Diversifying Our Organizations

An intensive training in diversity, equity, and inclusivity

Thanks to a multi-year grant from the Katharine S. and Axel G. Rosin Fund, A.R.T. New York has launched a new program, Diversifying Our Organizations. Working with the Raben Group's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team as well as Hewlett Consulting's Center for Talent Innovation, Diversifying Our Organizations will provide a DEI cohort for member organizations interested in building capacity to diversify their organizations: from their staff to their audiences and board members.

The program will feature 4 cohorts, supporting 12 companies each. These cohorts will consist of 7 monthly meetings, beginning January 2018 (the first cohort), August 2018 (the second), May 2019 (the third), and a fourth cohort beginning in August 2019.

Upon selection, cohort members will participate in a series of workshops to help them build a business case for diversity, ensure a culture of inclusion, think differently about who should be part of one's organization as a director, address audience participation, and understand how diverse experiences and background will enhance the value of one's theater. With the support of diversity and inclusion experts, the DEI cohort will share concerns, opportunities, and lessons learned in embarking on an organizational diversity journey.

Please note that the program's success requires the participation of two staff members in leadership with decision-making power who will commit to attending the scheduled workshops. There are also two sessions which require attendance from a board member. It is crucial to an organization's participation in the program that the staff members and board member make the best possible efforts to attend all scheduled workshops. This is a collective cohort learning experience, and each monthly meeting will build on the concepts in the previous meeting. 

This application requires responses from both the staff member and board member.

Additionally, participants in the program will be invited to social events where cohort members will be able to meet potential board members from diverse backgrounds. The dates for these events will be announced at a later date.

For more information about this program, please contact David E. Shane, Programs Manager, at [email protected] or (212) 244-6667 ext. 242.

Ready To Apply?

To complete the application:

• Select a staff and board representative.
• Both of these representatives should complete a brief (one page or less) response to the question: What are your organization’s goals in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion? What is your organization doing well? What do you need to learn? These responses will need to uploaded to the application
• Both representatives will need to provide scheduling and demographic information to complete the application.
• To access the application you must log in under the organization's account (the username is typically the name of your organization with no spaces)

 To preview the application, click here. 

Applications for the fourth cohort of DOO closed on July 8th, 2019.

Get To Know Our Facilitators

from Raben Group’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team

Alicin Williamson leads The Raben Group’s New York office, where she draws on her diverse experience conceiving of and managing large-scale initiatives in government affairs, media strategy, employee engagement, brand reputation, and communications to help advance her clients’ missions. Diversity and inclusion play a central role in Alicin’s own mission, and she is a leader in that work for The Raben Group. Her clients range multinational corporations to national and local non-profit organizations. Alicin partners with client senior leadership and management on vision alignment, thought leadership, and diversity and inclusion. She helped craft Airbnb’s original public policy strategy and their diversity work, worked with the board of NAMIC to create systems change and organizational redesign as they experienced a leadership transition. Alicin has led projects developing and implementing communications plans regarding key issues on diversity both externally and internally. Prior to joining Raben, Alicin built her career fostering public affairs and corporate social responsibilities initiatives. She served as a Senior VP at MTV Networks and Viacom where she created the company’s Corporate Responsibility and Public Affairs department and helped build the Office of Global Inclusion to increase company visibility in diverse communities and aid diversity recruitment efforts. Alicin also partnered with Viacom Government Affairs, building coalitions between advocacy groups and corporate relations in support of the company’s legislative agenda and oversaw employee engagement.As a program director and Senior Program Officer at The Fund for the City of New York, Alicin provided technical assistance and capacity building to city agencies and nonprofit youth-serving organizations.Alicin has been recognized with a commendation from the City of New York for women’s leadership, induction to the YWCA Academy of Women Leaders, and a “Woman of Influence” award from Essence Magazine and several recognitions from the cable and telecommunications industry.Alicin serves on the board executive committees of the New York Urban League, Food Research and Action Center and as board chair of All Souls School. She previously was on the board of NAMIC and the USO.

Whitney Tome has worked with fishermen, environmentalists, advocates, political strategists, government employees, and thought leaders to develop the approach and solutions needed for the problem. Combining her facilitation skills, knowledge of environmental issues, and understanding of people, Whitney is able to walk into any room, ask the right questions, develop a strategy in the moment and leave everyone with action items and tasks.Prior to joining the Raben Group, Whitney served as the director of diversity and inclusion at the National Parks Conservation Association where she lead, defined and crafted metrics and measures for the organization’s diversity and inclusion efforts. Whitney has advised complex ocean stakeholder processes as a Program Manager and Mediator at the Meridian Institute including facilitating public meetings for regional ocean planning bodies that included state, federal and tribal partners.At Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Whitney served as a strategist, cat herder and trusted advisor in dozens of state and federal political campaigns. She also developed, launched and grew the Fisheries Leadership and Sustainability Forum – a partnership between EDF, Duke and Stanford. Whitney developed everything from the curriculum for fisheries managers to managing the steering committee, budget and partners for the Fisheries Forum.In developing the Fisheries Forum. Whitney adopted a ‘soup to nuts’ management process. She developed the curriculum for and identified experts in fisheries science, law and policy to help educate federal fisheries managers. Her subtle, yet persuasive approach with fishermen, state and federal employees earned her respect. Within a few short years, due to Whitney’s continuous relationship building, and well-executed and informative events, the National Marine Fisheries Service asked the Forum to lead an entire sector of the largest conference in the United States focused on the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act – Managing Our Nation’s Fisheries Conference.Whitney earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Middlebury College and a J.D. from American University’s Washington College of Law. She also won the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) International Mediation Competition in Paris, France.In addition to serving as Counsel, Whitney is also the executive director for Green 2.0, an initiative to increase the racial diversity of the largest national environmental NGOs, foundations and federal government agencies.