First-ever chief equity & diversity officer appointed

On Aug. 21, Tompkins County administration announced the appointment of Deanna Carrithers (Dee-an-a Car-i-thers) as the county’s first chief equity and diversity officer.

Early this month, Carrithers begins her new role, leading county administration’s strategy to be “a diverse, anti-racist, equitable and inclusive organization with the support of its senior leadership and interdepartmental justice, equity, diversity and inclusion teams,” according to a recent press release.

“Advancing equity, diversity and inclusion has never been more important to building vibrant and sustainable communities,” Carrithers said in the release. “I am honored to join a community of public servants who believe in equity, diversity and inclusion as uncompromised values.”

Carrithers’ position was created through a recommendation made during the county’s workplace climate survey process, as Deputy County Administrator Amie Hendrix explained.

“The vision for the chief equity and diversity officer truly came from our employees,” Hendrix said. “After spending months looking at our strengths, challenges and opportunities, as well as researching ways to further develop our organization, our employees recommended to the Legislature the creation of this position.”

For Carrithers, this role and work is something she said she was practically born to take on.

Carrithers’ hometown is Wichita, Kansas, where she went to school and worked up until taking this position in Tompkins County. She has a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Kansas and a master’s in public administration from Wichita State University (WSU), where she later worked as the director of operations. Carrithers is also pursuing her doctorate in educational leadership.

WSU isn’t her only work experience. She’s also worked in local government, doing contract administration in her home county, Sedgwick County.

“What that meant was I work with underrepresented families in terms of drug and alcohol, substance abuse, reintegration, making sure that programs were funded correctly and then making sure that prevention programs are in place,” Carrithers said. “Seeing young adults become leaders in the world, that’s paramount.”

Carrithers always saw herself as a public servant, dedicated to helping those around her. She explained that promoting diversity has been a priority for her.

“I find that there’s always a time where someone has felt left out,” she said. “There’s always been a time where someone’s felt marginalized or someone’s always felt like they weren’t seen. And so, I feel like that’s my superpower, to be able to help folks understand their value and also illuminate those things.”

That passion led Carrithers from local government to WSU. There, she worked with the President’s Diversity Council, which develops and oversees university efforts to commit to “diversity as a core institutional and educational value,” according to the council’s website.

Carrithers also worked with the Kansas Hispanic Education and Development Foundation, which serves “Kansas Hispanic students and professionals by providing opportunities for education and leadership development,” according to its website. In addition, Carrithers has worked with the Wichita Ministerial League and with the school district USD 259, home to over half a million students.

Now, Carrithers is bringing all that experience with her to her new role in Tompkins County. Carrithers said the Tompkins County position seemed like it was made just for her.

“The reason why I’m moving from Kansas to here is because I believe in it,” she said. “When I read this job description, … the words jumped off the page. I was just like, ‘That is my job.’ … And so, I thought I’d take the leap of faith, say, ‘OK, Tompkins County, here I come.’”

And her experience has helped prepare her for this role, she said.

“[The county needed] a visionary, collaborative and a strategic leader,” she said. “I believe I have all those qualifications. … Being a servant leader is all about meeting people where they are and just making sure that they’re heard and understood, and that the agenda of our leaders that the citizens have entrusted with that high honor, that the work gets done.”

That confidence and experience made a strong impression on the search committee, which resumed the search in July after initially pausing because of COVID-19. One member of the committee was Kenneth Clarke, Office of Human Rights director and member of the county’s Diversity and Inclusion Infusion Team (DII).

“I think that she will bring in energy and competence to this position, particularly for a brand-new position, and has shown through her experience … that she would be a person that would be able to build the kind of collaborative partnerships that are essential to the role,” Clarke said.

Tompkins County Administrator Jason Molino, also part of the search committee, was impressed with Carrithers’ resume.

“Deanna is a proven leader in diversity and equity and will bring an exemplary track record of management and community engagement experience to our team,” Molino said. “Her enthusiasm was palpable throughout the interview process, and we’re excited for her to be a part of our community and our work at the county.”

Moving forward, Carrithers is faced with no small task. As part of her work, Carrithers will be working with Clarke and others to forward county administration’s diversity and equity agenda. As discussed in a previous Tompkins Weekly article, that agenda centered around eight main steps, with the creation of this position being one of them.

The remaining seven are: build on the work of the Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Committee (WDIC), Climate Survey Team, DII and Government Alliance on Race and Equity Membership (GARE); establish a Core Equity Team; launch organizationwide educational programming, facilitate difficult conversations throughout the organization and community; support internal leaders as they work with employees; support department communications through an equity lens; and roll out organizational values through the Climate Survey Team.

Carrithers recognized the importance of this agenda for the county and said she hopes to build upon it.

“Because of what’s happening in society, the anti-racist agenda is the forefront, and I think it should be,” she said. “Because we value this, I want us to be successful. So, I want to be able to implement those things. And then, I want us to say, ‘What’s next?’ And so, I intend for us to add new dimensions to the conversation about diversity, equity, inclusion.”

To hear Carrithers describe it, she’s well prepared to get started on those goals. First on her agenda is to acclimate herself to her new home. Beyond that, Carrithers will be working with members of the Office of Human Rights, WDIC, DII and other county administration to locate areas of improvement for the county in terms of diversity and equity and to address it head on.

“Diversity belongs to everyone,” Carrithers said. “I am building consensus around these strategies and moving the conversation for addressing systemic inequalities where there may not be a lot of times. Sometimes, it may be purposeful or may not be purposeful, but if we don’t call attention to it, we don’t know.”

Carrithers said that she also hopes to amplify the work that others have done before her.

“In many, many cases, sometimes a lot of good is happening, people may not know,” she said. “I know they have his role specifically to make sure that the microphone is amplified in terms of the work, in terms of what’s happening in Tompkins County.”

While Carrithers still has plenty to learn about her new home, she said she’s excited to live and work here because of the compassion and dedication of its residents.

Carrithers described what being the first chief equity and diversity officer in Tompkins County means to her.

“I don’t take it for granted that this is an opportunity for a black woman to come and lead, who’s going to come bursting through the door with 1,000 rays of light and energy through the process,” she said. “What it means to be first is to be humble. It means to carry the torch forward.”

Carrithers is prepared to face challenges along the way, which she said is expected when taking on a brand-new role. And county leadership will be supporting Carrithers through those challenges and everything else in between.

“To welcome the energy and enthusiasm of Deanna at the helm of our justice, equity, diversity and inclusion work is truly an exciting time for Tompkins County,” Hendrix said.

Chair of the Tompkins County Legislature Leslyn McBean-Clairborne shared a similar sentiment.

“At a time in our country’s history when attention to diversity, equity and inclusion is paramount, seeing this position come to fruition is an incredible milestone for Tompkins County,” she said. “The entire legislature and I are ecstatic that we will have a member of the county’s leadership team focused on equity for the organization as an employer and a service provider. Deanna will have our support in this work, and we are looking forward to the impacts that she will make for our community.”

For Carrithers, the feeling is mutual.

“It’s an awesome responsibility, and [I’m] just completely overwhelmed with gratitude and just overwhelmed with just trying to make sure that whatever I do, I make Tompkins County proud,” she said.