DEI Resources

Cultivate Diversity and Inclusivity

Purpose

To establish a visible and central University Advancement resource committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This page will also serve as the platform for the University Advancement Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee working groups to be transparent and communicate the progress of their work for improving Advancement’s inclusivity portrait. It is our hope that we can come together as a community to amplify the University’s work of becoming both great and good, by cultivating diversity and inclusivity in our professional and personal spaces. The goal of this page is to act as a cohesive but evolving collection of resources that respond to the specific needs of members of the UVA Advancement community.

DEI Defined

Diversity: The ongoing commitment to the inclusion of unique perspectives, life experiences, identities, backgrounds and other attributes in all activities of University Advancement.

Equity: The process of promoting access and fairness, including distribution of resources, to create a positive, inclusive culture.

Inclusion: The intentional process of building community well-being through an environment of involvement, respect, and belonging.

 

DEI and Flexible Work Environment at University Advancement

Committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff, University Advancement honors your experiences, perspectives and unique identity. Together, we strive to create and maintain working environments that are inclusive, equitable and welcoming so we can achieve our mission of supporting our broadly diverse partners, schools, and networks of engaged alumni, parents, and friends of the University.

UVA Advancement offers a flexible and hybrid workplace.  All team members must have access to and maintain a secure home office environment with high-speed internet service and work collaboratively with others using a variety of technologies and tools. Depending on the type of position and work performed, or as deemed by a manager, some positions may be required to work intermittently in a shared office space located in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Resources
  • Language to be Added to All Job Postings

 

  • "Committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff, University Advancement honors your experiences, perspectives and unique identity. Together, we strive to create and maintain working environments that are inclusive, equitable and welcoming so we can best achieve our mission of supporting our broadly diverse partners, schools, and networks of engaged alumni, parents, and friends of the University."
  • "UVA Advancement offers a flexible and hybrid workplace. All team members must have access to and maintain a secure home office environment with high-speed internet service and work collaboratively with others using a variety of technologies and tools. Depending on the type of position and work performed, or as deemed by manager, some positions may be required to work intermittently in a shared office space located in Charlottesville, Virginia. "

 

  • Advancement Community Learning
  • Promotions Webinar
  • UVA Offerings
    • UHR offers LinkedIn Learning courses through Workday. Log into Workday, click the "Learning" icon, click "Browse Learning", search "diversity" for a library of courses such as "Inclusive Mindset for Committed Allies"
    • UHR Team Workshops
      • "Growing Deeper: The Power of Privilege" 2.5 hours - Discuss racial identity as a way to understand unearned privilege.
      • "Multicultural Fluency" 2.5 hours - Learn about your identity and about the identities and experiences of others. Create a Brave Space for honest dialogue.
    • UVA Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Learning Resources

 

 

  • Mentorship
    • UVA Chapter of the Virginia Network: The UVA Chapter of the Virginia Network of Women in Higher Education is a University-wide program that promotes leadership for women in Higher Education. This group supports the professional development of all women faculty, staff, and graduate students, from both the academic and Health System, with opportunities to network, learn from one another, and share common interests.
  • Career Path Exploration

 

 

 

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The calendar offers a variety of resources for inclusive constituent engagement through awareness and heritage month themes, featured events, and related resources. Here you can access related links, downloadable resources, and educational tips, insights, and considerations to help us embrace the diversity of events and cultures, celebrate inclusivity, and engage with communities worldwide. 

.  UVA INCLUSION CALENDAR

Advancement Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work

In  August, in follow up to the release of University Advancement’s Inclusive Excellence Plan, our DEI Working Group hosted three listening sessions, with over 100 University Advancement teammates participating. These sessions are a crucial element of our ongoing commitment to always be listening and incorporating feedback from our team members into our Inclusive Excellence Plan execution. Some key themes that emerged from these sessions were as follows: 

  • There is a great desire for new outlets for individuals and groups to share their experiences, difficulties, and recommendations with each other and senior leadership. There was astute recognition that developing a DEI mindset is a new experience for many, and some need extra time and support to learn and grow.
  • There are significant needs and opportunities for robust but nuanced training programs to support our Inclusive Excellence Plan and overall, long-term DEI culture. There’s a near-universal wish for more knowledge and skills that we need to fulfill. 
  • We must determine specific ways to measure our success and hold ourselves accountable against our Inclusive Excellence Plan, individually and as an organization. 
  • Individuals in our community feel newly empowered to take direct personal action to apply our Inclusive Excellence Plan principles and goals to operational decision making—this mindset must be supported with follow-through and over time. 
  • We must continue to find new and stronger ways to represent our DEI values with our external constituents. 

