The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) recently held an executive social equity roundtable to help emphasize the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
NIBS partnered with Avenue M Group, an independent market research and consulting firm, to study the demographics and culture of the building industry. Sixty-five percent of respondents indicated it is important to increase the diversity of the built environment. Forty-three percent of employed respondents indicated their company has a program or initiative dedicated to DEI, while 28 percent of respondents indicated they have experienced discrimination or prejudice based on age. Finally, 66 percent of respondents said they have experienced discrimination or prejudice based on gender.
“We must work together as an industry to focus on steps that will impact real change,” said Lakisha A. Woods, CAE, president and CEO of NIBS. “Committing to take specific action as it relates to developing a diverse leadership pipeline is the key to future success.”
NIBS will sign the PwC CEO Action pledge, joining 2000 other CEOs who have also signed. The goal is to have all building industry organizations commit to the CEO Action pledge by the end of September.
