Case Studies

Most clients ask us to scale back to a one-time training. AAWA asked us to go further.

AAWA’s mission is to champion, advance, and unify the animal welfare profession. In 2019, the Association committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion for its staff, its members, and the entire field. The animal welfare workforce is mostly White and female, and the profession has a complex history of reinforcing structural inequities. AAWA’s leaders knew that building an equitable profession meant embracing diversity in all its dimensions, acknowledging historical exclusion in the field’s systems and culture, and committing to continuous learning. They didn’t want to just fix today’s problems. They wanted to imagine a profession that centers the needs of all the people who care for animals.

Diagnose

Listening first, in a new way. We began by gathering 100 animal welfare professionals for a virtual playback theater experience. Participants from different identity groups shared their stories, and actors “played back” the heart of each one. For many White participants, it was the first time they understood the harm their Black and Latino colleagues had experienced. Live polling captured the biggest barriers to belonging, and participant testimonials helped draw others across the field into the work.

A first-of-its-kind State of DEI in Animal Welfare Audit. Leader interviews and a survey of more than 2,600 animal welfare professionals surfaced deeply held beliefs that were holding the profession back. AAWA published the findings and launched a field-wide campaign to reshape how professionals understood their purpose.

Design

A strategy built on the data. With AAWA’s leadership and board, we developed a DEI strategy with five goals: leadership and communications to the field; learning and development; recruitment and retention; engagement with underserved communities; and equitable policies and practices. An implementation plan assigned clear roles to AAWA staff, our team, and the DEI Council, with regular check-ins and an annual DEI report.

An embedded DEI leader. We placed a full-time Director of DEI Initiatives inside AAWA. The director guides strategy, facilitates training, coaches leaders, leads the DEI Council, and represents the Association at animal welfare events worldwide, so belonging is built into AAWA’s day-to-day work instead of handled by an occasional outside consultant.

A redesigned DEI Council. We helped formalize the council with a steering committee, project-focused subcommittees, quarterly learning meetings, and two-year terms that prevent burnout and bring in new voices.

Develop

DEI competencies for animal welfare profession. We created profession-specific competencies with key behaviors for individual contributors, supervisors, leaders, and board members. They are aligned with the Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) evaluation criteria and built into all training and development programming.

Leadership development. Our DEI Leadership Accelerator helps senior leaders model inclusive leadership and make DEI a strategic priority across their organizations. A new mentoring program, now in development, will prepare the next generation of animal welfare leaders with the DEI competencies at its core.

Skill-building for members. Using skills gaps identified in the audit, we deliver customized trainings and webinars at the intersection of DEI and leadership. Topics include addressing bias in decision making, emotional intelligence and empathy, managing microaggressions, and calling others “in.”

Board engagement. We provided foundational DEI training for AAWA’s board and continue to engage members in ongoing learning. We are also developing a DEI program for boards across the animal welfare field.

DEI Learning Library. A curated library of hundreds of resources gives professionals just-in-time learning matched to their needs.

Deepen

DEI Ambassador Program. This flagship train-the-facilitator program has prepared more than 120 animal welfare professionals to champion DEI in their organizations and across the field. Ambassadors lead trainings, serve on boards, present at conferences, and share promising practices across the profession.

Justice in Action. For Ambassadors ready to go further, this eight-week virtual series offers deep dialogue on historic and systemic racism, helping leaders create meaningful, lasting change in their own communities.

Community and connection. We facilitate sessions at AAWA’s annual conference, host gatherings that strengthen the network of Ambassadors and DEI Council members, and lead affinity spaces, including a BIPOC group and a White ally group, where participants can learn together in psychologically safe settings.