​​​​​​Utah ASPA Commitments to Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The Utah ASPA Chapter is committed to recognizing, prioritizing, and promoting the values of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) among our council and members, which are composed of public and nonprofit administrators. We have begun this change by providing education in our yearly programs and applying the values in board discussions and decisions. 

 

We are committed to expanding the diversity of our council membership and ensuring diverse council members' voices are heard and heeded. Our emphasis will be to advocate for the application of a lens of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) in public administration programs, policies, and practices throughout Utah organizations. 

 

JUSTICE:

 

• It is our responsibility to educate those in our field, especially our members, on the historic race and gender based injustices that public administration has contributed to since its inception. Additionally, we must work to dismantle the current injustices that still exist in our systems by having continuous open dialogue and action.

 

EQUITY:

 

• As a public administration focused association, equity is paramount to our field. Yet only in the last 25 years was equity added as the fourth pillar of public administration by the National Academy of Public Administration (Norman-Major, 2011). The Utah Chapter of ASPA recognizes, though equity is a widely taught pillar of public administration, there is room to improve on the amount of attention and intention that is invested across the sector, specifically in Utah.

 

DIVERSITY:

 

• We recognize a lack of diversity and representativeness in the Utah ASPA council board. Diversity is crucial in all fields, but especially in public administration where sociodemographic differences catalyze policy change that is representative of traditionally marginalized groups. 

 

INCLUSION:

 

• We have a responsibility to empower participation in our membership, resources, and events by creating a culture and environment of belonging, specifically for the traditionally marginalized. We understand that the perspectives of our members represent a greater diversity and proximity to JEDI issues than those of the council, and commit to putting those perspectives into practice.  This requires us to assess our current culture, make crucial changes, and keep a continuous critical eye on the environment for our members.

 

The Utah ASPA Chapter has identified and continues to develop actionable steps to put these principles into practice. To learn more about our current priorities, and to help us co-create strategies, please contact us at utah.aspa@gmail.com. 

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