Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
CREW Network absolutely stands in solidarity with the Black community in speaking out against systemic racism, racial injustice and violence. Now more than ever we need to support and connect with one another, and CREW Network is committed to listening to our membership and clearly stating our position as allies in condemning racism.
For us—an organization committed to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) for our members—we know that we must be united in our efforts, and remain open to feedback and opportunities to grow our understanding.
We recognize that it is critical to demonstrate our commitment through action. CREW Network leadership began our DEI journey two years ago when the board retained DEI experts to meet with the board and begin working with us on our role, knowledge and action plan. During our strategic planning session in November 2019, we established a goal dedicated to DEI.
CREW Network is the global thought-leader regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion in commercial real estate. To that end, we began our journey to become an active and forward-thinking organization for DEI. In February 2020, we convened our DEI Task Force to begin working on our plan objectives to create resources and tools for chapters and their leadership.
Currently, we have three task groups working on the following resources:
- DEI Playbook
- Toolkit
- Best Practices and Curated Articles/Books
We recognize that having a DEI expert partner with us in our work is crucial. CREW Network hired a DEI consultant in May 2020. She will be working in partnership with our task groups to bring these resources to life.
Additionally, CREW Network will invest in ongoing DEI training for our leaders and members which will be held annually at a Leadership Summit. Further, we will host several sessions at the 2020 Convention focused on DEI that will encourage exchange and understanding as well as open dialogue and support. We will only reach our strategic goal when we communicate with a willingness to listen, understand and support one another.
Your CREW Network board recognizes that DEI is a priority, an ongoing commitment and a way for our organization to lead the industry in transforming commercial real estate to a welcoming community of professionals where all are included and engaged.
Thank you for your openness, dialogue and commitment to CREW Network. We look forward to continuing our journey forward with commitment and resolve.
June 2020