I personally can only point to two people of color who I directly brought into the emergency management profession. They were Ken Hudson and Vernon Owens. Perhaps you have run into one or both of them. Each currently works for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), but started out in state and local government. Who can you point to who you personally have helped add to the diversity of our profession?
While we have made major progress in adding women to our ranks, there is a dearth of cultural diversity in our ranks. I'm sure there are some Spanish-heritage emergency managers out there — but I can only recall one or two who I've interacted with over the years. On the West Coast all the Asian cultures are drastically under-represented in our ranks here in the Pacific NW.
To change our demographics, we have to be deliberate and we should not be waiting for others to act. As you go about your daily duties, look for people who would be good additions to our profession and present the idea to them. High school students and career fairs are one place to interact with kids. Likely, you will be the first person to ever plant the seed. Introduce them to ways they can get the education and training needed to compete for positions. Look for opportunities to give students already in the pipeline to our profession the opportunity to get experience by interning. Perhaps you can't pay them, but get them on the "inside" so they can get a first-hand experience and make sure that emergency management is something they want to do.
Remember, our profession is not just another job, it is a way of life! They might like having Thanksgiving and Christmas off when there is a disaster.
