By Melvin Tennant, CAE, CEO of Meet Minneapolis and Dara Rudick, CAE, CEO of Management HQ
[This article was originally published in Midwest Society of Association Executives August 2015 Newsletter.]
When the Midwest Society of Association Executives (MSAE) began to consider a diversity and inclusion initiative, there was conversation and questions. Some wondered if it was necessary, others were vehement supporters
Inclusion is in the spotlight, with the highest courts in our land making some recent, historic decisions in favor of inclusion.
- On June 25, the supreme court upheld the Fair Housing Act that addresses the denial of housing opportunities on the basis of “race, color, religion, or national origin”;
- The following day, the supreme court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges in favor of requiring all states to license a marriage between two people of the same sex;
- In January, the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act was amended in the face of significant and very public opposition, including by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Apple. Opponents accused Indiana’s act of supporting discrimination of the LGBT community based on religious convictions.
While our national laws seem to be shifting towards increasing inclusivity, we’ve all heard the recent and ongoing horrors that seem to demonstrate just the opposite:
The death of unarmed African American citizen, US Coast Guard veteran, and farther of four, Walter Scott, at the hands of a white police officer… the murders of three Syrian American Students Deah Barakat, 23, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and Razan Abu-Salha,19, by a white neighbor… Nobel Prize-winning scientist Tim Hunt’s sexist remarks at the World Conference of Science Journalists in Seoul (and in many other instances), further discouraging women who make up 13 percent of people working in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields… 17-year old Trayvon Martin shot dead by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman.. unarmed African American teenager Michael Brown’s fatal shooting by white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri… nine fatal shootings at historic black church in Charleston, SC by white shooter.
The list goes on and on.
In April 2015, the board of MSAE voted to establish a Diversity and Inclusion standing committee, demonstrating MSAE’s commitment to supporting inclusion and embracing diversity in an ongoing, strategic way.
“The MSAE board has determined that diversity and inclusion is a long-term strategic priority,” said says Dara Rudick, CEO of Management HQ, and co-chair of MSAE’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. “In light of what is happening in our businesses and communities – educating and embracing diversity not only makes absolute business sense; it is a real matter of life-and-death.”
MSAE’s role as the association of associations puts it in a leadership position to model practices that its constituent member associations can follow and the formation of this new committee sends a strong message.
“Diversity and inclusion initiatives are often a part of a damage control exercise that stems from an incident of insensitivity toward a certain individual or group,” says Melvin Tennant, CEO of Meet Minneapolis Convention and Visitor Association, and co-Chair of the MSAE Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
“My experience is that if a diversity effort is reactive versus proactive, there is a strong possibility that the initiative will not be sustainable,” says Melvin.
“As a number of MSAE member associations are exploring diversity and inclusiveness within their organizations, they are looking to MSAE to model best practices. The MSAE board sees this as an enormous opportunity to ensure that MSAE models these best practices, and becomes more reflective of the communities that MSAE and our members serve,” says Rudick.
The committee is a powerful team of association professionals, representing groups including the Minnesota Medical, Dental, and Bar Associations; the Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce; and the Minnesota Council on Foundations, and local association management companies.
“Meet Minneapolis, along with other destination marketing organizations, partners with MSAE in order to interact with leaders from its member associations and to secure their meetings and events for the city,” says Melvin. “So the business case for embracing diversity and inclusion is very clear. This is an effort to help MSAE to remain relevant into the future.”
Admittedly, MSAE doesn’t have all of the answers, but MSAE members will now have another resource to help navigate a rapidly changing world as we work to understand our communities, and ensure they are representative of – and safe for – the individuals our associations serve.
Footnote following article:
The MSAE Diversity and Inclusion committee is co-chaired by Melvin Tennant, CEO of Meet Minneapolis CVA, and Dara Rudick, CEO of Management HQ. Committee members include Dave Renner, Donnie Brown, Lea Hargett, Derek Hazeltine, Carmelo Cinqueonce, Maria Salas, Danielle Shelton Walczak, Kevin Ward, Denny Smith, and Paul Hanscom.
