ORAU is committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion 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 and inclusion as:

• Diversity: We support a culture where everyone is empowered to maximize their abilities to their fullest potential.
• Equity: We support fair and equitable treatment, access, opportunity, and engagement for all.
• Inclusion: We foster an environment that respects and values all perspectives, especially ensuring that persons within historically underrepresented groups are included and represented.

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

MSI Research Council

• ORAU Minority Serving Institutions Research Council

News Releases

• Our partnership with Thurgood Marshall College Fund
• ORAU selected for NIH Path to Excellence Initiative
• ORAU manages platform for Alfred Street Baptist Church HBCU Festival
• ORAU work with CDC Office of Minority Health
• Hidden Figures at Vine Middle School
• 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
• Praveena Krishnan: ‘Love what you do, do what you love’
• Tim Wilson: Climate research from the ground up

Research & Researcher Profiles

• 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
• STEM Stories: Inviting scientists to inspire young minds with stories about why they chose careers in science
• Where are they now? Former NASA Postdoctoral Program participant Rika Anderson, Ph.D.
• Where are they now? Former NASA Postdoctoral Program participant Hyunju Connor, Ph.D.
• Where are they now? Former NASA Postdoctoral Program participant Gioia Massa, Ph.D.

Podcast Episodes

• Podcast: Creating a data science consortium for Minority Serving Institutions
• Podcast: Data activism—Why we need it in our data-driven world
• Podcast: ORAU’s Diversity Council and the importance of being visible
• Podcast: Shedding light on foreign national stay rates
• Podcast: Preparing for the ‘silver wave’
• Podcast: Desmond Stubbs—From late bloomer to diversity pioneer