Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1513532
22 Worcester Business Journal | December 25, 2023 | wbjournal.com Businesses need to recommit to diversity & inclusion in 2024 Progress is being made by those who never wavered, but the commitment overall is fading BY ISABEL TEHAN WBJ Staff Writer W hile diversity, equity, and inclusion continue to be buzzwords across industries, what the tangible commitment to those ideals looks like has wavered in certain places, while a number of companies have doubled-down. Worcester will double-down its commitment The City of Worcester deepened its commitment to DEI, increasing the funding for its Executive Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion by 67% year-over-year and engaging in a national search for someone to lead the office. The hiring, not yet complete, is almost two years after sequential resignations in the previous iteration of the role, a signal to the City the old approach was not sustainable. VC dollars will be scarce for founders of color Businesses run by people of color have seen external funding opportunities dry up in the years since the 2020 racial reckoning brought about by the police murder of George Floyd. Venture capital dollars have slowly shifted away from funding multicultural businesses and aren't showing signs of rerouting, despite the need remaining and growing, making it a challenge for entrepreneurs of color in Central Massachusetts to thrive. AI will play a bigger role in diagnostic medicine, with an eye on bias In diagnostic healthcare, the artificial intelligence boom has the potential to change how things have been done for decades. Researchers are being attentive to issues of bias that can emerge with new technologies when datasets and doctors are not from diverse backgrounds. Top diversity, equity, and inclusion news from 2023 After turmoil caused by allegations of racism, Girls Inc. of Worcester picks new CEO Girls Inc. of Worcester named Tiffany Lillie as its new CEO, four months aer its longtime CEO was put on leave aer allegations of racial discrimination at the girl's empowerment nonprofit. Myran Parker-Brass, a consultant from Interim Executive Solutions in Newton, has been in the interim CEO position since May, replacing Victoria Waterman. Lillie will officially begin her tenure as CEO on Oct. 25, according to a Sept. 15 press release from Girls. Inc. Parker- Brass will remain on the team to facilitate the transition. Lillie is currently assistant superintendent of equity, diversity, and community engagement at Framingham Public Schools. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from UMass Boston and a master's degree in urban studies and affairs from Boston University. Lillie was a program specialist at Girls Inc. of Worcester from 2006 to 2009. "I am so humbled and grateful for this opportunity. In many ways, this is a full circle moment for me, as Girls Inc. of Worcester was my first ever job many years ago," said Lillie in the press release. "I look forward to collectively building a vision for Girls Inc. inclusive of our girls, staff, families and community partner voices." e selection of Lillie as CEO comes aer allegations of racial discrimination resulted in the nonprofit to temporarily suspending its youth programming. Parker-Brass was brought on to enable the nonprofit to resume those operations. Report: Mass. cannabis business ownership is less diverse than national average A report conducted by cannabis industry trade publication Marijuana Business Daily has shown Massachusetts marijuana business ownership has less racial and gender diversity than the national industry average, and – unlike the other states studied – the situation in Massachusetts is getting worse. e study, which was released on Oct. 25, shows racial minorities make up 14.4% of the cannabis business ownership in the commonwealth in 2023, compared to the national figure of 18.7%. e study showed Massachusetts is falling behind other states in terms of gender equality; women make up 10.3% of cannabis business ownership in the commonwealth, compared to the national figure of 16.4%. W Tiffany Lillie, CEO of Girls Inc. of Worcester PHOTO | EDD COTE Katherine Aguilar closed the storefront for her Kommon Sense business this year. Funding for businesses run by people of color was harder to come by in 2023, as investors shifted their priorities elsewhere.