Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | September 22, 2025 | Worcester Business Journal 9 We never had DEI policies The President Donald Trump Administration's campaign to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts throughout the federal government and to federally-funded institutions has put many companies and organizations committed to DEI on edge. Many have chosen to navigate Trump-era threats by reorganizing and rewording their DEI initiatives, including changing their wording to eradicate the words "diversity", "equity", and "inclusion" in favor of more ambiguous terms such as "fair", "community", and "wellbeing". When polled online, the plurality of WBJ readers said their companies never had DEI policies in place. Has your company changed its DEI policies since President Donald Trump took office in January? 5% Yes, we significantly reduced our DEI efforts. 13% Yes, we changed the wording of our DEI policies. and companies, in that it took nothing for you to break that commitment to making and creating a healthier workspace where everyone feels like they can excel," said Soudie Tahmassebipour, chief strategist and founder of social impact consulting firm RE-ENVISION Consulting in Holden. Losing DEI professionals One of the biggest struggles and sources for frustration Tahmassebipour sees from DEI practitioners is DEI is oen used like checking a box, from pre-2020 until today. Both Tahmassebipour and Pepple have a resounding fear for newer and early-career DEI professionals, who unlike themselves, don't have decades of job experience in other fields before entering into DEI work. Tahmassebipour previously worked as a public defender, and Pepple has served in numerous leadership roles throughout the education sector. ey both have had careers that drove them to become experts, and thus, would have ground to fall on if DEI were wiped away. Younger practitioners don't have that kind of experience, and many are struggling to find jobs, either landing their first DEI positions or finding new ones aer being laid off, said Pepple. America has lost nearly 3,000 DEI positions since 2023, according to Revelio Labs, which is based in New York City Federal funding threats have caused fear around maintaining and progressing DEI, even those companies committed to doing the work, she said. is shows up in changes in verbiage in missions, programming, and affinity groups. Changing language In reaction to federal threats, THE RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF HEALING ummhealth.org WHEN CHOOSING HEALTH CARE, YOU CAN CHOOSE TO HAVE IT ALL. Our network of hospitals, providers and services was created to ensure that everyone in our region has access to amazing health care and a chance to live the healthiest life possible. So, regardless of where you live, a UMass Memorial Health hospital or service is nearby. And that means no matter what you need health-wise, the wise choice is also the convenient one. The hospitals and services of UMass Memorial Health UMass Memorial Medical Center | UMass Memorial Medical Group | Harrington | HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital Marlborough Hospital | Milford Regional Medical Center | Community Healthlink F O C U S READER COMMENT: "We followed the old school equal opportunity employment rules and never went further with forcing any diversity hires. We just hired the best person for the job regardless of their identity. Hiring based on identity is racist and goes against what the equal opportu- nity laws were intended to be about." - Mike Emberley 39% No, we haven't changed our DEI policies or their wording. 41% We never had DEI policies. 1% No, but we had already toned down our DEI policies prior to Trump taking office. Soudie Tahmasse- bipour, founder of RE-ENVISION Consulting Continued on next page

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