Advancing equity through and in our work as leaders and employees is one of the core goals of our city. Organizational change is an exciting opportunity to think differently about how we provide services to communities and how we build our organizational culture – it can often create space for innovation, creativity, and growth. At the same time, change can be stressful and hard, and people may feel fear, anxiety or lack the ability to plan for the future.
Leading through organizational change is a unique honor and also must often be done in environments with very real constraints – of time, resources, and staff capacity. To create lasting advances in equity, it must be an intentional focus at the start of, and throughout, the process. Otherwise, equity goals and outcomes easily fall to the wayside amidst all the other competing demands.
Centering equity through organizational change panel
CAO Michael Jordan and the charter transition team hosted a panel of equity leaders from across the country to share about centering equity through change. The purpose of the panel was to learn about effective strategies, challenges faced, and lessons learned in advancing equitable goals and outcomes as Portland undergoes its transition to a new form of government. Each panel member brought a unique story about how they effectively navigated complex dynamics to maintain equity at the center of their work. The moderator and panelists are listed below.
Moderator: Jeff Selby (he/him), Interim Director, Office of Equity and Human Rights, City of Portland, Oregon
Panelists:
- Amanda Jasso (she/her), Interim Equity Director, City of Austin, Texas: Amanda has been part of the Equity Office since 2018, advancing equitable policies and practices city-wide and within the “Economic Opportunity and Affordability” and “Mobility” departmental areas. She was instrumental in implementing the city’s guaranteed income pilot and will share lessons learned in working across bureaus and in coordination with elected leadership in Austin’s Council/Manager form of government.
- Mayor Jake Spano (he/him), Mayor, St. Louis Park, Minnesota: Jake serves as current mayor and a former city councilor of St. Louis Park. In his 12 years on council, he is committed to systemic culture change and worked on an inclusive community visioning process to form the city’s strategic priorities, including a priority focused on race, equity and inclusion. He is the former co-chair of the National League of Cities’ Race, Equity, and Leadership (REAL) council.
- Joanne Pierce (she/her), Assistant County Manager for Community Well-being, Durham County, North Carolina: Joanne serves as Durham County Government’s Assistant County Manager for Community Well-being. She oversees racial equity work across a diverse portfolio of departments, including Public Health, Community Intervention, and county Libraries. Joanne brings 20 years of experience working with public and private agencies and organizations and has led two state offices of minority health in North Carolina and Texas.