Last month, Utah Business partnered with Dentons Durham Jones Pinegar to host a roundtable featuring Utah’s DEI leaders. Moderated by Sara Jones, CEO of InclusionPro, they discussed partnerships, challenges, progress and more. Here are a few highlights from the conversation.

What positive progress have you witnessed in DEI this past year?

Latonya Howell | VP, People & Culture | Tafi

We see a lot of applicants asking about DEI initiatives within the organization when they apply for jobs. That wasn’t the case a year ago. I think a lot of companies, particularly in the tech industry, have realized they have to focus on that to attract the talent they want.

Tammy Nguyen | Executive Director for Equity in Access | Weber State University

Weber State has created its own EDI division, which Adrian Andrews is now the VP of. The newest thing that we’re excited about is changing from one multicultural center to five cultural centers. 

Connie Washington | VP, People & Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Progressive Leasing

I’ve seen more community collaboration. Sidni moderated a panel at Progressive with different folks from the community, higher education and other areas. The knowledge in that room was absolutely incredible. It’s not a competition; it’s a collaboration.

Sindee Savage | Director, Community & Partnerships | V School

At V School, we just launched a national, full-ride UX/UI scholarship with Impact Magazine and Tunisha Brown. We’re also offering partial scholarships, $2,000 each. 

Jason Myers | Senior Manager, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | CHG Healthcare

We’re seeing increased buy-in from our candidates and our current employees. We just got back our employee experience surveys, and our scores on the DEI metrics are the highest they’ve ever been.

Bailey Wymes | Special Project Coordinator | The Center for Economic Opportunity and Belonging

We just launched a belonging in the workplace toolkit for free online. We also launched a PSA with Comcast about storytelling and how storytelling in the workplace is really important to building relationships and connections. Businesses are interested in building safe workplaces where their employees can thrive and be supported.

Emma E. Houston | Assistant VP for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion; Chief Diversity Officer | University of Utah

At the University of Utah, we have implemented a module on equity, diversity and inclusion in our new hire onboarding process. It lets everyone know that it is everyone’s responsibility to do the work. 

Rebecca Chavez-Houck | Managing Member | Aspira Public Affairs

I’m seeing more organizations and businesses reach out. Some are trying to authentically figure out how to incorporate DEI. Sometimes, you need an honest, internal look, starting with your mission and values. Then you have to completely disassemble and reimagine that. 

Are businesses moving back to the status quo on DEI, or are they moving forward?

Shelly Johnson | EVP & Senior Director, Operations, Strategy & Risk | Zions Bank

At Zions Bank, it’s an evolution. We recently created surveys within our company to see what our current DEI benchmark is. What we did 150 years ago will be very different from what we’re doing today. We have to keep that conversation at the forefront.

Ben Baldonado | Business Relations Supervisor | Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

The job market’s great right now. Employees with talent are more interested in culture and how they belong more than just the income. It’s important to have a living wage, but belonging and inclusion are a big part of why people stay or leave an organization. Those who understand that are thriving. The businesses that don’t are struggling. 

Donald Cherry | Executive Director, Corporate Sustainability; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council Chair | USANA

The short answer is it depends. Some companies have always worked on DEI. It’s always been a good thing, and they’re continuing to make progress. For some companies, DEI was just a flash in 2020. They are falling off now that it isn’t popular. Then, some companies see that this really aligns with their values and their mission. Those companies are starting to move forward.

Sidni L. Shorter | President & CEO | Utah Black Chamber of Commerce

We find that organizations struggle with being honest about their culture. That’s a concern for me. Fortunately, with the Black Chamber, I have laid the foundation that this is what we are here for. This is how we bring value. This is a safe space to have this conversation.

Connie Washington | VP, People & Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Progressive Leasing

In the last three years, we implemented six ERGs, and I listened to our employees. Our DEI scores shot up; there’s no going back. The visibility is there, the belonging is there and the voice of these people that have never been heard within the workplace is there now. We have to continue moving forward because the employees won’t tolerate going back. I believe our people feel they’re at a place where they can be who they are. 

Olivia Jaramillo | Director, Public Outreach & Training | Equality Utah

I have noticed some companies say they need a DEI officer but then don’t give the officer any power. They say, “This is my DEI officer,” then go back to business as normal. But companies thrive when you have strong DEI leadership. You see change that sticks when you have strong leadership that truly values the voices you hired.

How can businesses partner with you to gain value for their business?

Lisa Duckworth | State of Utah’s Veteran Employment Representative | Utah Department of Workforce Services

Start with the Department of Workforce Services. Start with your state- and federally-funded resources. Then, there are also other not-for-profits, chambers of commerce, Hiring Our Heroes and things like that that have resources available. Just start! Even something as simple as a Google search can give you almost too many resources. 

Layne Kertamus | Founder | Asperian Nation

I don’t define the problem for the organization; I let them diagnose it. That is far more valuable than superimposing a culture or a notion. I always go back to wellness, asking people what they like about their workplace as opposed to what’s broken. There’s still stress in the process, but by asking the right questions, it’s more positive.

Ben Baldonado | Business Relations Supervisor | Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

We start where the business owners, HR directors and hiring officials are and let them know that we don’t offend easily. Ask anything. The bottom line is it makes good business sense to hire and retain individuals with disabilities. 

Sindee Savage | Director, Community & Partnerships | V School

As we are working with partners and helping their businesses grow, our reputation is that our students—our graduates—are diverse. We’ve been fortunate enough for companies to reach out to us and ask to hire our students or partner with us because they want and need diversity. 

