Diversity and Inclusion in Rocky Mount: Lessons Learned

As North Carolina’s demographics continue to change rapidly, local governments are increasingly giving attention to diversity and inclusion and making efforts to align their organizational cultures, values, and practices to the changing faces of their communities. Last year I facilitated the annual Rocky Mount City Council Retreat, where diversity was a high priority topic on the agenda. On December 9, I interviewed City Manager Charles Penny and Assistant City Manager Thom Moton about their experience and advice to others.

The full interview has been published by the School of Government as Public Management Bulletin #10.  It is available here.

The 2016 Summer Seminar of the North Carolina City and County Management Association will offer an ICMA University Credentialed Workshop on “Diversity and Inclusion – Getting the Conversation Started, and Keeping it Going” on Friday, June 24 from 1:15-4:15 at the Renaissance Asheville. Included among the featured speakers are Deborah Walker and Thomas Griggs representing the consulting firm Visions, Inc.   They have worked closely with the Rocky Mount City Council, leadership team, and staff on diversity and inclusion planning and implementation. They will present a conceptual framework for change, discuss success factors, and showcase practical applications in Rocky Mount. There is no additional charge for this workshop.

Please send me your reactions to the interview and workshop at Stenberg@sog.unc.edu

The Diversity Puzzle graphic comes from another blog post worth exploring: “Diversity & Inclusion Matters to Millennials”