Since the 2020 SEAOC convention’s forum on diversity, equity, and inclusion, SEAOSC (along with SEAOC and each of the other three Member Organizations) has made a concerted effort to incorporate this important work into the daily functions of the Association. At this year’s SEAOC Convention, the final day’s plenary session consisted of a panel of representatives describing the efforts by each of the MO’s. Lorena Arce, Co-Chair of SEAOSC’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, provided the update for SEAOSC and explained the committee’s efforts. As a panelist, Lorena answered some key questions to highlight this important work of the Association...
Who at SEAOSC is leading the diversity initiatives?
It is important to say that the Executive Board has been instrumental in this effort. Also, our Women in Structural Engineering Committee has been working toward equity in the workplace for several years now. Through their activities, they empower our members and educate firm leaders on the issues that concern women in the workplace. The Diversity and Inclusivity Committee was formed in June of 2020 to expand the diversity efforts for the Association. We didn’t plan it, but the D&I Committee is composed of board members, and liaisons to WiSE, YMC, Communications, and other committees. I think this presents a unique opportunity to interweave diversity efforts into the Association.
How did the D&I committee come about?
D&I began as an ad Hoc committee empowered by Ken O’Dell toward the end of his term. Matt Barnard, the incoming president for SEAOSC, quickly recognized a need for us to be a standing-alone committee. We met weekly for an entire year! There had been a lot of discussions, and we had to strip down the discussion to the very definition of diversity. We wanted to develop a strategy and execution plan that would be sustainable. We had to understand and manage our resources ranging from funds to volunteers to contacts, etc. There are a lot of great ideas -- we had to ask ourselves: what can we accomplish in a short amount of time that could be most impactful, while continuing to work toward the intermediary and long-term goals?
How did you get involved and were you prepared to take on a role like this?
Personally, I just dove in…I think all of us did. Also, personally, I was completely unprepared. We had to assess where we as a community stand…and so naturally, we looked atSEAONC SE3 and atNCSEA. I started to attend meetings to see what others are doing. It was frustrating at times because some groups were racing ahead with their programs doing an amazing job and I wanted us to move that quickly too. I also looked elsewhere; outside of the structural engineering profession. I found that a lot of the engineering professions (civil, transportation, and electrical) find themselves in the same situation as us: wanting to do more to affect change in our community. We aren’t alone in this movement. We are only getting started and the beauty of this Association is that you can help carry the torch forward by getting involved.
How are you supporting firms on their D&I journey?
To reiterate, the work that WiSE has been doing and planned out for the upcoming year is part of the answer; because their efforts to improve women’s experience as a structural engineer inherently improves diversity within the firms. At the D&I committee, we noticed how a lot of firms started to develop their own initiatives, in-house D&I committees, social media posts, etc. We want to create a platform for these firms to come together and collaborate with one another. We also recognize that a lot of our members come from small firms that may not have the resources to develop their own programs, so we want to make sure that those firms can lean on the association. And along the lines of recognition, upon direction from our Board, we are developing a Diversity and Inclusivity Award for firms that demonstrate an exemplary commitment to improving diversity within their company-more details to come!
As part of your student outreach, which students will you reach out to and how do you plan on doing so?
We want all students to know of our profession, right? With our limited resources, we analyzed at the student’s journey from kindergarten through post-grad hoping to pin-point those pivotal stages where they might steer their interests towards structural engineering. We also recognized that there are a lot of organizations and programs out there focused on STEM fields and minorities. They have been doing this for many years, quite well. We researched these to find out which ones would make the most sense for us to work with given our current resources. As a starting point, we identified high-school and early college as optimal ages to target. We are developing partnerships with ACE Mentoring, Boys and Girls Club of Southern California, and local NSBE chapters. Our goal is to create a program that minimizes the effort by our volunteers but maximizes their impact in a fun and rewarding way.
What do you mean by SEAOSC Stories?
With such an emphasis on lack of diversity, we want to recognize that we do have some diversity in our Association; certainly more than there has been in the past. Our membership includes women, persons of multi-national backgrounds, LGBTQ community, age, religion, etc. We wondered why we just don’t celebrate it enough or in a way that could make a difference. Through this initiative, we are telling the stories of our members and their achievements. We want to shine the light on the individual’s journey, challenges, and successes. Also, why stop at people? We also want to celebrate the diversity that exists in our firms and our projects. We want people both within and outside of our profession to update their image of the structural engineer and the profession.
How do you present SEAOSC Stories?
We want to create content for people to connect with our profession. Understanding that people receive information thru various mediums, we selected newsletter articles, social media, and films to start. We will be relying a lot on WiSE and Younger Member committees to help identify folks or projects to profile. We actually want to hear from the membership at large. In fact, we are releasing a 5-part web series of short films called Something from Nothing. The trailer for this web series premiered the convention. You can help by liking and sharing content, nominating members or projects to highlight, and by getting involved with our committee!
What specifically can your members expect for the upcoming year?
Well, WiSE has some exciting plans this year. They’re programming includes the launch a Mentorship program, modeled after SEAONC SE3’s long-term mentorship program. They will roll it out initially to the WiSE, D&I, and YMCs as a pilot program, with the intention of expanding it to the rest of the membership. Secondly, they are working towards a Business Management program aimed to support professionals interested in improving their skills around hiring and employee retention, business development, and project management. From the D&I committee, we are planning on ACE Mentorship recruitment events, speaker engagements for NSBE and Boys & Girls Club, recognition of our first ever Diversity and Inclusivity Award, and more SEAOSC Stories.