What are we seeing in terms of remote work and the push to come back into the office? 

Layne Kertamus | Founder | Asperian Nation

Unless there are task specific requirements associated for the role, non-leaders will not be coming back except on a hybrid schedule. The concept of work hours is evolving and on measure employers are getting more productivity not less, if workers have the tools and appropriate supervision. For neurodivergent employees this is a great time to have at least a partially remote career.

Tammy Nguyen | Executive Director for Equity in Access | Weber State University

At an institution that’s predominantly white, having folks actually on campus that represent underrepresented populations is good for students to see. There are only so many places during a student’s college career where they actually can see folks like them. Physically being there is important.

Jason Myers | Senior Manager, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | CHG Healthcare

Hybrid is the way of the future. We have people that never want to come back into the office, but the surgeon general just came out with a warning that connection is an American’s biggest health risk—greater than heart disease. At CHG, connecting people, remotely or in the office, is our main focus. We’re physically redesigning our workspaces so they are equitable for anyone, no matter how they want to work. 

Ariel Malan | Outreach Network & Development Specialist | University of Utah Health

For many of our employees, we represent the communities that we serve. Being an LGBTQ+ person, sometimes showing up authentically to work is difficult because of the safety risks and even career risks; we may not get promoted because our self-expression could be perceived as unprofessional. Remote work is creating this humanity that’s really saying, “We’re all the same.” 

Bailey Wymes | Special Project Coordinator | The Center for Economic Opportunity and Belonging

A lot of people, especially new Americans, have had and still have to work in person, and they aren’t being supported. They aren’t being given the critical care they need. We need to have collective community care. We need an emphasis on mental health. We need greater accessibility so people have the time and resources to care for themselves and care for their families.

Lisa Duckworth | State of Utah’s Veteran Employment Representative | Utah Department of Workforce Services

I’m a huge proponent of remote workplaces. I’ve had that as an option in my role and with other companies for over a decade. It’s difficult for me to wrap my mind around people who don’t understand all the benefits involved with it. For veterans and their military spouses, companies can keep and retain a great employee by having the flexibility to let them work from virtually anywhere in the world.

Donald Cherry | Executive Director, Corporate Sustainability; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council Chair | USANA

It goes back to culture. I’ve been at my company for 17 years as of January. One of the reasons that I stay there is the gym and the people I’ve met playing basketball and working out. We have kickboxing, yoga and meditation classes that are a huge part of our culture. But I can also understand how remote work vs. in-person work may have a negative impact on the overarching culture. 

How can business leaders advocate against anti-DEI efforts in our state legislature?

Jeanetta Williams | President | NAACP Salt Lake Branch

I’ve been seeing blatant attacks on DEI in departments, colleges, universities and even some businesses across the country. Even more so recently with the Supreme Court decision against affirmative action. As representatives of DEI, we need to make sure that people are speaking out. For instance, during the recent legislative session where one legislator was promoting getting rid of DEI, the University of Utah president came and spoke out against the change. It made a huge difference.

Rebecca Chavez-Houck | Managing Member | Aspira Public Affairs

It’s all about relationships and knowing legislators on a personal level. Develop a relationship with your legislators well before you need to advocate for something. Developing trust will help them hear you better because they’ve gotten to know you in different contexts. At the end of the day, elected officials are looking at the next election, but hopefully their values prevail the longer they’re in office.

Olivia Jaramillo | Director, Public Outreach & Training | Equality Utah

In 2015, Utah passed its first non-discrimination law, including race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. It took 10 years of relationship-building to get that bill passed and approved. This past session, a lot of bills came after diversity, equity, inclusion and the transgender community. There’s a lot of understanding that we need to do around those issues. 

Latonya Howell | VP, People & Culture | Tafi

When these bills came up, we had a lot of people show up to the Capitol to speak in opposition to these bills, but we needed more. People don’t realize that what happens in higher education directly impacts the future workforce. 

Ariel Malan | Outreach Network & Development Specialist | University of Utah Health

We have this misconception that anti-DEI bills only impact minority folks—that’s not the case. Large, revenue-producing events are being held in new places to avoid states with anti-DEI bills because they’re not willing to put people at risk. People are moving to other states because healthcare is not available in their state for their families. This is affecting our economy and our state’s infrastructure, not just our minority communities.

Sidni L. Shorter | President & CEO | Utah Black Chamber of Commerce

There’s a reason the bill didn’t pass in Utah, and I think we really need to focus on that. We are doing great work building relationships and making sure legislators understand who we are. From a chamber perspective, we need to be strategic and smart about how we move into this legislative session to make sure that the outcome is the same. When you look at who’s around the table, I believe we have the ability to do that. 

Edward Bennett | Director, Business Development | Suazo Business Center

Legislators are people, too. Most of them have the best interests of their districts, the state and all of us in their hearts. That’s what’s different in Utah. But, in our culture, there is not a clear differentiation between what it means to be conservative and what it means to be non-changing. Systemic racism exists. Systemic sexism exists. That doesn’t mean every human is racist or every human is sexist. We need to figure out how to stop having these conversations amongst ourselves and instead carry the conversation to the public.

Luna Banuri | Executive Director & Founding Board Member | Utah Muslim Civic League

I wanted to discuss the role of faith communities in this space. We are constantly looked upon as another extreme. How do we bridge that so conservativism and religious identity are not grouped with extremism and instead are used for bridge-building? That would be my wish: to include religious identity as part of DEI efforts. Without it, the entire pie is not complete.