On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, to celebrate Pride Month, SMPS Oregon held the final JEDI Committee-sponsored event for the 2021-22 year: An LGBTQIA+ Panel Discussion for the AEC Industry. This virtual event featured an impressive panel of AEC change-makers who are playing a key role in creating a more inclusive workplace for the LGBTQIA+ community at their firms. The conversation included strategies for advancing DEI initiatives within an organization, navigating roadblocks, allyship, and tips for those who want to create a more inclusive workplace (but don’t know where to start).

Kelly Johnson, Co-Director of the JEDI Committee, kicked off the event by introducing the facilitator and panel members, and provided a quick overview of organization housekeeping. From there, committee member Kate Walker introduced the Q Center, the largest LGBTQ+ community center in the Pacific Northwest and recipient of profits donated from this virtual event. 

Camille E. Trummer (she/her) served as the event’s facilitator; she is an award-winning researcher, transformational facilitator, and strategic communications consultant based in Portland. A leader in human-centered engagement and service design, her work lies at the intersections of media, culture, multimodal organizing, and community-driven social change. 

The four panelists included:

Sabrina Becker (she/her) is the Global Director of TogetherBeyond, Jacobs’ inclusion and diversity group. In her role, she oversees the governance and development of eight different global employee network groups, drives the strategy of inclusion at Jacobs, and works closely with executive leaders to accelerate Jacobs’s key inclusion initiatives. 

Jesse Vernon (she/they) is the Global Inclusion Lead at Arup, a collective of designers, advisers, and experts dedicated to sustainable development. Jesse approaches equity, diversity, and inclusion through the intersection of strategy, communications, and systemic change, partnering with existing and rising Arup leaders to build a more sustainable future for all.

Allie Alu (she/her) is a Community and Citizenship Program Specialist with Turner Construction Company. Amongst leading volunteer efforts, working with their Diversity Equity and Inclusion team, Allie also leads the Pride Network Employee Resource group for Turner in the Carolinas and sits on the National Pride Network board overseeing marketing efforts. 

Marcia Alvarado (she/her) is WGI’s Tampa Structural Market Leader, and responsible for all aspects of GIS’s Structural Engineering practice in the Tampa Bay region and also serves as the JEDI Council Lead at WGI. She has been a speaker, panelist, and educator for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion since 2018. 

Camille led an active discussion, where the main takeaway was that supporting LGBTQIA+ communities within a firm must start with leadership, from the top down. While workplace norms are changing, historically the AEC industry hasn’t been as welcoming to LGBTQIA+ folks, but more and more firms are providing safe spaces for conversations. 

So, what are the panelists’ companies doing to support their LGBTQIA+ employees?

• Jacobs created a website to highlight the firm’s TogetherBeyond DEI efforts, including the group’s Vision and Mission; Employee Network Groups (affinity groups); their Action Plan; and internal and external DEI resources. 
• Through their DEI research, Arup published two informative guides: Gender Transition in the Workplace and Queering Public Space (and complementary video). 
• Turner has taken up space in how to be a better ally to the LGBTQIA+ community, including creating the firm’s Pride Network and publishing a Guide to Being an Ally. 
• WGI educates their employees using the Genderbread Person tool, which breaks down the concept gender into bite-sized pieces: identity, attraction, expression and sex. 

The JEDI Committee thanks Camille for facilitating an enlightening discussion and each of our panelists: Sabrina, Jesse, Allie and Marsha; as well as all event attendees. We met our committee’s event objective to learn about and increase awareness of the LGBTQIA+ community in the AEC industry and bring resources back to our firms – we look forward to continuing this educational series next year.

Firm Resources:

• Jacobs, Together Beyond website
• Arup, Gender Transition in the Workplace guide 
• Arup, Queering Public Space + video
• Turner, Guide to Being an Ally 
• Turner, Ally Training Template
• WGI, Genderbread Person – Pages from presentation 

Books/Videos/Articles:

• “We Can’t Talk About That at Work!” Book by Mary-Frances Winters
• “Allies at Work” Book by Dr. David M. Hall
• “Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger” Book by Lama Rad Owens
• Amber Hikes video: "Lift Others Up While You Climb"
• Michelle Kim article, “A Love Letter to “the Onlys”: Underrepresented People Experiencing Tokenism and Isolation at Work”

Organizations:

• BuildOut Alliance
• Right to Be (formerly Hollaback!)