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Virginia DWR Wins SEAFWA Diversity and Inclusion Award for Workforce Inclusion
Richmond, VA — The Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) is delighted to announce they are the recipient of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) 2021 Diversity and Inclusion Award for Workforce Inclusion. This recognition was announced this week at the annual SEAFWA conference held in Roanoke.
DWR formally committed itself to increasing diversity among its staff and in its interactions with the public in 2019. Since that time, the agency has added a Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer to the Director’s Office, formed an Inclusive Excellence Panel, and recently completed its first Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan. Utilizing best practices from across the nation, the agency has planned community engagement and pipeline initiatives that promote conservation careers to historically underrepresented populations, together with other recruitment and outreach efforts to the broader public.
“It is with great pride that our agency, which had historically been noted for a lack of diversity within its ranks, turns a corner with this award,” said Ryan Brown, who became Executive Director of DWR in 2019. “Though much work remains to be done, we have achieved important first steps in reaching all Virginians, something critical to citizen support of the conservation of our wildlife and the recruitment of future outdoorsmen and women.”
DWR’s receipt of this award also signifies the benefits achieved through the agency’s work with Commonwealth Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer Janice Underwood and the Governor’s ONE Virginia Plan, which has led all state agencies to be dedicate meaningful actions directed at diversity, inclusion and equity.
“Growing diversity within an organization and reaching all of the public is a long term process, but through being intentional in our actions, they are both goals that will be attained,” said George Braxton, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. “We are pleased with this recognition and the progress that has been made, and there is much more to come as we go forward.”
SEAFWA is a regional association of state fish and wildlife agencies including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Its Minorities in Natural Resources Committee (MINRC) focuses on matters of diversity and inclusion among all of the member states, and within the wildlife profession as a whole.