Community Engagement

DEI Implementation Planning

In 2024, the Northwest Straits Initiative (NWSI)—a collaboration of seven county-based Marine Resources Committees (MRCs), the Northwest Straits Commission (NWSC), and the Northwest Straits Foundation (NWSF)—partnered with The Athena Group to support the development and implementation of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategies. Following a DEI assessment conducted in Phase 1, The Athena Group was engaged for Phase 2 to co-develop practical tools and implementation strategies that align with NWSI’s vision of a diverse, inclusive, and equitable marine conservation movement. The Athena Group built out a customized Knowledge Base Guide, which included a comprehensive toolkit to enhance DEI capacity. It included a Community Connectivity Analysis (CCA) Guide, Transformative Research Toolkit, a Community of Practice Guide, and guidelines for further capacity building.

When we reached out to the Athena Group, we were in the preliminary stages of working on DEI, and had a lot of questions about where to move next, and what our priorities might be. Athena Group assisted us with moving on these priorities and provided extensive help and resources to get us to a place where we feel more comfortable and confident in implementing DEI as a framework within the marine conservation work we do at the Northwest Straits Commission.

- Caitlyn Blair, Northwest Straits Commission