Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Deib Summit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Organizers confirm April 19 DEIB summit at SPSCC; goal is to unite local groups, create directory and event calendar
Summary
Organizers briefed the commission on a multi‑partner DEIB summit planned for April 19 at the SPSCC Lacey campus. The summit will feature a keynote, workshops, vendor tables and a goal to build a Thurston County DEIB directory and shared calendar of events.
Commissioners received an update on planning for a countywide DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging) summit slated for Saturday, April 19, at the South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) Lacey campus.
Organizers said the summit will include a morning plenary with a keynote speaker, four afternoon workshops (about 30 people each), vendor and nonprofit tables, and a larger room for the opening session. The working groups listed in the meeting are sponsorship, marketing and outreach, logistics, speaker management and technical/tabling support. Keisha (affiliation recorded as YMCA in the transcript) is coordinating a shared planning document for volunteers and committee sign‑ups.
Sponsors secured or in discussion include the City of Olympia ($2,000), the YMCA ($2,000) and SPSCC (reduced fee valued at about $1,000). Other organizations mentioned as participating or organizing partners were APIC, the League of Women Voters (Lacey), the YWCA, United Methodist Church and the City of Lacey. Organizers said lunch and space for vendor tables are planned; sponsors will help cover costs.
Commissioners and organizers discussed goals for the summit beyond workshops: creating a Thurston County directory of organizations working on DEIB, an events calendar to reduce duplication, and encouraging coordination so smaller jurisdictions and local nonprofits can share resources. Several commissioners emphasized opening the day with a short ‘‘statement of need’’ or shared definitions so attendees work from a common framework before breakout sessions.
Why it matters: organizers argued the summit should strengthen local coordination, let small jurisdictions and groups learn from more resourced cities, and provide a shared calendar and directory to combine efforts across Thurston County.
Closing note: planners asked commissioners to help recruit sponsors and volunteers; the commission also committed to fielding volunteers for the city’s cultural celebration and for summit panels or tables where feasible.
