Worcester Business Journal

BY ISABEL TEHAN WBJ Staff Writer I n the three months following the May 2020 police murder of George Floyd, the num- ber of diversity, equity, and inclusion-related job openings surged 55% in the U.S., accord- ing to employment website Glassdoor, as businesses scrambled to respond to a national reckoning on race. Yet, as openings for DEI directors and chief diversity officers sprung up, Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center in Worcester was not among them. Instead, the health center first did what DEI professionals say is key to making diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts successful: laying a proper cultural and administrative foundation, so efforts to change a business for the better are far more rewarding and don't burn out the people trying to lead the change. Having done that work, Kennedy Community Health in January hired its first DEI director, Sedruola Maruska. "I have the space and autonomy that I need," Maruska said. As the years have unfolded since Floyd's murder and the spike of business's DEI initiatives, claims of burnout and lack of support have led to a high rate of turnover among DEI executives, with the average tenure of 1.8 years, according to DEI resource provider Senior Executive. "It's really impossible for anyone to walk into that role and be successful if the context and orga- nization's environ- ment isn't set up for success," said Susan Letterman White, managing partner at Letter- man White Con- sulting, a Boston-area firm focused on helping clients attract and retain diverse, high-performing leaders. Letterman White was contracted by the City of Worcester following the 2022 resignation of the City's chief diversi- ty officer, Stephanie Williams, who in her resignation letter said she wasn't adequately supported in making change. Rather than seeking to hire a new CDO Sedruola Maruska has spent her career helping companies develop a culture of equity and inclusion. Diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts need proper institutional support before change agents can ultimately achieve success PHOTO | EDD COTE Susan Letterman White, managing partner at Letterman White Consulting 8 Worcester Business Journal | September 4, 2023 | wbjournal.com Laying the groundwork F O C U S D I V E R S I T Y & I N C L U S I O N

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