NACDA + Return On Inclusion Announce Groundbreaking Partnership

The ROI modules have provided valuable opportunities to reflect on my own understanding of diversity and inclusion.  The self-reflection questions are thought-provoking and frame topics in ways that I don’t normally think about them.  The group discussions facilitate opportunities to share information about ourselves, our teams, the department, and our experiences related to diversity and inclusion that we might not otherwise be inclined to share.

From ROI, I learned that I have a lot to learn – and that it was so important for me to first embrace this work personally in order for me to build awareness and competence. My personal journey supports what I strongly believe is my most important professional responsibility to be a culturally competent and inclusive leader for our university and athletics department.

ROI taught me the importance of meeting people where they are and to give them space to reflect on their own experiences. Being vigilant on where opportunities to be more inclusive intersect with daily operations is critical in truly changing a culture to be more welcoming. From ROI, we will be launching our own strategic plan which will include action steps for the following areas: connection, recruiting, hiring and retention, education and assessment.

The specific focus on the athletics space was very impactful. Overall, hearing the different scenarios and examples really brought the content to life. Despite going into the modules with a strong foundation of concepts, I learned something in each module – it was an important reminder that the learning is never done. Learning how to apply topics, facilitate conversations, and navigate difficult situations was incredibly valuable.

Partnering with NACDA will be life changing for our industry. This partnership will allow us to reach more institutions, thus multiplying the impact on Return On Inclusion.  Our hands-on educational platform will allow for more institutions to become the best versions of themselves by creating a culture of belonging. True confidence comes from a sense of belonging.

Through the modules, I was able to connect with colleagues on a range of equity, diversity and inclusion topics that gave all of us a foundation and starting place to have meaningful conversations. From there, we were able to develop a shared understanding about diversity and inclusion, and its many layered components, among our staff and our student-athletes so that we could have a more inclusive environment.