Some diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs start with a small step, while others take a larger, more formal approach. But they all have the same intent.
“It evolves from a genuine heart of wanting to do the right thing,” says Allie Braswell, vice president, DEI, at $10 billion asset VyStar Credit Union in Jacksonville, Fla.
Braswell and others discussed DEI programs at their credit unions, what makes them successful, and the challenges they’ve faced during “Emerging Best Practices and Lessons Learned from the Field,” a panel discussion held during CUNA’s DEI eSchool Part 2.
The panelists offer four steps to a successful DEI program:
“There is no roadmap to this work,” says Samira Salem, CUNA’s vice president of DEI. “We’re all creating it as we go along. But we also know we may have some hiccups and challenges along the way.”
Two common challenges credit unions encounter:
Point West views challenges as an opportunity to continue to learn and further develop its DEI program, Nelson says.
“We view barriers as learning speed bumps,” Nelson says. “We take that speed bump and try to understand in that moment what we need to learn.”