Update from NNV’s DEI Working Group – Last year, NNV established a Working Group to address issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Since then, the group has been working on a number of DEI goals. As an organization, we believe that we can do a better job fulfilling our mission when our Village reflects the demographics of our community.  As we dove more deeply into this work, we realized we would benefit from the support of skilled consultants. Last December, we contracted with a group to support these efforts. Their team is in the process of examining NNV’s policies and practices to develop a personalized strategic plan to move our DEI efforts forward with more specificity and intentionality. We are excited to embark in this work and will provide periodic updates on our progress.

Merilee Janssen appointed to the ANC3/4G RASE Committee – NNV Board Member and volunteer Merilee Janssen has recently been appointed as a member of the Racial & Social Equity (RASE) Standing Committee of ANC3/4G (Chevy Chase DC).

The RASE Committee was created by the ANC to carry forth the work of its Task Force on Racism. Members of the committee advocate for the just treatment of all those disadvantaged by systemic inequality. In creating the standing committee, the Commission tasked the body to study and advise the Commission on how to most effectively:

• Implement the initiatives developed and recommended by the Commission’s Task Force on Racism and adopted by the Commission;
• Advocate for racial and social equity in the community and the city; endeavor to develop racial and social equity frameworks for analyzing issues and policies;
• Promote community involvement and engagement; develop key stakeholder (community and City-wide) relationships; incorporate the most affected community members;
• Champion education and training to increase awareness and understanding of equity frameworks; connect individual and collective experiences to systemic equity issues; and
• Value data-driven analysis to aid decision-making.

Merilee’s membership on the RASE committee is part of her outreach efforts on DEI Working Group where Merilee’s contributions have been invaluable. We look forward to sharing our organization’s DEI work and progress with the larger community!