Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Accessibility

ORAU is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility as we fulfill our mission to advance national priorities and serve the public interest by integrating academic, government, and scientific resources globally. This commitment applies to our work with our federal and state government agency partners, our relationships with our member universities, and the ways we interact with and provide opportunities for our employees, managers, and leadership team.

ORAU defines diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility as:

Diversity is all the ways in which we differ. Workforce diversity is a collection of individual attributes that together help companies pursue organizational objectives efficiently and effectively. These individual attributes include, but are not limited to, national origin, race, color, ethnicity, disability status, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, veteran status, socioeconomic status, and family structures.

Equity requires reviewing and assessing policies, procedures, and guidelines to create a culture that promotes a fair and just work environment for all employees. The term “equity” means the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been generally denied such treatment.

Inclusion is intentional effort placed on creating a culture that is inclusive of all employees at every level of the company on an ongoing basis. Inclusions requires us to create a culture that connects each employee to the organization; encourages collaboration, flexibility, and fairness; and leverages diversity throughout the organization so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential.

Accessibility is giving equitable access to everyone along the continuum of human abilities, inabilities, and experiences. Accessibility encompasses the broader meanings of compliance and regulatory compliance. Accessibility refers to how organizations make space for all individuals to acquire information for promotions, advancement, and experience the same level of exposure for opportunities The characteristics each person brings to the organization should be received and equally integrated into the culture.

Diversity Council 

For more than 30 years, ORAU’s Diversity Council has provided awareness of the importance of diversity in the workplace and communicated the importance of respect for all employees. The network of 25 Council members, who represent all levels and locations of the organization, provides employees an easily accessible, alternative channel to ask questions, express concerns, or discuss existing or potential problems regarding diversity matters such as harassment, and/or discrimination of any ORAU employee on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, gender, gender orientation, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or special disabled or veteran status.

The Diversity Council holds a number of education events and observances for employees annually, including Heritage Day, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian Pacific Heritage Month, Juneteenth, and Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Examples of our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility include:

MSI Research Council

• ORAU Minority Serving Institutions Research Council

News Features

• ORAU joins forces with Ecological Society of America to expand STEM opportunities for HBCU students, faculty
• Special issue of American Chemical Society journal focuses on research at HBCUs; ORAU’s Desmond Stubbs serves as a guest editor
• Achieving health equity one step at a time
• Making sure all voices are heard: ORAU Diversity Council celebrates 30th birthday
• ORAU named to Department of Health and Human Services SAMHSA contract
• ORAU selected for NIH Path to Excellence Initiative
• ORAU work with CDC Office of Minority Health
• Monica Jimenez, former EPA NSSC contractor, featured in Science Matters
• ORAU partners with Meharry to provide leadership in health equity and researcher diversity
• ORAU awarded contract to build workforce capacity for rural and frontier health departments
• Arminta Mack selected for National Society of Leadership and Success

Employee Profiles

• Wanda Gamble: Committed to a winning culture
• Desmond Stubbs: From late bloomer to diversity pioneer
• Julie Crumly: Leveraging evaluation skills for a first-of-its-kind public health preparedness study

Research & Researcher Profiles

• ORAU researchers publish study on communicating effectively to prevent infectious diseases among people experiencing homelessness
• Research in Progress: Developing computer simulations to improve disaster planning in rural communities
• Research in Progress: Finding the links between COVID-19 health risk disparities and air pollutant exposures
• Research in Progress: How the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified barriers to career development for women in science

Podcast Episodes

• How and why women use complementary and alternative medicine
• ORAU expands opportunities for HBCU students, faculty with Ecological Society of America
• Celebrating workplace diversity: ORAU Diversity Council marks 30th birthday
• Making great things happen: our annual conversation with United Way of Anderson County
• Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge helps 14,000 of our neighbors access free primary care services
• Creating a data science consortium for Minority Serving Institutions
• Desmond Stubbs—From late bloomer to diversity pioneer
• Data activism—Why we need it in our data-driven world
• ORAU’s Diversity Council and the importance of being visible