We’re highlighting the incredible work of the faculty and staff members on the DOM’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Council.
Read an interview below featuring Rita Frazier, manager of finance in the DOM. Frazier shares her career journey and how she incorporates DEI in her administrative role.
Can you share how your career path led to your current role in the DOM?
After working in corporate America for many years, I took a five-year break to stay at home with my kids. Emory offered me the opportunity to come back into the workforce and continue to use my skills part-time at Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing (NHWSN). That led to a full-time position at NHWSN and ultimately led me to the DOM, where I have been for seven years in various positions.
Why did you decide to take an active role in the department’s diversity initiatives?
I have always had a desire to see others have opportunities to grow and expand, and as a black woman, I understand the challenges that can sometimes come in finding those opportunities.
What does inclusion look/feel like to you?
Inclusion to me looks like there being room for everyone to have a voice, an opportunity to contribute, and a seat at the table. It allows for everyone to be respected and valued regardless of your job level.
How do you leverage your unique identity to promote DEI in your functional role?
My role allows me to be in contact with people at all levels, and I have a chance to talk about DEI and encourage diversity and inclusion. I am also one of the trainers for unconscious/implicit bias training at Emory, which affords me the opportunity to speak to people in a lot of different departments.
What do you think is the biggest challenge in DEI right now?
For it to be taken seriously and not just be something that people and organizations are giving lip service to. My hope is that we will begin to see real effective change in the workplace that is permanent.
If you had the opportunity to bring any resource/program/initiative to the department for any historically underrepresented group, what would that be and why?
My specific interest on the DEI Council is related to staff. Being a staff member in a university setting can make you often feel overlooked. There is not as much focus on opportunities and career development for staff, so I would like to see more focus on career growth and opportunities for URM staff.
What figure in Black History or Women’s History has been your biggest inspiration and why?
I would say Coretta Scott King. She was an accomplished woman in her own right. She put aside the dreams she had as a young woman and walked with her husband into a new calling. She continued to be a leader in the civil rights movement after the assassination of her husband and also fought for women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, and other economic issues.
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