Mid-Missouri Business Week: New institute works to expand diversity and inclusion in Columbia

The Inclusive Impact Institute in Columbia is working to further the goals of the Diversity Awareness Partnership, which recently closed its doors in the community.

The Institute provides resources such as training and education, community engagement, leadership development and consulting.

Nikki McGruder, the director of the Inclusive Impact Institute, said that Columbia is moving in the right direction.

“A lot of organizations are saying, ‘OK, we know we have to do some work around diversity and inclusion,’ but really don’t have a starting point,” McGruder said. “The framework gets everyone on the same page, using the same language, understanding the difference between diversity and inclusion [and] understanding the barriers to the recruiting efforts, hiring and retention efforts.”

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