2022 Committee Action Plan
The current members of the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (hereafter referred to as DEI) Committee have identified the following items as their plan of action for the year of 2022. In 2022, the committee collectively agreed to focus on growing DEI practices as related to Individual Growth (education, licensing, & mentorship), and the Professional Environment (in the workplace and in professional organizations). The 2022 DEI workplan has been divided into three main objectives and 10 actions shown below:
Goal – Increase DEI awareness and access to resources for our TXAPA Chapter members.
Objective 1 – Creating equitable and inclusive opportunities to encourage professional growth for all planners.
Action 1a: Update and maintain DEI page on the Chapter website and create and post regular social media content covering DEI topics.
Action 1b: Develop and Implement a communication plan to include branding, schedule of events, member spotlight, additional resources etc.
Action 1c: Provide AICP virtual prep workshop and fundraise for scholarships for AICP exam and prep.
Action 1d: Sponsor and help develop a DEI day or track for Annual conference sessions.
Action 1e: Raise funding to provide scholarships for attendance to the Annual conference and to provide childcare at the conference.
Objective 2 – Creating a professional environment that is diverse, equitable and inclusive for all planning professionals, current and future.
Action 2a: Create a pilot DEI training program (half day session) in collaboration with student planners (schools) for the DEI Committee with the objective for creating a training program for use in public and private sector work places and turn into a webinar for AICP credits.
Action 2b: Develop free Speaker series related to impacts of or awareness of DEI for AICP credits for TXAPA members as well as connect with other groups/organizations such as ULI, CNU etc.
Action 2c: Connections with outside APA to increase diversity in the planning profession
Objective 3 – Creating an awareness of the DEI principles
Action 3a: Sponsor an event like hip hop architecture camp with Michael Ford.
Action 3b: Create strategies on how to have a dialogue on inclusiveness in TxAPA Chapter and in APA in general by researching membership for gender, race, age, disability to see how many are involved in APA and if not why.