an environment where you are important, and that sense of belonging that I think all organizations would want to have happen.”

VyStar also created Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) based on the seven protected classes under the Civil Rights Act, which include race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. What’s more, the credit union also established social network groups with commonalities such as working parents, employees over 50 and emerging leaders.

The ERGs and social networks meet on a weekly, monthly or as-needed basis to discuss workplace topics and issues, and make recommendations to the Employee Resource Group Leadership Council, which is made up of leaders from every ERG. The groups also set goals to participate in community events, sponsor projects and conduct internal activities such as celebrating minority groups and educating employees about their cultures.

The credit union produced its first-ever DEI calendar that, for example, highlights African American contributions and milestones during Black History Month, including recipes on how to make a sweet potato pie and other dishes. What’s more, the Shades of Success employee resource group is using SharePoint to educate employees about prominent African Americans and their achievements.

The Shades of Success group also will be funding a new book that will chronicle how young students across the nation have managed the challenges they have faced during the pandemic. Additionally, the parent group and the Change and Success employee resource group is donating funds to provide more than 200 books to Jacksonville students.

Another dimension to Vystar’s DEI efforts is its gender and racial management analysis that is looking at the organization’s leadership structure, from supervisors to senior executives.

“When people are working in an organization, they’re always looking to see if they can see themselves in the organizational leadership,” Braswell said.

In addition to reviewing the leadership structure, the next phase of the analysis includes establishing benchmark data that will help set the credit union’s DEI strategic direction over the next three years.