As part of the JLT Strategic Plan, the Board of Directors has created a Diversity and Inclusion Task Force on the Leadership Development Council. The Task Force will research programming and educational opportunities to offer to members and will ensure JLT is an active participant on the subject of Diversity and Inclusion in the Tulsa community.

The Task Force will begin their efforts with a member self-assessment provided by Building Blocks, a resource from AJLI. In addition, a survey will be sent to other Leagues that currently have a diversity plan in place to identify the needs for JLT. Deneisha Johnson, Chair of the D&I Task Force, says, “We’re looking at other Leagues across the country to see what efforts they’ve made and where they’ve had success.”  

The Task Force will also be finding ways to highlight and celebrate the diverse group of women that make up JLT, through recognition of the different backgrounds, religions, occupations, and other unique qualities that are upheld by the women of JLT. Johnson claims, “To be more effective in the communities that we serve, we have to first understand the differences in where we serve and where we live, our backgrounds, their backgrounds, and the various backgrounds of the membership.”

The D&I Task Force is focusing their research on topics such as socioeconomic equality and implicit bias. The research findings from the Task Force will be presented to JLT members through monthly e-blasts, partnerships with other Committees throughout JLT, and training opportunities. In January, the D&I Task Force will promote a member SNAP Challenge Week, from January 22 – 28.   Johnson says “The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Challenge will encourage members to voluntarily eat and drink for a week using only the amount of money that would be allocated by the state if they were food stamp recipients.” Through these combined efforts of research, partnerships, and trainings the D&I Task Force hopes to end the year with a diversity plan in place that will ensure that JLT offers an inclusive environment for JLT members as well as the community they serve.