View the Inclusive Excellence Plan Dialogue Session Comments

2021 Inclusive Excellence Plan

June 30, 2021 - Mark Luellen - Inclusive Excellence Plan

2023 Results

2023 UA Workplace Climate Survey Executive Summary

2023 UA Workplace Climate Survey Responses Overall Results by Percentage

 

2022 Results

2022 UA Workplace Climate Survey Executive Summary

2022 UA Workplace Climate Survey Responses Overall Results by Percentage

2020-2022 Advancement Climate Survey Benchmark Report

 

2020 Results

March 30, 2021 - Mark Luellen - DEI Climate Survey Results Communication

2020 UA Workplace Climate Survey Responses Overall Results by Percentage

2020 UA Workplace Climate Survey Executive Summary

UVA Advancement Representation Trends

In March of 2020, two new working groups are formed to continue work on focus areas from the 2019 D & I Committee and align our efforts to the new Inclusive Excellence (IE) framework provided by the Office of the Vice-President and Chief Diversity Officer. The Inclusive Excellence framework was unveiled to the University at a cross Grounds gathering on March 3rd . These groups: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Grounds-wide chaired by Rob Allen, and Recruitment and Retention chaired by Cindy Fredrick, will convene throughout the calendar year, with progress reports made to the Advancement Senior Leadership team at the beginning of 2021.

In September of 2020, to better coordinate our work around DEI, the two separate groups are merged into one group co-chaired by Cindy Fredrick and Rob Allen. The four subcommittees will meet regularly to work toward their charge and formulate recommendations following the Inclusive Excellence template. The co-chairs will meet with each of their designated subcommittees regularly to review their progress and advise on the next steps. The full DEI working group will meet in September and November to share findings and solicit feedback on each subcommittee’s developing recommendations. Once the recommendations are finalized, they will be submitted to University Advancement leadership in the format suggested by the Inclusive Excellence framework.

  • Access + Success (advised by Cindy Fredrick): The Access + Success subcommittee will be tasked with analyzing available data on demographic trends in University Advancement and our processes around recruitment, retention, development, and long-term outcomes for team members. Based on their findings, the subcommittee will make two to three recommendations for improving our processes and will explore what measuring improvement may look like.
  • Climate + Intergroup Relations (advised by Rob Allen): The Climate + Intergroup Relations subcommittee will be charged with measuring University Advancement staff perceptions of respect, belonging, and their relationships with colleagues. They will also reevaluate traditional practices for meetings, social gatherings, and staff engagement across our office through a DEI lens. Based on their findings, the subcommittee will submit two to three recommendations for improving everyone’s sense of respect, belonging, and collegiality amongst teammates and between the various units within University Advancement.
  • Community + Partnership (advised by Rob Allen): The Community + Partnership subcommittee will be tasked with researching strategies to increase engagement of diverse groups of external constituents and with exploring potential opportunities for our organization to collaborate with others to improve the Charlottesville community. The subcommittee will also review communications with internal and external stakeholders for equitable and inclusive messaging and scheduling. Based on their findings, the subcommittee will make two to three recommendations for how University Advancement could improve its communications and relationships with the Charlottesville community and our broader and diverse community of UVA alumni, parents, and friends.
  • Education + Scholarship (advised by Cindy Fredrick): The Education + Scholarship subcommittee will be charged with identifying DEI competencies that can be further developed amongst University Advancement staff, and assessing available advancement-focused training opportunities to address any gaps in our current programs. Based on their findings, the subcommittee will submit two to three recommendations that identify intentionally designed professional development opportunities; increase awareness around DEI, and provide access to resources for our workplace community.

