Kim Waller, chief equity officer for the Municipality of Anchorage’s Office of Equity and Inclusion, briefed the Anchorage Assembly on Sept. 5 about the office’s interim annual activities, saying the office has focused on outreach, equal employment opportunity compliance and tribal education while building internal systems for future reporting.

Waller said the office represents the municipality in community forums, supports federal compliance for EEO and language access, and collaborates with Human Resources on recruitment and retention. The office has started exit and transfer interviews to gather employee feedback and help identify workplace improvement areas; Waller said that practice has been in place for about three months.

On tribal relations and education, Waller said the office organized a Native Village of Eklutna educational opportunity for municipal employees in the wake of a 2021 Assembly ordinance that established government-to-government relations. Waller said the session — held at the William A. Egan Civic & Convention Center (noted in materials as the venue used for the educational opportunity) — was well attended in person and online, and that the office is considering holding future events in the Native Village of Eklutna.

The office also described public engagement work under the MuniWorks AK social channels. Waller said the social media program aims to “call residents into the work happening here at the municipality,” spotlight municipal employees in a “People of the Muni” segment for recruitment and retention purposes, and provide plain-language explanations of municipal processes. Waller identified Zenita Stetsanoff (contractor) as the office’s social media strategist.

Waller listed several community projects and partnerships supported by OEI, including involvement with the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce Military Appreciation Day, the Black Business Expo, Pacific Island Women’s Recognition Awards, the Alaska Civil Rights Conference, and visits to organizations such as Catholic Social Services, the Mountain View Boys & Girls Club, Access Alaska and Campfire. She said advocacy work also includes internal advocacy for municipal teams to secure staffing and resources.

Waller said the office has been pulled into several RFPs, including training for the Anchorage Police Department and leadership training for municipal directors, and that the office assisted the mayor’s arts grant program and city anniversary events.

Waller closed by saying the office will supply the Assembly with a full annual report early next year that will include program data, social-media reach and the results of exit and transfer interviews so that the Assembly and departments can assess capacity and budget needs. There were no formal Assembly votes or directives during the briefing.