Disaster Recovery Journal Spring 2023

DEI as a Business Continuity Topic

W hen someone mentions the term DEI, it typically evokes a whirlwind of thoughts in the mind of that individual. For me, it brings up the idea of oppor tunities. Opportunities to push not only our profes sion forward but the world we live in. Bringing diversity into a market like business continuity, we open our eyes to a much broader perspective ensuring we see risk and how we address risk from all views. On a personal level, I grew up with a physically handicapped father. He encountered obstacles everywhere and most would never notice. That experience gave me a lot of empathy for people who face different barriers. It also taught me that all of us see things differently based on personal experience. The most accurate, complete understanding of any situation comes from blending multiple points of view. Over the years, those two ideas have existed in one part of my brain. In another, there is DRJ, our conferences, and our field overall, which—and this is not news to anyone—tends to lack diversity on most fronts. I’d like to see more diversity at DRJ and this profession as a whole. I’d like to see this because, one, I don’t like it when people are kept from doing things by obstacles in the environ ment and, two, because I think more points of view brings a more accurate vision of reality. I’ll add a third reason, and this one is very pragmatic: these days, the social environment is as much a reality and potential threat to our organizations as hurricanes and wildfires. Social unrest is something all organizations must consider. If we don’t adapt to changing times and circumstances, we’re creating vul nerabilities for our organizations.

So, I’d like to see DRJ and really our whole industry become more diverse. It’s the right thing to do, the smart thing to do, and the prudent thing to do. As far as DRJ goes, this transition is a work in progress. I don’t have answers right now, I have questions. How do we build an initiative which will have impact and create change in our field? What will this change look like? How do we achieve greater resiliency and social change? Going forward, DRJ is taking an active, consistent, and arduous practice of unlearning and re-evaluating people’s perspectives. We will be looking for help to build and support this DEI program. Our community of board members, read ers, conference attendees, webinar attendees, podcast listeners, vendors, speakers, mentors, and mentees include every conceiv able branch of the resilience tree. Your insights and experiences will inform the greater fabric of our community and fuel DRJ through this journey. The key stakeholders at DRJ will respect the lived experi ence from those groups which may have traditionally been underrepresented at our events. We may make mistakes, but we will learn from them, fix them, and get better; just like organizations should when testing and evaluating resilience programs. Diversity is about mirroring our world in our workplace. Equity and inclusion are how we ensure that diversity is repre sented throughout our industry for years to come. Learn more about the DRJ DE&I Initiative at: https://drj.com/about-us/dei/

– Bob Arnold, DRJ president on behalf of the entire DRJ staff

50 DISASTER RECOVERY JOURNAL | SPRING 2023