The ICMA Equity Officer Institute identifies individuals serving as chief equity officers, or have equity as an adjunct responsibility, and brings them together to share their insights with ICMA and each other to build a learning community for ICMA members on equity, inclusion, and social justice. This space builds upon the momentum created by the Equity Officer Cohort, a pilot program of 12 equity leaders created in 2020 to provide networking and a repository for shared resources, and to serve as a focal point for chief equity officers and those filling similar roles and programs.   

The following 33 individuals participating in the second cohort, including eight returning cohort members, have expertise in current content areas and reaffirm ICMA’s commitment to equity and inclusion in the association’s membership and the profession. Requirements to participate include becoming an ICMA member, adopting the ICMA Code of Ethics, participation in monthly meetings, and supporting initiatives and programs, such as the ICMA Equity Summit. Additionally, those within the cohort represent the membership from different regions, type of local government, career positions or job functions, and diversity of gender, race, and age.

 

Andrea Alicoate, diversity and special projects manager, Mesa, Arizona 

Wanda Barnard-Bailey, deputy city manager, Chesapeake, Virginia 

Leslie Beauregard, assistant city manager, Staunton, Virginia 

Lanatasha Bell, equity manager, Rock County, Wisconsin 

Dorla Bonner, diversity, equity, and inclusion director, Kalamazoo, Michigan  

Stefanie Bowers, equity director, Iowa City, Iowa 

Bobby Boyd, community outreach and diversity, Portage, Michigan 

Carla Boyd, human rights and equity officer, Urbana, Illinois 

Jonathan Butler, equity manager, San Antonio, Texas 

Krystle Cobran, inclusion and diversity officer, Athens-Clarke County Unified Government, Georgia 

Martha Duffield, chief equity officer, Lexington, Massachusetts 

Yaidee Fox, executive assistant manager, Hickory, North Carolina 

Jacqueline Guzman, deputy city manager and diversity and inclusion liaison, Sunnyvale, California 

Kelly Harris, assistant county administrator, Fluvanna County, Virginia 

Tiesha Hinton, director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 

Diedre Houchen, equity and community outreach manager, board of county commissioners, Alachua County, Florida 

Randi Johl, legislative affairs director / city clerk / executive director, race, equity, diversity and inclusion commission, Temecula, California 

Aimee Kane, equity program manager, Boulder, Colorado 

Shireen Malekafzali, chief equity officer, San Mateo County, California 

Ashley Marshall, deputy city manager for racial equity, diversity, and inclusion, Charlottesville, Virginia 

Angel McKinley-Paige, diversity, equity, and inclusion manager, Aurora, Colorado 

Claudia Menendez, chief DEI officer, Fort Collins, Colorado 

Tamara Miller, HR training and equity manager, Lewisville, Texas 

Bonnie Owens, deputy director, Promise South Salt Lake, South Salt Lake, Utah 

Manisha Paudel, chief equity officer, Des Moines, Iowa 

Laurice Reed, diversity, equity, and inclusion manager, Plymouth, Minnesota 

Steve Ruger, deputy city manager, Rio Rancho, New Mexico 

Siri Russell, associate dean, diversity, equity, and inclusion, School of Data Science, University of Virginia 

Brian Sandler, senior employee relations analyst, Renton, Washington 

Socorro Shiels, diversity, inclusion, and equal employment officer, Santa Rosa, California 

Aleea Slappy-Wilson, chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer, Norfolk, Virginia  

Jason Stroud, assistant city administrator, River Falls, Wisconsin 

Stephanie Williams, chief diversity officer, Worcester, Massachusetts 

 

ICMA is committed to mitigating the effects of bias in the profession, ensuring that ICMA membership is inclusive and mirrors the diversity in communities, and making certain that local government professionals can look to ICMA for tools and resources to assist in their own community equity programming.   

To learn more about ICMA’s commitment to race, equity and social justice, visit the website or contact us at speakup@icma.org.