A D&I officer's role runs the gamut, working across multiple departments in pursuit of a multitude of goals. But it's important to understand that many leaders across the company apart from the D&I officer have to pitch in and help out.
"Diversity is something that goes beyond just checking boxes," Royal says. "We're in a space where the hope is that diversity would be something that's deeply embedded and integrated into all of our businesses." Whether it's acting as a cross-functional strategist, a thought leader, or sitting on an internal council board, there are many ways to help achieve an inclusive environment at work.
Wu makes the distinction that D&I is "not about convincing people, but instead about working together as a team to create a culture where inclusion and diversity are always at the forefront of our thinking and behaviors."
To that end, Wu, Royal, Mayo, and Outler all agree that D&I is a role that is taken with set goals in mind, but with the knowledge that improvement is ongoing and ever-changing — it's a marathon, not a sprint.
