i4cp Chief Diversity Officer Board In-Person Meeting in Scottsdale, AZ - Impact & Belonging 2.0

Meeting Details

Thank you all for a productive and engaging in-person meeting in advance of i4cp’s 2025 Next Practices Now conference. The discussions were rich with collaboration and connection, and Sherida and DC led with agility and poise. As one Board member noted, we adapted to the wants and needs of the room, creating space for research, insights, and lively conversation.

A key takeaway was the recognition that, in light of executive orders and the weaponization of DE&I, the field has a PR problem. As another Board member aptly put it: Do we want to be right, or do we want to be effective? We all agreed—the focus must be on effectiveness. The need to clearly define and align what DE&I (or whatever nomenclature is chosen) means within our specific organizations and cultures has never been greater.

We explored various topics, including:

• Data from i4cp’s DE&I in 2025 Pulse Survey (brief to publish soon), which looked at the impact on organizations of the recent executive orders. This included DE&I practices that were continuing or pausing, what practices and focus areas engendered the highest risk, how DE&I was perceived internally and externally, the additional challenges of those receiving federal funds, the skills needed on DE&I teams to meet the moment, and how high-performance organizations were letting data—not external pressure—guide their decision making.
• The varying approaches organizations are taking—some pausing survey and pledge participation (e.g., CEO Action, Disability:IN), while others will continue to participate in surveys and double down on support, such as for gender-affirming care.
• A thought-provoking activity using picture pages to reflect on how our perspectives on DEI 2.0 have evolved and what our legacy will be.
• The need to maintain ourselves and our well-being so we can show up for our teams and organizations.

The afternoon featured dynamic conversations and a panel of experts and thought leaders. We also introduced Lily Zheng’s work, DEI Deconstructed(opens in a new tab), and their FAIR Model(opens in a new tab) for reconstructing DEI. Although we ran out of time to watch their recorded interview, we are sharing it here for your review. Please watch it ahead of our May 14th Board meeting, where Lily will join us live for further discussion.

Looking ahead, several members have already suggested additional topics for future meetings, including:

• Social mobility
• Generational differences and disability
• Immigration and the impact of new rules on employers with workers on H-1B visas
• Continued support with EO/DOJ guidance

Please be sure to share any additional ideas and feedback for future meetings with Eric and Madeline.

For those unable to attend the March 3rd session, we’re happy to offer a brief debrief call—please reach out to Madeline if interested. Meeting resources are available under downloads and video access is available for the following guest speakers: Kenji Yoshino (conference keynote)(opens in a new tab) via link and Lily Zheng via video at top of page.

Looking forward to continuing these critical conversations together. We look forward to seeing you at our next virtual meeting on May 14^th from 11-1 ET.