Following the creation of AGNR’s DEIR vision, a task force was formed at UME to systematically understand the multifaceted need of our stakeholders. Initial draft for consideration was developed by UME Senior Administration, a representative of Area/City Extension Directors, and the AGNR Compliance Officer.
DEIR Task Force Members for UME
Name |
Dept, Position |
Name |
Dept, Position |
---|
Jeff W. Howard |
Senior Administration Liaison |
Aly Valentine |
Senior Administration Liaison |
Joy Rafey |
ENR, Staff |
Terry Serio |
FCS, PTK |
Mariah Dean |
ENR, PTK |
Jean Burchfield |
ENR, Staff |
Karen Basinger |
FCS, PTK |
Michael Elonge |
FCS, Faculty |
Luke Macauley |
ENR, Faculty |
Jessica Mellon |
4-H, PTK |
Vernelle Mitchell-Hawkins |
4-H, Faculty |
Sarah Hirsch |
AGFS, PTK |
Rose Greene Colby |
4-H, Staff |
Susan Harrison |
AGFS, PTK |
Dhruti Patel |
FCS, Faculty |
Janet I. Sefton |
4-H, Staff |
Jon H. Traunfeld |
ENR, Faculty |
Lee Ann Schnappinger Bridgman |
AGFS/ENR, Staff |
Laying the Foundation
In-depth discussions focused on these pertinent questions:
- What does DEIR mean to you? What is your sense of its meaning to colleagues and volunteers?
- What are some of the challenges you may envision, both within and outside of Extension, as we consider this work?
- What do you envision as some foundational needs of the organization as we enhance our DEIR focus?
- As we consider shifting the culture of Extension to a more inclusive organization, what does that vision look like?
- How will we recognize that we have begun to evolve to a more inclusive organization?
Brainstorming for Improvement
Based on the suggestions provided by the participants, a preliminary draft plan was developed. A second meeting was organized to get feedback on the draft plan. All the participants of the second meeting were divided into three working groups and Padlet was used to collect their feedback on five different aspects of the draft.
- What elements of the proposed plan stand out as the most positive?
- Are there actions in the proposed plan that should be priority ordered, differently?
- What’s missing? Are there voids and if so, what suggestions does the group have to enhance?
- Are there actions in the plan that perhaps should be removed? If so, what is the rationale?
- What else do we need?
Consensus Agreement for Final Draft
Further, a third meeting was conducted to get further feedback on the draft plan with 3 questions.
- As we anticipate future training for our employees, what does that training plan look like? What are the parameters that may influence that?
- What are some suggestions as it relates to an engagement strategy? How do we bring the Organization along regarding the DEIR plan and the significance of the work?
- What are the concerns and challenges that we might anticipate regarding a shift in UME culture surrounding DEIR work? What ideas does the group have to mitigate as we anticipate this reality?
Based on all the feedback, suggestions, and constructive criticism received from the UME members over the 3 meetings, we came up with the 3 goals on DEIR.
To read the full list of responses and feedback to each of the questions, access the full University of Maryland Extension DEIR plan.