WestEd

Diversity

Since WestEd’s inception more than 50 years ago, our agency has been committed to staff diversity. Individuals of different ethnicities, races, abilities, gender identities, and sexual orientations, as well as from different cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, work at all levels of the organization. We value the range of perspectives provided by this diverse workforce and the ways in which those perspectives enrich and inform our agency and the work we do.

At WestEd, our vision is to make a quality difference in the lives of children, youth, and adults. Central to that vision is the goal of equity, which we think of as the attainment of comparably positive outcomes for all groups within, or served by, any complex system — outcomes that are attainable through the implementation of policies, practices, and procedures that remove systemic barriers and provide the supports needed to ensure everyone’s full and successful participation.

Our goal of equity helps shape the work we do with and for the field, in everything from product development to technical assistance. We believe that equity is most effectively achieved by teams that are diverse and inclusive, that reflect the communities we serve, and that generate bold solutions to our most challenging issues. In our external work, we have specifically committed to

• Illuminating and addressing disparities by identifying and working to resolve inequities within the systems in which we work.
• Valuing and elevating the diverse voices  — including, the knowledge, expertise, capacity, and experiences — of those with whom we work, particularly people of color and from other historically marginalized groups.
• Ensuring equitable access to WestEd-developed resources and services for diverse communities, including those that are underserved.

Our commitment to developing an equitable and inclusive culture that values diversity guides our internal efforts to ensure that all staff feel supported and are able to succeed in their professional lives. Toward this end, we have specifically committed to

• Assuming individual and collective responsibility for building an organizational culture characterized by acceptance, respect, support, and safety for all groups and individuals.
• Creating diverse teams (e.g., by race, ethnicity, gender identity) in all aspects of our work, from responding to RFPs to delivering services.
• Ensuring that staff have equitable access to resources, technology, and opportunities (e.g., to participate in leadership, to engage in professional learning).
• Engaging in equity-focused self-reflection and learning to overcome our own biases in order to build an inclusive workplace.