Working Group Committee Members:

  • Rob Allen, AVP Advisor
  • Eliza Broaddus
  • Lori Brookins
  • William Cocke
  • Derrick Collins
  • Caroline Cruz
  • Brandi Duncan
  • Cindy Fredrick, AVP Advisor
  • Michael Goetz
  • Lori Hanger (served this year)
  • Jasdeep Heim
  • Chris Hubert
  • Erin Hughey-Commers (served this year)
  • Iris Luck
  • Kelly McCaskill
  • Heather Meixler
  • Sarah Morgan
  • Cameron Mowat
  • Julia Parlette-Cariño
  • Treece Roach
  • James Rogol
  • Annie Stup
  • Emily Tate

 

In the fall of 2019, the University Advancement Diversity and Inclusion Committee presented a report and recommendations to Mark Luellen. The year-long work of this committee included research, benchmarking with similar institutions, investigation of resources, and exploration of our workplace culture and shared with University Advancement senior leadership.

We thank these committee members for their dedication in laying the groundwork for a path forward. We are committed to continuing this vital work:

  • Michelle Allen
  • Rob Allen, AVP Advisor
  • Jennifer Burman, Co-chair
  • Erin Hughey-Commers
  • Doug Mauney
  • Sarah Morgan
  • Marla Muntner, Chair
  • Ellie Myers
  • Jake Pittman
  • Devin Reaves
  • Nancy Scogna, Committee Manager
  • Jazzmond Ward-Opie
  • Marilyn Wright
  • Amy Yancey, AVP Advisor

 

In the fall of 2017, Mark Luellen asked a group of Advancement colleagues to begin exploring issues related to diversity and inclusion under the leadership of Lynn King. The group's charge was to provide recommendations for creating a more welcoming, inclusive, and diverse workplace as part of our commitment to strengthening community. This initial committee's formative work offered the next steps. Based on the committee's recommendations, a standing committee was formed to focus on the following: 

Overall Goal: Building a culture that nurtures a talented workforce, more closely mirrors diversity across Virginia and UVA, and meaningfully includes our increasingly diverse constituents.

Strategies: Providing face-to-face and digital learning opportunities and resources while fostering the continued improvement of recruitment, retention, talent development, and workplace culture.

Tactics: Review current practices, recommend feasible actions, and measure results

We thank these members for their work and dedication:

  • Nadia Anderson
  • Miriam Bradley
  • Meggie Chopade
  • AJ Davidson
  • Erin Hall
  • Danny Housier
  • Autumn Kurtz
  • Marla Muntner
  • Michelle Packer
  • Jane Pietro
  • Sarah Morgan
  • Ashley Privott
  • Katie Shevlin
  • Doran Tremblay
  • Gordon Willis

 

From Leadership:

From the DEI Working Group:

 

Stories and Narratives 

While data and metrics are important for understanding our organization and what steps we need to take in order to better our diversity portrait, at the core of those data points are the lived experiences of members of our community. In this section, we hope to highlight the essential human component of DEI work. How the real and lived experiences of members of our community are impacted by our being more intentionally inclusive. In this section, we respond to the question so central to this work: “Why does diversity matter to University Advancement”—or even more essentially, as you’ll see highlighted in the reflections here, “Why does diversity matter to me?”

We welcome your personal reflections. If you would like to contribute to this section, get in touch by emailing dev-dei@virginia.edu. A member of the current DEI working group will get in touch to work with you on your submission. All submissions may remain anonymous if you wish.

Formats accepted:

  • Written reflections (short vignette/long form essay)
  • Ghostwriting (a member of the DEI working group will work with you on a written piece)
  • Photo submission (with accompanying descriptive caption of why this picture speaks to the importance of diversity)
  • Audio recording submissions
  • Recorded interview / conversation (a member of the DEI working group will work with you to help coordinate this piece)

 

If you have more stories to add to this collection, email dev-dei@virginia.edu to add it to the conversation.

 

Need Help?

Contact Ashley Privott for help finding DEI resources.