I
read with great interest the reporting on the recent panel discussion sponsored
in part by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce concerning diversity and
the lack of women voted into elective office in Pennsylvania. This is an
important topic and there is certainly work to be done to topple the “old boy’s
network” in the Commonwealth.
Women
running for elective office are bottom up affairs and require dedicated, knowledgeable
and well funded candidates willing to get involved. Most diversity issues involve hiring,
training and recruitment and are top down issues where enlightened leadership
makes all the difference. My challenge
to the panel participants: Commissioner
Irey Vaughan, State Sen. Bartolotta and President Judge Emery is to turn the
diversity imbalance on its head and to use their positions to make meaningful diversity
change in Washington County. I would add
Washington County Bar Association President, Dawn Haber Esq., to this triumvirate because the law community
faces many of the same challenges.
Minority
employees and staffing in county government and the court system are
embarrassingly underrepresented.
Recruitment of minority lawyers to live and work in Washington County
appears nonexistent. Women leaders who
have had to battle the status quo to achieve positions of power can speak from
experience in developing diversity programs and policies for the hiring and
advancement practices under their respective domains.
Diversity
is not a luxury that Washington County can afford to leave to chance. Diversity programs are proactive and seek out
qualified minority candidates. They
build a multicultural workplace and community because it is the right thing to
do.
A diverse workforce is many times stronger than
the sum of its parts. This is
particularly true in the public and legal sectors where minorities must believe
their interests are fairly represented.
Our knowledgeable and compassionate female leaders are in the best
position to make this a reality.
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