The NAAEE 2007 Board has adopted a diversity policy and a set of recommended actions for both diversifying NAAEE and helping to diversify the field of environmental education. The 2007 Diversity Policy built on a previous policy adopted in 2002, which was based on the recommendation of an ad hoc committee on diversity then chaired by Past President David Wicks. Work on the statement began with a multicultural workshop organized by Wicks at the South Padre Island Conference in 2000.

The 2007 policy recognizes the integral connections between environmental concerns and wider questions of social needs, welfare, and economic opportunity. It also acknowledges the need for greater emphasis on equity and celebration of diversity within NAAEE and in the field of environmental education.

NAAEE’s Diversity Commitment

NAAEE recognizes the integral connections between environmental concerns and wider questions of social needs, welfare, and economic opportunity. It also acknowledges the need for greater emphasis on equity and celebration of diversity within NAAEE and in the field of environmental education.

The 2002 committee identified six actions that NAAEE should take to diversify itself and two actions to help diversify the field. In 2007, the Diversity Committee saw the need to update NAAEE’s work to diversify itself and promote diversity in the field.

To diversify our own organization, NAAEE will:

·         Retain the Diversity Committee as a standing committee of the NAAEE Board and have the Board president annually appoint a Diversity Committee chair with committee input. The Diversity Committee will develop a committee work plan and budget each year for inclusion in the association’s work plan and budget. It will monitor the implementation of the Diversity Policy and each year's Diversity Committee action items. It will make an annual report to the Board on progress made toward fulfilling the policy statement as well as recommendations for further progress.

·         To ensure that NAAEE’s efforts reflect our values and desire to be inclusive of multicultural visions and audiences in everything that we do (policies, hiring, grants, programs, staffing, and initiatives), the Diversity Committee will work with the staff of NAAEE to assure that the following information is collected and reported to the membership to help move NAAEE towards ethnicity inclusion:

o        Staff hiring procedures and results

o        Member recruitment and retention

o        Grant-funded programs that target culturally diverse audiences as well as programs geared to the ongoing process of developing diversity internally

o        Changes in key documents governing the association such as the Bylaws, Mission Statement, Strategic Plan, Conference Manual ,and Personnel Manual.

o        Information featured on and design of NAAEE’s Web site and other outreach tools

The annual Board report, prepared by the Diversity Committee, will contain benchmarks toward inclusion that are derived from NAAEE’s Diversity Policy, Strategic Plan, and other relevant documents, and it will demonstrate NAAEE’s progress toward achieving these benchmarks.

Additionally, the committee will have the opportunity to review and provide input to the association’s Annual Report prior to publication, if possible. The Diversity Committee’s representative to the Governance Committee will work with that committee to review and provide input to the association’s work plan every year.

The Diversity Committee is charged with preparing and presenting decision points to the Board work plan.

NAAEE Leadership and Diversity

·        Each year, the president will appoint a person of color to serve on the Board of Directors to a full three-year term. The Nominating Committee is charged with presenting slates of candidates that reflect the diversity described in the statement above. (This item was adopted by the board in December 2000.)

·        Encourage at least one Diversity Committee member to participate and provide feedback in the following Standing Committees so as to encourage the values of diversity to permeate the association: Awards, Conference Program, Communications, Development, Governance, Membership, Nominations, and Publications.

·        Include the Diversity Policy and information about the Diversity Committee in new Board member packets, staff orientation packets, and committee and commission chair manuals so that the association’s leaders are aware of the Diversity Policy and work to implement and enhance it.

·        Annually set aside either an extra day or a half day during one board meeting where the board can participate in cultural sensitivity training that focuses on knowledge, skills, and awareness as related to the culture of the current board and how our individual and unique differences can complement what we do as an association. The association shall designate funds for experienced multicultural trainer(s) to lead this session.

NAAEE Financial Management and Diversity

·         Establish a fundraising strategy to support NAAEE's efforts to increase diversity. Funding is needed for conference scholarships, a part-time staff member to coordinate the multicultural initiatives of the association, conduct the membership and affiliate research required in this policy statement, and hire a facilitator(s) to work with the Board on becoming more sensitive to diversity issues.

NAAEE Membership Development and Diversity

·         Examine all aspects of NAAEE's member services to ensure we are doing everything we can to become more intentionally inclusive. Disaggregate our membership, conference, and staffing data, so we can accurately track our progress in becoming more diverse. Report this information to our membership on an annual basis. Representatives from the Diversity Committee will work with the Membership Committee and/or Research Commission to survey members every two years on their needs and concerns regarding NAAEE.

NAAEE’s Professional Development Services and Diversity

·         Ensure that the NAAEE Annual Conference is inclusive of the perspectives of diverse cultural groups. A member of the Diversity Committee will serve as a member of the Conference Program Planning Committee.

To promote diversity in the field of environmental education, NAAEE will:

·         Periodically survey the NAAEE Affiliates (state, provincial and regional EE associations) to ask about their work to support inclusion, values of diversity, and multiculturalism. The Diversity Committee will analyze the results of the survey and recommend policy actions to be adopted by the Board, in collaboration with affiliates, toward encouraging all affiliates to adopt policy statements that specify steps to support the values of diversity and multiculturalism in their organizations.

·         At the board and Executive Director level, develop collaborative and mutually beneficial relationships with other education organizations to enhance the multicultural and environmental education resources of each. For example, strengthen and expand partnerships with the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE), the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME), and the national ad hoc working committee on EE.

·         The committee will continue to propose actions to promote diversity as part of each year's planning process and will make an annual report to the board on NAAEE's progress.

View the results:

 NAAEE State Affiliate Diversity Survey Results [ppt]

 Achieving Diversity in the Environmental Education Community [pdf]