Valuing POC and women in the workplace does not mean burdening them with committee & task force responsibilities that prevent them from doing and thriving in their actual jobs. It actually means creating the work conditions that render those committees unnecessary.

It means doing the work so they don’t have to. If you plan to ask them to serve on a committee, plan to also pay them for their time. Payments can come in the form of promotions. Asking them to do tasks that won’t be valued in promotion decisions is setting them up for failure.

Let’s be clear about one thing: promotions to #DEI positions, like Assistant Chair or Associate Dean of D&I etc, are a hoax unless there is a clear forward to career advancement. I see way too many women & POC pigeonholed into D&I positions and misguided into career “dead ends.”

Associate Deans or Chairs of Diversity & Inclusion have what it takes and more to be Deans, Chairs, & CEOs. Just bc they value inclusion and have people skills doesn’t mean they also aren’t good at strategic planning, management, and everything else needed for the job.