Deirdre Williams, Ed.D., the Chief Bridge Builder with U-Bridge Consulting Group, has an impressive educational leadership history. She combines her skills in education, public health research, and evaluation to support leaders with changing their organizational cultures and improving learning outcomes for all students.

Deirdre has served in several educational leadership roles including the Executive Director of the School Reform Initiative, the premier source for professional development and resources related to creating transformational learning communities fiercely committed to educational equity and excellence.

Under her leadership, the organization supported districts across the country with building equity bridges to engage student and community voices in the development of equity policy and programs to eliminate gaps in student outcomes.

She also launched the Commitment to Equity Institute a year-long initiative for leaders, teachers, and students who are focused on dismantling systems of oppression in their schools.

 

In this episode Dr. Gaye Lang and Dr. Deirdre Williams discuss:

• Surface diversity vs. valuing diversity 

• Making people feel belonging 

• The synergy of the young and the experienced 

• Creating a diverse culture effectively 

 

Key Takeaways: 

• Valuing diversity is more than just allowing your organization to have a more diverse population, it’s also about listening to your people’s unique perspective and ideas. 

• When it comes to diversity, it’s important to create an environment that promotes and propagates a sense of belonging. Creating a sense of belonging is all about making people feel seen and heard, with follow-up and application. 

• Without a diverse level of energy and a diverse employee base, it’s really the company that misses out. A team that has young people with innovative ideas, new technology and youthful energy, plus older people with wisdom, skills, and knowledge gained through vast experiences will become a powerhouse. 

• You cannot create a diversity culture with one individual, because they’ve got to think about training, leadership, onboarding, and many more. It takes a whole team of people working together to make policies, procedures, and accountability that create a diverse culture. 

 

“We have to experience a sense of belonging. And the sense of belonging happens when we're seen and we're heard.” - Dr. Deirdre Williams

 

Connect with Dr. Deirdre Williams:

Website: https://www.ubridgeproject.com/ 

 

Connect with Dr. Gaye Lang:

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KEYWORDS: 

Diversity, inclusion, equity, tolerance, racism, bias, implicit bias, and explicit bias.  

 

Show notes by Podcastologist: Justine Talla

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.