Monday, July 12, 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. MDT

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical for the advancement of the hazards and disaster workforce. To this end, this session will focus on four key considerations: (1) the demographic evolution of the formal emergency management profession; (2) the contributions of racial, gender, and income diversity on emergency management practices; (3) the myriad other workers and volunteers that are excluded from official emergency management professionalization; 4) how diversity involves understanding the cultural and historical conceptualization of disasters. Panelists in this session will discuss how focusing on these four areas can improve the hazards and disaster professions.