Association Diversity and Inclusion Training

Our committee has used various brainstorming techniques this fall to determine our vision and goals: Diversity and Member Inclusion Committee Vision and Goals Vision: Bring awareness of the need for diversity and inclusiveness to the industry and cultivate an environment in which members are represented and engaged. Goals: Achieve a membership that is reflective of the diversity within our state. Review state of Illinois metrics and compare to ISAWWA membership. Identify gaps and identify opportunities to bridge the gap. Employ practices that encourage member inclusion. Coordinate board, committee and staff leadership training on membership engagement. Conduct an organizational analysis and share opportunities and barriers to engagement Develop, train, and maintain an environment of diversity and inclusion within the industry. Provide diversity and inclusion programs within ISAWWA’s educational offerings. Connect with statewide organizations to create a dialogue that addresses diversity and inclusion within the industry. Recognize and leverage the full value that diversity of people and ideas can bring to our organization. Develop opportunities to celebrate our differences. Identify current practices that inhibit inclusion and alleviate barriers for engagement. Create and award recognition to members based on diversity and membership inclusion. We are currently focused on our engagement of members in our committees and seek students to assist us in our next steps. This student will work closely with ISAWWA staff as well as key committee leaders.

Organization Restructure

The Illinois Section of the American Water Works Association is a growing organization. In the last 10 years we went from 2 employees to 3 FT and 2 PT, as well as contractors. Last year, a new executive director was hired due to the retirement of the previous executive director. We are looking at our growth and see opportunities for a re-alignment of job duties as well as inclusion of new roles and responsibilities. The team would work with the ED to take the vision of the work environment into an actionable plan. We have completed a strategic plan and are re-aligning our staff with the new priorities. One position remains open. We are moving into a new office space as well this quarter, which is an opportunity for us to try new ways of sharing information and progressing towards our goals.

Diversity and Inclusion - Engagement through Communications

The Illinois Section of the American Water Works Association is a 501c3 organization based in St. Charles, Illinois. We focus on safe and sustainable water for Illinois. We have a Diversity and Inclusion committee that is focused on education, training, and engagement of all of our members. We have been focusing on building our training curriculum the past year and want to now focus more on celebrating our members through our communication channels. We currently have a quarterly publication, monthly e-newsletter, social media channels and are launching an app. We would like to have a robust communication calendar that would not only draw attention to national observances (Women's History Month, Disability Employment Awareness Month, LGTBQ History Month), but also celebrate the diversity of our industry (focus on our members who work in payables, sewer collection, human resources, lab techs, etc.). We would like to not only build out a calendar of celebrations, but have the content ready to be shared. How can we engage and celebrate our differences through our communications? The goal for this project would be to create a communications calendar focused on diversity and inclusion and have content written for each that would bring attention to the topic, is meaningful to our members and engage our membership. The Diversity and Inclusion volunteer leaders as well as staff are able to assist students with this project.

Organization Restructure

The Illinois Section of the American Water Works Association is a growing organization. In the last 10 years we went from 2 employees to 3 FT and 2 PT, as well as contractors. Last year, a new executive director was hired due to the retirement of the previous executive director. We are looking at our growth and see opportunities for a re-alignment of job duties as well as inclusion of new roles and responsibilities. The team would work with the ED to take the vision of the work environment into an actionable plan that includes a new staffing structure, job descriptions, job postings and a communication plan. The team would make recommendations of staff positions as well as contractor vs. employee roles. This project could include a salary test to determine if positions are exempt or non-exempt.