1. How long have you been with your organization, and what originally drew you to join the team?
I've been with Neighborhood Legal Services since 2023, first in human resources and now as Director of Staff Enrichment and Organizational Culture. What drew me to NLS was the passion people bring to serving the community. I have always been equally passionate about building workplaces where employees can thrive, so that connection felt very natural to me. As my role has grown, I've been able to focus more intentionally on supporting the people who carry out that work.
2. In what ways does your organization create an inclusive culture where employees feel seen, valued, and heard?
At NLS, we try to create a culture where employees have real opportunities to share their perspectives and help shape the employee experience. For me, being heard is about more than being asked for input. It's about knowing your perspective is respected and can lead to thoughtful reflection or change. I think inclusion becomes most meaningful when employees can see themselves as part of the culture, not simply participants in it.
3. How does your organization engage with and support the broader Buffalo Niagara community through DEI-related efforts?
Equity has been part of the foundation of Neighborhood Legal Services from the beginning. NLS was built around the idea that people should have meaningful access to justice regardless of economic background or circumstance, and that commitment still shapes the work today. Over time, that reach has grown from neighborhood based services in Buffalo to communities across five counties, including rural areas where access presents different challenges. In practice, that can look like housing advocacy, help with public benefits or healthcare navigation, legal education, the Justice Bus bringing services on site, and programs like CEED that help establish nonprofits throughout WNY. To me, that's equity in practice, finding meaningful ways to reduce those barriers so that access to justice is not determined by someone's income, circumstances, or zip code.
4. What challenges has your organization faced on this journey, and how have you worked through them?
One of the biggest challenges has been making sure our intentions show up in people's everyday experiences. It's easy to launch an initiative; the harder part is making sure DEIB values stick, not just in messaging, but in practice. At NLS, we've tried to address that by building habits around listening, reflection, and adjusting over time based on what we hear and what the data supports. I've learned that DEIB work asks for steady attention and a willingness to learn in real time, not just a one-time effort.
5. How do you encourage allyship and shared responsibility for DEI across all employees, not just HR or leadership?
I encourage allyship by helping people see DEIB as part of everyday culture, not a separate initiative. I focus on creating space for people to learn from each other, inviting different perspectives, and asking how our daily choices shape the culture we share. I try to make that work feel doable. You don't have to be perfect or have all the right words. It's more about being willing to listen, learn, and act when there's an opportunity to support someone. That's also why, for us, belonging matters. We want people to not only be at the table, but to genuinely feel like they have a place here.
6. What partnerships, collaborations, or community relationships have strengthened your DEI work?
Serving on the BNHRA DEIA Committee has been valuable because it keeps me connected to professionals approaching this work in different ways. Through my role, I've also had opportunities to build relationships with various universities and community organizations, and outside of work, I've had the privilege of mentoring students and professionals who are exploring their next steps. Those relationships strengthen my DEIB work by keeping me connected to perspectives beyond my own experience and reminding me that learning should never be one-directional.
7. How do you measure success and impact in your DEI efforts?
I look for progress over time. Data matters, but I never want to just look at a number and say that tells the whole story. I also pay attention to what people are telling me and whether I can see changes taking hold in how an organization operates. Sometimes, you might not hit the exact number you hoped for right away, but if the underlying culture and practices are moving in the right direction, that matters. For me, success is showing the work is creating real, lasting change, not just checking off a goal.
8. What advice would you share with other leaders or organizations beginning their journey toward greater equity and inclusion?
Start by listening, and be prepared for what you hear.
Organizations sometimes begin DEIB work by asking, “What program should we create?” I would encourage them to first ask different questions: What are our employees experiencing? Where are barriers showing up? Whose voices are missing from decisions? Where might our systems be producing outcomes we did not intend?
Then resist the temptation to do everything at once. Meaningful culture change is rarely created by one training, one celebration, or one strategic plan. It is created through consistent decisions and practices over time.
Most importantly, do not approach DEIB as a destination where an organization eventually gets to declare the work complete. The organization will change. The workforce will change. Communities will change. The work has to evolve with them.
For me, inclusion is not something an organization can simply say it values. People should be able to experience that value in the way the organization listens, leads, communicates, makes decisions, and responds when something needs to change.
