Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee - University of Houston
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Staff Council

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee

Workplace Conversation: HERStory

The UH community participated in a virtual Workplace Conversations event sponsored by the Staff Council Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

In honor of Women's History Month, the focus was on HERStory: Women in Leadership and included discussions with Dr. Rheeda Walker, UH Pyschology Professor, Dr. Erika Henderson, UH Assoc. Provost,  Laura Ortman, CEO Cologix and Angela Cox, Regional Sales Matrox Graphics.

Date:  Wednesday, March 22
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Workplace Conversations HERStoryEvent Recording Link:  https://vimeo.com/802846493

View HERStory PDF document: staff-council/diversity_equity_inclusion/uh-scdei-slideshow_workplace-conversations-herstory_ppt_03202023.pdf 

 

Staff Council DEI Committee Book Club

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The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee launched the pilot for the very first inagural staff council book club in November 2022 - February 2023. The first club book reading was, We Can't Talk about That at Work!: How to Talk about Race, Religion, Politics, and Other Polarizing Topics by Mary-Francis Winters.  
Two book club sessions were held to bring over 20 club readers together virtual to share discussions and thoughts on the book.

 
Madelyn Washington from the M.D. Anderson Library Music department was the moderator for the first book club session.

Eric Mahan, DEI Committee memberr moderated the second book club session.

 

Inaugural Book Reading:

Title: We Can't Talk about That at Work!: How to Talk about Race, Religion, Politics, and Other Polarizing Topics

Author: Mary-Frances Winters

Moderator: Madelyn Washington

How to Get Your Book:

Discussion Dates: 
  • Chapters 1-4 Discussion, Friday January 13th 2023 (Virtual)
  • Chapters 5-7 Discussion, February TBD

Past Events

  •  

    Celebrating the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial at the National Mall

    Wednesday, January 26, 2022
    12:00 pm to 1:00 pm CDT

    Staff Council's January 2022 Workplace Conversations honored the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Staff joined this virtual workplace conversation led by Harry E. Johnson, Sr. President and CEO of the Memorial Foundation, Inc. on January 26th. Mr. Johnson spoke about the inception and fruition of the MLK, Jr. Memorial at the National Mall, from land acquisition to the 10th Anniversary celebration. 

    Featuring Harry E. Johnson, Sr.
    President and CEO, Memorial Foundation, Inc.

  •  

    Arab Americans and the Struggle Against Racism in the United States

    Thursday, April 29, 2021
    12:00 pm to 1:30 pm CDT

    The UH Arab-American Educational Foundation Center for Arab Studies partnered with Staff Council to present a special Workplace Conversations event “Arab Americans and the Struggle Against Racism in the United States” on April 29, 2021. Over 180 people participated.

  •   

    Celebrating Black History Month: Diverse Perspectives Panel

    Tuesday, February 23, 2021
    12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

    Staff Council celebrated Black History Month with a special Workplace Conversations event featuring a Diverse Perspectives Panel. Over 140 University of Houston staff, faculty, students, and guests participated in this virtual Workplace Conversations event. 

    Learn more about this Workplace Conversations event and view the moderator and panelists' complete biographies. 

  • Diversity 101: Exploring Your Own Cultural Identity

    Tuesday, October 27, 2020
    12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

    Featuring Varselles Cummings
    Director, Center for Diversity and Inclusion, University of Houston

    During this virtual event, over 150 staff identified the relevance of their own cultural identities and learned how to embrace diversity to more effectively minimize the gap between individuals’ differences.


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    Civility: A Workplace Conversation

    Tuesday, June 30, 2020
    12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

    Featuring Sara Miller
    Trainer, Equal Opportunity Services, University of Houston

    Staff Council partnered with Equal Opportunity Services for its inaugural Workplace Conversations series. University of Houston community participated in an hour-long dialogue on June 30, 2020, about workplace etiquette, diversity awareness, and cultural sensitivity. 

About DEI

  • Leadership

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Co-Chairs

    debbie-headshot_2022.png
    Debbie Samuels
    832-842-4660
    dcsamuels@uh.edu 

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    Callista Brown
    713-743-5617
    cbrown10@uh.edu

    Interested in joining the DEI committee? Please contact this year's DEI Co-Chairs.

  • Mission

    The Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee (DEI) is responsible for recommending and promoting diverse, equitable, and inclusive initiatives in alignment with University of Houston’s values to enrich the University’s culture and enhance the staff experience.

     

    Staff Council DEI Resources

    UH Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

     

    DEI Committee Meetings

    The Staff Council DEI Committee meets every third Wednesday of the month. Contact Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee Co-Chairs to receive the meeting invitation. All staff, faculty, and students are welcome!

  • Objectives

    • To disseminate information to the Council and staff concerning diversity programs/activities and seek support from the Council to promote and encourage staff participation.
    • To actively solicit, promote, and interact with diverse groups on campus and in the community in support of their goals as well as jointly sponsored events/programs.
    • To request annual updates from the University on the progress made toward increasing diversity and inclusion of staff on campus and report out to Staff Council annually.
    • To work with the University of Houston to help build and promote an inclusive work culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates the diversity of experiences, cultural backgrounds, and ideas among our staff.