Carolina Meadows Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee

We value being an inclusive and welcoming culture, celebrating the diversity of all who live, work, and visit Carolina Meadows.We are committed to celebrating and recognizing traditions, history, and contributions of diverse cultures.

As part of this celebration of diversity, our charge will be to host a variety of cultural programs and initiatives that intend to educate, form community, unite and inspire, and enrich the overall campus experience for the residents, employees, guests, and surrounding community.

We want to inspire thoughts and intentional change that align with the values that Carolina Meadows embraces and upholds

As part of our culture of inclusivity, we are committed to advancing inclusion of all residents, guests, and employees and making them feel supported in our community, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability status, veteran status, or other aspect of diversity. 
 Importance of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Carolina Meadows

Simply put, organizations with diverse residents and team members perform better. We recognize that diversity and inclusion are multi-faceted issues and that we need to tackle these subjects holistically to better engage and support all groups within Carolina Meadows. To do this, we believe we also need to address honestly and head-on the concerns and needs of our diverse employees and residents andincrease equity for all. For us, this means committing to four initial goals that we hope will catalyze further conversation and action around diversity and inclusion within our community and foster collaboration among other organizations:

1. Carolina Meadows will continue to make our community a trusting place to have complex, and sometimes difficult, conversations about diversity andinclusion.We will create and maintain environments, platforms, and forums where our people feel comfortable reaching out to their colleagues to gain greater awareness of each other’s experiences and perspectives. By encouraging an ongoing dialogue and not tolerating any incongruence with these values of openness, we are building trust, encouraging compassion and open-mindedness, and reinforcing our commitment to a culture of inclusivity.
   
2. Carolina Meadows will implement and expand unconscious bias education.Experts tell us that we all have unconscious biases — that is human nature. Unconscious bias education enables individuals to begin recognizing, acknowledging, and therefore minimizing any potential blind spots he or she might have, but was not aware of previously. As leaders of Carolina Meadows, we recognize that such education is an important necessary step, because unconscious bias, by its very nature is hidden. We will commit to rolling out and/or expanding unconscious bias education and other diversity training within our community in the form that best fits our specific culture and business. By helping our employees recognize and minimize their blind spots, we aim to facilitate more open and honest conversations that will support inclusion throughout our community.
   
3. Carolina Meadows will create and share strategic inclusion and diversity plans with our Board of Directors.We will work with our board of directors through the development and evaluation of concrete, strategic action plans to prioritize and drive accountability around diversity and inclusion. Given the shared responsibility for driving strategies that help companies thrive, boards and CEOs play an important role in driving action together to cultivate inclusive cultures and talent.We are fortunate to have the support of both Kevin McLeod, President and CEO, as well as the support of the Carolina Meadows, Inc. Board.
   
4. Create accountability systems within Carolina Meadows to track our own progress and to catalog effective programs and measurement practices.We believe that by sharing and learning with others, we can strengthen our existing programs and commitments to better serve our employees and community as a whole.

We recognize that thesefour commitments are not the complete answer, but we believe they are important, concrete steps toward building a more diverse and inclusive community. Let us come together to make good on the inherent promise that the residents, staff, and those connected to Carolina Meadows should be able to bring their best selves to our campus and unleash their full potential.

Further Information:

As part of our culture of inclusivity, we are committed to advancing inclusion ofallresidents, guests, and employees and making them feel supported in our community, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability status, veteran status, or other aspect of diversity. We recognize that diversity and inclusion are multi-faceted issues and that we need to tackle these subjects holistically to better engage and support all of our residents, our coworkers and our community.

Experts tell us that we all have unconscious biases that manifest themselves in various aspects of our daily lives. Unconscious bias education is a resource that can enable individuals to begin recognizing, acknowledging, and deconstructing any potential blind spots he or she might have, but was not aware of previously.

As leaders at Carolina Meadows, we recognize that such education is an important necessary step, because unconscious bias, by its very nature is hidden. But we also recognize that such education while necessary, is not a sufficient step to create change. That requires constant vigilance and proactive efforts to create equal opportunity and access. We are focused on cultivating a community that supports open dialogue on complex, and sometimes difficult, conversations about diversity and inclusion.