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wbjournal.com | September 4, 2023 | Worcester Business Journal 9 immediately, City Manager Eric Batista had Letterman White conduct an investigation into ways the City could improve DEI support. at study from Let- terman White led to Ba- tista seeking in February to create an Executive Office of Diversity, Equi- ty, and Inclusion in the City's structure, which will be led by Williams' eventual replacement. "is is a C-suite type role. e person in the role has to have the ability to impact those structures," said Letter- man White. "They were getting tired." Kennedy Community Health has taken a similar approach. "It was important to us to not ask [Maruska] to come in without having done the baseline work ourselves," said Stephen Kerrigan, president and CEO of the community healthcare provider. "A lot of organizations are well intentioned, but don't realize they aren't ready to bring this person in." To prepare, Kennedy spent resources defining its mission internally and externally, participating in equity training, and imple- menting staff-led commit- tees to reveal pain points in pursuit of preventing barriers to growth and communication. "We had critical work to do," said Kerrigan. Burnout among staff members working to make internal changes has been an issue in the corporate and nonprofit world since 2020, too. Leadership at Kennedy is hopeful Maruska's presence is reigniting the desire to dive into equity work across career-levels and work areas for staff. e hard work to lay the foundation was done in large part by working groups and committees. "To be honest, they were TICKETS & SPONSORSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE AT YWCACM.ORG/TRIBUTE Tuesday, September 12, 2023 12:00 to 1:30 PM Mechanics Hall 321 Main Street, Worcester, MA 2023 KATHARINE F. ERSKINE AWARD RECIPIENTS Arts & Culture Nayana LaFond Artist and Curator Business & Law Jill Green Lebow Chief Human Resources Officer, Fallon Health Community, Social Services & Government Susanne Ryan Fiber Artist and Co-founder of Sisters in Stitch Joined by the Cloth (SISJBTC) Quilt Guild Education Ivonne Perez Chief Diversity Officer, Worcester Public Schools Health, Science & Technology Debra Maddox, Psy.D. President and CEO, Multicultural Wellness Presenting Sponsor Media Sponsor Partner Sponsor Simply Beter. Member FDIC Member DIF WE'LL HELP YOU THRIVE We have the lending options, competitive rates and financial solutions to ensure the growth and prosperity of your business. Visit us or call one of our experienced commercial lenders at 800-649-3036 or email us at commercial@saversbank.com. D I V E R S I T Y & I N C L U S I O N F O C U S Continued on next page 9% 21% 40% 60% 71% '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 % increase vs. 2015 DEI role growth Since 2015, the number of U.S. business roles related to diversity, equity, and inclusion has grown steadily. Source: McKinsey & Company 2022 Report