Dina Clark has been on the job for two weeks, but she already sees great things happening in Pittsburgh.
Clark was appointed the first executive director of the
Western Pennsylvania Diversity Initiative, a non-profit membership organization that is promoting regional economic growth by providing resources to employers to help them attract, hire and retain employees from diverse backgrounds.
Membership is open to any company that embraces diversity and inclusion.
People hear "diversity" and they often think of race relations, says Clark. The initiative is much broader in scope. "It's not about black and white, it's about size, ability, sexual orientation, everything in addition to ethnicity, race and religion."
"Lots of great things are happening in pockets around the city," says Clark, who subscribes to the saying that inclusion is the surest path to diversity. "The challenge for Pittsburgh is not only to help individuals, but to look at the best practices. If you're in line with our mission, our doors are open."
Clark grew up in Squirrel Hill, the daughter of educator parents. Her father, Harry Clark, was the founding principal of the High School for the Creative and Performing Arts and her mother was a Pittsburgh Public Schools teacher. Prior to her appointment, she served on the WPDI board.
In addition to regular job postings, WPDI will offer a calendar of speakers and plan quarterly networking events. The first all-day conference on diversity and inclusiveness is planned for Oct. 22. For more information, click
here.
The initiative has 50 members so far and hopes to double by the end of the year.
Funding for WPDI comes from member organizations and a grant from the
Heinz Endowments. The Allegheny County Bar Association has donated office space downtown.
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Source: Dina Clark, WPDI