Scheinman Institute and CDC Partner on New Diversity and Inclusion Program

On February 15th, 2022 a select group of twenty-two Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employees completed a newly created CDC-Cornell University Joint Diversity and Inclusion Certificate program developed and led by Scheinman Institute instructors.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the Director of the CDC, stated that she looks to the graduates of this program to advance “a unified, strategic plan to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility at CDC and to play an influential role across the agency.” Thanking Cornell University for designing the workshops utilized, Walensky noted that the employees who participated are “uniquely equipped to help us move forward in achieving our goals.”

Judy Young, Director of Diversity and Inclusion Public Programs at the Scheinman Institute presented certificates to each of the program’s graduates. She stated, “We hope to continue our collaboration and assist the CDC in moving diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility forward.” 

“In terms of how the training will be incorporated,” according to Shereitte C. Stokes IV, a graduate of the inaugural class, “activities will range from participating in existing DEIA efforts, seeking out new opportunities to share the knowledge gained, and meeting with leadership to develop strategies and create new workgroups.”

Fellow graduate Maria Alvarez added that she and the other participants stand ready to provide recommendations, suggestions, and guidance for spreading diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.

Harry Katz, Director of the Scheinman Institute, stated that the reason the Institute is called in to train some of the largest and most recognized organizations in the world, such as the CDC, is “because the Institute provides innovative and comprehensive tools, with a practitioner focus.”