Two years ago, I presented an ignite talk at DevOpsDays DC on Diversity and Inclusion in Technology. You might remember my thesis: “Diversity is being invited to the party; Inclusion is being invited to dance.”

This talk inspired a conversation at my company about how we could ensure we have, and maintain, a diverse and inclusive environment in our own space. This then turned into a larger discussion about ensuring all employees within our company have a voice and an avenue to share new ideas, thoughts, and to provide feedback.

Thus, was born, the Blackstone Federal Employee Council. Our vision? To be the cornerstone of employee engagement by lifting up all company voices, creating leadership opportunities, and devising a truly inclusive environment. As you can imagine, the creation of the Employee Council took several iterations before getting it off the ground, and it’s still a work in progress.

Through my talk, we will discuss the ins and outs of how the council started, the structure of the council, format for meetings, and what types of things the council does and does not address.

• Video
• Slides

Video

Khadijah is a project manager with over 7 years of experience in information technology and DevOps. She is currently managing a team of DevOps Engineers and Developers who provide support for public