The Aerospace Corporation is and always will be committed to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment for our employees that is systemically unbiased and anti-racist. That commitment is as crucial and necessary today as it was 60 years ago when we were founded.
The murder of George Floyd earlier this year laid bare the persistence of systemic racial inequity and injustice in this country and throughout the world, and has galvanized Aerospace’s commitment to creating a workplace and greater community that is diverse, equitable and inclusive.
While our nation grapples with the pain of these racial and civil injustices, Aerospace is investing its financial and people resources to effect meaningful change for our employees and in the communities around us. Led by ACE, this holistic effort spans the enterprise and aims to address six critical Focus Areas: Recruitment, Representation, Retention, Education and Training, K-12 STEM Outreach and Community Outreach. While the early emphasis is on the historically and disproportionately under-represented Black community and workforce, these initiatives will benefit employees and communities of all backgrounds.
As indicated by the aforementioned six Focus Areas, ACE will lead initiatives in 34 specific DEI actions.
New employee Recruitment efforts will target all professional stages, from interns and graduate school students to mid-career professionals and above, with a multitude of initiatives tailored to each. Representation programs will aim to increase mentorships and sponsorships, and to nurture Black talent. Initiatives for Retention as well as Education and Training will equip employees and managers with resources to rapidly identify and address latent and overt racial bias, and expose racially based disparities in pay and professional opportunities. The K-12 STEM Outreach and Community Outreach programs will focus on nurturing young talent in traditionally underserved communities, while increasing community engagement and dialogue.
To drive these efforts forward, a team of executive champions is leading these initiatives, monitoring and measuring Aerospace’s progress to ensure our diversity, equity and inclusion objectives are met. Aerospace has also provided platforms for our employees to voice their concerns and suggestions. These internal channels include executive-led Town Hall meetings and Collaboration Cafés, with the support of the Employee Assistance Program.
Progress on these initiatives will be carefully monitored and diversity scorecard reports will be created to transparently assess our progress while indicating where improvement is needed. These reports will also provide comprehensive data for annual evaluations, creating clear pathways for meaningful, definitive change.
The Aerospace Corporation is dedicated to creating a fair and inclusive workplace characterized by equal opportunities for advancement and a robust pipeline of diverse top technical prospects – while also making a positive impact for the communities where our people work and live.
A diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce is critical to our nation’s preeminent space enterprise, and Aerospace remains committed to ensuring that these values are upheld throughout our corporation and communities in the interest of creating a just and equitable future, free of racial and cultural bias.