In April 2019, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee was formed at the North Carolina Botanical Garden with the goal of improving the diversity of staff, volunteers, board members, and event attendees. The committee spent several months gathering resources, reviewing assessments made of diversity at NCBG, conducting an all-staff Intercultural Development Inventory, and consulting with professional staff at North Carolina State University to develop this strategic plan. At the one-year mark, the committee has created this three-year strategic plan. It will be used to advance and enhance the mission of the North Carolina Botanical Garden as a leader in native plant conservation and education in the southeastern United States.
NCBG Mission Statement
Our guiding mission is to inspire understanding, appreciation, and conservation of plants and to advance a sustainable relationship between people and nature.
Diversity Statement
As a garden focused on conserving the biodiversity of southeastern native plants, we recognize that just as biodiversity is critical to a healthy ecosystem, diversity in people and perspectives makes our organization and community stronger. NCBG is committed to creating an environment in our gardens and natural areas where everyone’s voice is heard and everyone feels safe and welcome.
Aim One – Create a Culture of Inclusiveness
Increase diversity and diversity awareness in staff, volunteers, members, board members, and general public audiences. With this aim we hope to establish and maintain an institutional culture of trust so that people feel free to explore and express a variety of perspectives and experiences, as well as to engage in challenging conversations.
GOAL 1: Ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion are part of the Garden’s core values and are reflected in the leadership and organizational culture.
ACTION ITEMS
Time-limited:
- Bring a new NCBG Foundation member onto to the DEI Committee
- Staff Lead: Ainsley Briggs
- Provide a DEI-focused educational event or training for all staff annually
- Staff Lead: Ainsley Briggs
- Create a process for anonymous staff suggestions related to NCBG’s DEI work
- Staff Lead: Michael Lee
- Present during the NCBG Foundation Board training each January
- Staff Lead: Becca Wait
- Present annually to the executive committee of the NCBG Foundation Board on the scope of the DEI committee’s work
- Staff Lead: Ainsley Briggs
Ongoing:
- Maintain the NCBG public DEI webpage
- Staff Lead: Jennifer Peterson
- Maintain NCBG staff only DEI webpage to connect staff to opportunities and resources
- Encourage staff who attend DEI related programs outside of NCBG to report back via all-staff meetings, an all-staff email, or Teams as appropriate
- Give brief presentations on DEI related topics at monthly all-staff meetings
- Staff Lead: Becca Wait
GOAL 2: Increase diversity of staff, volunteers, and board members.
ACTION ITEMS
Time-limited:
- Quantify NCBG Foundation membership, program participant, and visitor demographics every 5 years (due in 2025)
- Staff Lead: Jennifer Peterson
- Create best practice standards for job and intern hiring processes across all NCBG departments to insure that all NCBG full-time jobs, temporary positions, and internships get consistently posted across a wide variety of job boards and platforms
- Staff Lead: Ben Heuser
- Create a process for actively recruiting applicants from underrepresented groups for NCBG full-time jobs and temporary positions
- Staff Lead: Ben Heuser
- Revise the standard DEI question used in NCBG hiring interviews (Ex. What diverse perspective do you bring to the garden?)
- Staff Lead: Claire Lorch
Ongoing:
- Recruit more diverse nominees for NCBG Foundation Board
- Staff Lead: Stephen Keith
- Diversify NCBG volunteer population (Ex. outreach to new communities, organize workdays with community partners, work to understand exisitng barriers to volunteering at NCBG and address those barriers as possible, etc.)
- Staff Lead: David Michaud
- Diversify NCBG membership (Ex. outreach to new communities, work with the town to improve bus lines to NCBG, more evening hours, etc.)
- Staff Lead: Allison Essen
Aim Two – Accessibility for All
Prioritize inclusion, accessibility, and diversity so the Garden is a welcoming place for all.
GOAL 3: Maintain and create new opportunities for people of all backgrounds and abilities to access the Garden and participate in our programs.
ACTION ITEMS
Time-limited:
- Create a History of the Land document
- Staff Lead: Emily Oglesby
- Create Spanish language map of NCBG and Nature Trails
- Staff Lead: Jennifer Peterson
- Create interpretive signage in Spanish and other relevant languages
- Staff Lead: Emily Oglesby
- Recruit individuals to lead tours in Spanish and other relevant languages
- Staff Lead: Joanna Lelekacs
- Evaluate Twilight Thursdays and (if needed) tweak/change the program based on what’s learned
- Staff Lead: David Michaud
- Implement a class registration discount program to increase access to NCBG programs for individuals from underrepresented communities
- Staff Lead: Joanna Lelekacs
- Implement a rental discount program for underrepresented groups
- Create signage for the main bathrooms around the Allen Education Center to let visitors know where the gender neutral bathrooms are located
- Staff Lead: Becca Wait
- Purchase several pairs of color vision corrective glasses for visitors with color vision deficiency to use while at the garden
Ongoing:
- Continue hosting Spanish language story time
- Staff Lead: Elisha Taylor
- Continue to bring a more diverse range of community members and experts to speak and teach courses at NCBG
- Staff Lead: Joanna Lelekacs
- Review, edit, and add to our list of preferred caterers to include BIPOC-led business
- Staff Lead: Tyler Dietz
- Expand inclusive access features at CCG
- Staff Lead: Claire Lorch
- Expand access to the DeBerry Gallery for artists from underrepresented communities by increasing support and funding for exhibiting artists
- Staff Lead: Emily Oglesby
- Identify and replace offensive or insensitive common names on NCBG plant labels
- Staff Lead: Heather Summer
- Identify offensive or insensitive scientific names and work with national and global organizations to change these names
Aim Three – Engage the Community by Building Trust
Engage and collaborate with diverse populations, cultures, and abilities by building trust and forming meaningful relationships. With this aim we hope that we form new partnerships with members of all the communities we serve and that these community members become partners in our planning and events.
GOAL 4. Form meaningful relationships with a full range of cultural organizations.
ACTION ITEMS
Time-limited:
- Evaluate and edit the NCBG Land Use Acknowledgment annually
- Staff Leads: Ainsley Briggs and Joanna Lelekacs
- Meet with TLC staff to learn from their experience developing and running their Pines Fellowship Program with an eye to one day developing a similar program at NCBG
Ongoing:
- Build relationships with 2 new community partners to find common goals and ways to mutually support each other (Ex. Historic Stagville)
- Work with the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference to develop their own DEI strategic plan
- Staff Leads: Ainsley Briggs and Becca Wait
- Build relationships with UNC groups (American Indian Center, Latinx Center, Asian American Center, LGBTQ Center, the Stone Center) to find common goals and ways NCBG can support their work
- Build relationships with University academic departments and professors to share the garden’s mission with a wider audience of students and faculty
- Build relationships with middle and high school students and agencies that serve them to expose a diverse group of students to conservation and botanical garden career paths
- Organize events for NCBG staff to volunteer during work hours at other organizations both for interdepartmental team-building and to support external partners