Q & A with Marisa Pooley: What Diversity and Inclusion Can Do for Your Company & Community
About Marisa
Marisa is a graduate of the University of Denver and is the Marketing and Communications Manager for the American Institute of Architects (AIA), a non-profit organization which serves as a leading voice for architecture professionals in Colorado. She is also a PRSA Colorado Board Member. Learn more about Marisa here.
By Caroline Martin, PRSA Colorado Communications Committee
What was it that urged you to begin a diversity and inclusiveness task force at AIA?
It was really the members that brought the idea to AIA Colorado’s attention. They felt like there was a significant need for a committee focused solely on diversity and inclusion. AIA recognized how important to the community this was and that the organization was past due for a conversation around diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
In the realm of architecture, the community is extremely male-centric, with 75% of the profession bring male and the average age being about 49 years-old. While a majority of the community does fall into these statistics, the remaining 25% of the community is made up of women, young professionals, members of the LGBTQ+ community and more. For AIA, it was important to recognize this diversity and create conversation around inclusion. The diversity and inclusiveness taskforce was additionally a partial response to the Me Too movement. As the voice to a male-dominated profession, AIA felt it was important to make a stand and speak to the community about what is not tolerated in their organization.
What is the goal of the diversity and inclusiveness taskforce in the workplace?
The diversity and inclusiveness taskforce works to develop a profession that respects those voices which are underserved within our occupation.
What are some things which make that goal difficult to meet and how do you maneuver that process?
Architecture is a profession that tends to be very set in its ways. In Colorado especially, the profession is extremely busy. It can be hard to be self-reflective and take a look at practices and policies with these factors. Ultimately though, it seems to be the most important time to implement these new initiatives, take a look at existing policies, and begin the conversations.
Why do you think diversity and inclusiveness are important in the workplace?
While Denver is a leader in diversity and inclusiveness, there is still work to be done. Better decisions are made when people with varying perspectives are making the decision together. When an organization has an equitable voice, it prompts leaders to make better decisions overall.
How would you say the diversity and inclusiveness task force has positively impacted your workplace?
The diversity and inclusiveness taskforce has positively impacted each piece of AIA. The staff and board consistently have conversations around how to continue to incorporate diversity and inclusiveness in all of their business practices. They now include equity statements on all of their documents and continue to have conversations around diversity and inclusion strategy and policy.
What is some advice you would give to someone who wants to create a diversity and inclusiveness task force within their own company?
- Be intentional in creating a committee
- Don’t limit the size, and give space to people who want to have these discussions.
- Make it committee member driven
- Even in corporations, because this allows ideas and issues to be brought up that others may not think of. It can be an overwhelming topic so let people be creative.
- Allow members to share their stories
- Give a safe place, to those who are diverse within your organization, to talk about their experiences.
- Create a mini-series
- How do women feel in your profession? Then how do men feel?
- Share the work both publicly and internally
- Create conversations and build the initiative.
Are there any tools that PRSA has that could benefit AIA?
PRSA Colorado came out early and supported diversity and inclusion initiatives. They’ve created discussion around how to holistically talk about it because the issue is more than race or gender. For example, at each event, there’s a microphone so people who are hard of hearing are included.
Find more information and tool’s on diversity and inclusion from PRSA here.
Learn more about AIA Colorado’s efforts in equity, diversity and inclusion here.
