AAFCPAs Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee Charter 

There is strength in diversity in decision making.  It makes companies stronger.  Beyond that, diversity, equity, and inclusion is a societal issue, which takes bold action from the business community in order to drive change at scale. Our industry and our firm are not diverse, and we want to build goals into our strategic plan to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in all areas (economic/social, ethnic, religion, gender, sexual orientation, thinking/socializing, etc.).

Firm DEI Mission:

To have a workforce that is as diverse as the clients we serve; and a workplace that embraces the talents, perspectives, ideas, and experiences of all employees, fosters inclusion, requires respect, and promotes equal opportunities to achieve one’s full potential.

Committee Objective:

Develop and execute on a working, sustainable strategic plan in support of our DEI Mission, which clearly outlines objectives, SMART goals, actions, ARCIs (Accountable persons, Resources, Consultants, Interested Parties), and success measures related to advancing workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion at AAFCPAs. We will evaluate our strategic plan annually to ensure we are dedicating resources to the most appropriate objectives and actions to best serve our employees and society.

Goals:

  • Increase our workforce diversity
  • Increase our workforce’s feelings of inclusion/an inclusive environment
  • Ensure our goals and actions are sustainable, and there is accountability
  • Increase committee and firm-wide participation/awareness

2021-2022 Leadership:

  • Chair – Sorie Kaba
  • Workforce Diversity Accountability – Sorie Kaba
  • Workplace Inclusion Accountability – Ana Rodriguez
  • Workplace Education Accountability – Emma Jannsen
  • Sustainability & Accountability – JoAnne Starks

Committee Membership:

Our goal is to have a demographically diverse committee, and members with passion, knowledge, or experience related to DEI. Membership shall be open to anyone within the firm. Committee members are expected to actively participate as an Accountable Person, Resource, or Consultant for Committee goals. Committee participation involves approximately 3-4 hours per month.

Success:

Our success will be measured by:

  • Increased efforts to actively recruit minority groups.
  • Increased representation of diverse employees.
  • Increased retention rate of minority groups within the firm.
  • Annual anonymous, optional reporting mechanism (such as a survey), to measure metrics such as: increased team members’ comfort having DEI-related conversations and discussing personal characteristics; increased team members perception of commitment from performance managers and partners.
  • Increased engagement throughout the firm in DEI efforts, such as metrics associated with L&L attendance, Teams Channel Engagement, Committee Growth, etc.