Thursday marks the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors come from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The 2022 theme, Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation, reinforces the need to ensure diverse voices and perspectives are welcomed in decision-making processes, thereby helping to build stronger communities and a stronger nation.

The Water Authority also recognizes the importance of including diverse voices and perspectives in our work as a regional business partner and employer. The knowledge, skills, and dedication of the Water Authority’s diverse workforce sustains the San Diego region’s large-scale water delivery system that supports our $240 billion economy and our incredible quality of life. I’m certain I am not alone in recognizing that employees are every business’s greatest asset – and that the work to ensure employees feel seen, welcomed, and valued is more important than ever.

One way we are advancing this work is through greater attention to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). I’m proud to say the Water Authority just released its first DEIB report. The goal in publishing this report is to hold ourselves accountable to our stakeholders – internal and external – for building a workplace that embraces DEIB for employees, customers, business partners, and the region, and developing actionable strategies to improve where needed.  By analyzing data from the past two years, we are working to identify areas of opportunity and “blind spots” that reduce employee engagement, impede innovation, and increase workplace stress.

Our collective actions in this area can create significant benefits, both for individual organizations and the larger economy. A recent report by the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank found that if workplace racial and gender inequities were eliminated, we could create an extra $2.6 trillion in value, nearly 14% of GDP, in just one year.

I invite all leaders to join me in expanding DEIB efforts, so that collectively we can help San Diego County continue to thrive. As always, if you have ideas about how to improve diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, I’d love to hear from you.

Sandra L. Kerl
General Manager
San Diego County Water Authority