Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Our Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) seeks to create a culture where our staff is supported—one in which people can bring their full selves to work and feel encouraged to grow and thrive professionally. Our focus is on ensuring that NRDC’s internal culture reflects and embodies principles and practices of equity. In strengthening these functions, we aim to advance an organization that is as strong and united as its people.

The Office of DEI bases this work around three foundational pillars:

• People: Provide people—especially people from marginalized backgrounds—with the support systems necessary to learn, grow, and advance in the organization.
• Processes: Evaluate and improve NRDC’s hiring, retention, and promotions processes and practices so everyone has a fair chance to achieve their goals.
• Education: Create educational programs and learning opportunities through which staff can feel supported and empowered on their DEI journeys, such as trainings on implicit bias and how to lead more inclusive meetings.

We’re working hard to transform our practices—from diversifying our board of trustees to developing Employee Resource Groups with staff to improving the processes of how we hire, retain, and promote our people. For NRDC, the actions we take to improve our internal culture are just as important as how we work externally, and are inseparable from our goals.