Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1539617
wbjournal.com | September 22, 2025 | Worcester Business Journal 11 more equity work, but she's confident the movement will bounce back. "No doubt in my mind: It's coming back," said Pepple. "And I pray that when it does come back, those practitioners form the narrative around DEI 2.0." and Zolezzi-Wyndham work inherently readies their clients for it. "You might be a leader that is changing the words to protect the work, but if you are not then communicating inclusively … then you are not providing the leadership that's going to have your team's trust," she said. DEI 2.0 e amount of uproar and policy charge surrounding DEI raises the question of whether this equity movement can sustain the vitriol. e answer from Central Massachusets' DEI practitioners is clear. "However we frame [DEI] for the purpose of getting hired or for the purpose of the budget being approved, at the end of the day, this is important work. And it has to continue for the world to survive," said Tahmassebipour. Tahmassebipour sees DEI practitioners as having an opportunity, albeit a devastating opportunity, to think about how they communicate and how they share their messaging around the work. Pepple foresees a large mess needing to be cleaned up once room exists for DEI roles dropping nationally More than 2,500 DEI positions have been eliminated in the U.S. since January 2023. 0 5K 10K 15K 20K '16 '17 '18 '19 '24 '21 '22 '23 '20 '25 Jan. '25 May Number of DEI roles in U.S. 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 17,431 Source: NPR using data collected by Revelio Labs Diversity & Inclusion have long been core to our approach to hiring our workforce and working with subcontractors and suppliers. Our business is only as strong as the people we hire, and by bringing in people of all backgrounds, we believe that we're able to better serve our clients & our community. A DIVERSE W O R K F O R C E STRONG W O R K F O R C E FONTAINEBROS.COM/FONTAINE-COMMUNITY-FOUNDATION is a 774-745-8699 cornerstonebank.com Member FDIC | Member DIF Scan the QR code to connect with us. More Than Half of Businesses in the U.S. Reported Fraud in the Past Two Years We Can Help with Positive Pay Positive Pay is the leading fraud-prevention solution designed to help protect your business against altered, forged, or counterfeit checks and ACH debits clearing your account—with the convenience of reviewing and acting on decision items right from online banking or the mobile app. So far this year, we've protected our business customers from over $155,000 in fraudulent transactions, and we're just getting started. DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION F O C U S W