We Are Stronger Together

Episcopal Retirement Services has released its fourth annual Scorecard for its We Can Do Better (WCDB) initiative to improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within the organization.

“I’m constantly reminded that you can only manage what you measure,” said ERS President and CEO Laura Lamb. “This is why it is so important to continue to reflect on the progress we have made each year in the form of a scorecard.”

We Can Do Better is an initiative ERS launched in 2020 in response to the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.

RELATED: We Can Do Better: A Letter from ERS President and CEO Laura Lamb.

The We Can Do Better effort aims to employ more BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color) people and add diversity in other aspects of the organization, including how many residents from under-represented groups, such as LGBTQ, live on ERS campuses.

“We’ve had several successes in the last four years.  The process of measuring what we want to improve on helps us meet our goals.” Lamb said. “We have to ask ourselves the question, ‘Did we change anything?’ We absolutely have.”

Members of ERS’ BIPOC Affinity Group:  DD Farmer, Household Coordinator; Alexis Ryles, Director of Talent Development; and Felicia Beckham, Director of Clinical Nursing and Community Engagement, at a recent event celebrating our BIPOC nurses at ERS.

Highlights from the report

• The Lauren Brown Empowerment Fund grew to over $400,000 towards a goal of $500,000. The award, created for the late beloved ERS employee Lauren Brown, provides non-traditional funds, beyond scholarships for schools’ housing and tuition, to racial minorities to help them advance their careers. 
• We expanded our WCDB work with retirement community residents by holding a four-part book series on What If I Say the Wrong Thing?: 25 Habits for Culturally Effective People, by Vernā Myers.
• We conducted a team member “Ism” Survey to identify areas of concern for team members such as racism, sexism, ageism, or other “isms.”  We have created a training program to give team members tools to respond to “isms.” Training will be offered in 2025. 
• Lastly, over the last four years, the diversity among our board and senior leadership team has grown, more closely reflecting those we serve and our team members.
  

One of ERS’ core values is inclusion.  We define inclusion as valuing collaboration and diversity of thought, experiences, and perspective. Appreciating that we are better together, leveraging our strengths and differences.  Setting annual goals and measuring outcomes related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging is a tangible way that ERS lives out our values.

We are proud of our board, leadership team, team members, and residents' work over the last several years. We were realizing the goal of creating an environment where we can listen, learn, and grow, knowing fully that we are stronger together!

Here is a link to the We Can Do Better Scorecard.

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