Diversity Committee

The Diversity Committee guides ESA’s efforts to create an environment that embraces diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice and facilitates all students and professionals to flourish. This committee split from the Committee on Diversity and Education as a separate entity in August 2021.

The Committee advises ESA on the development of programs to enhance recruitment, training, and retention of underrepresented and marginalized groups in the ecological sciences, and to encourage equitable treatment and representation of people of all genders, ages, races, ethnicities, abilities, sexual orientations, and cultural backgrounds. Reporting to the ESA Governing Board, the Diversity Committee engages all ESA sections, chapters, and committees to address diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice within ESA and across the field of ecology.

The Committee’s key functions are to:

• Advise on ESA’s strategic diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice priorities and related budget needs.
• Educate and engage the ESA membership and the wider community in implementing ESA’s DEIJ Action Plan.
• Encourage collaborations and/or coordination across ESA staff, sections, chapters, and committees to elevate the visibility of ESA’s DEIJ initiatives and use of its DEIJ resources.
• Address issues of particular concern to underrepresented and marginalized groups in ecology, including promoting their participation in all aspects of ESA and the wider community.
• Develop metrics and assess and track diversity in nominations, meetings, publications, and membership and leadership of sections, committees, chapters, and the ESA Governing Board.

Committee Composition

The committee consists of a chair and six additional members. The chair may or may not be an ESA Governing Board member and that can increase the number to 8 members.