Pathways for Increasing and Advancing Diversity, Inclusion and Equity: Getting Beyond the Check

The NOAA Diversity and Professional Advancement Working Group (DPA WG) is convening this session to discuss opportunities for enhancing diversity and gender parity in the meteorological and atmospheric sciences. Many other scientific associations are focused on addressing pathways for effective and practical methods and strategies to improve diversity and inclusion. Meteorological and atmospheric sciences are critical components of the natural environment shared by all communities. As professionals in the workforce better reflect society’s makeup, enhanced communication with all communities and stakeholders will follow, thus reducing impacts from weather events.

An expanded diversity and inclusion footprint creates opportunities for enhanced impact across communities and stakeholders. This panel session seeks to address methods for broadening and maintaining participation across underrepresented groups including faculty and student support, resources for locating and recruiting diverse applicants in the meteorological/atmospheric workforce, reducing implicit bias, strengths and weaknesses of workforce development programs, increasing gender parity, and the impacts of affinity/employee resource groups on broadening participation and increasing recruitment and retention in the workforce. The target audience includes hiring/program managers, supervisors, academic department chairs, and all others interested in a more inclusive and diverse science community.