Waypoint Podcast Episode 4: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Council (DEIB)
Waypoint PodcastShow Notes
In our fourth episode, we are speaking with Marla Stripling and Tony Bryan about the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Council, or DEIB. Stripling has served as the Director of the Office for Civil Rights since 2019, and Bryan is a 27-year OKDHS veteran who has been the Inspector General since 2011.
The DEIB Council was formed in 2020 to ensure the agency’s work includes all voices that may be underrepresented. Council members were chosen through a survey process that removed all identifying information pertaining to gender, race and ethnicity. The chosen members represent an array of different job positions, geographic locations, program areas and demographic characteristics. As part of their work, the council seeks to provide DEIB training for all staff to create and provide a safe space where all people are welcome to discuss concerns, criticisms and experiences; offer equity support to determine where inequities and systemic biases may exist in each division and create a communications strategy to engage all staff and partners to assist in the creation and implementation of processes that are equitable and inclusive to all communities.
We hope you’ll continue to join us on this podcast where we’ll explore topics that affect and uplift Oklahomans. Don't forget to like this episode and subscribe, so you'll know when each new episode drops! To learn more about the work of the DEIB Council, or raise your hand to suggest ways we can work together with our communities to be more inclusive, visit ourOKDHS.org.
More from Waypoint Podcast
Welcome back to Waypoint, an Oklahoma Human Services podcast intended to help you chart your course, by informing, educating and enhancing collaboration in service to Oklahomans.
In our tenth episode, we’re talking with Adult and Family Services employees, Cari Crittenden and Amber Margarit, about SNAP Education and Training (SNAP E&T) or “OK SNAP Works,” farmer’s markets programs and SNAP as a whole. These programs are critical pieces of the social safety net and help families lift themselves out of poverty. This discussion will teach us the basics of OK SNAP Works and the SNAP program as a whole, including how to apply for or access services. We’ll also talk about how SNAP customers can get more out of their SNAP dollar through the Double-Up Oklahoma program by using their benefits at participating farmer’s markets, grocers or mobile markets.
In our ninth episode, we’re talking with OKDHS Child Care Director, Brittany Lee to learn about the importance of early childhood education through quality, licensed child care. Through this discussion, we learn how Child Care Services focuses on safety and quality for every child and the critical part child care programs play in the lives of Oklahoma’s children and families. Brittany also discusses some exciting initiatives coming later this year for child care programs across the state!
In our eighth episode, we learn about the Child Welfare Nursing program through a conversation with registered nurses and foster and adoptive mothers, Susan Oliver and Shelly Lee. This program supports child welfare workers by giving insight into complex medical conditions throughout the investigatory process to help staff make the best safety decisions possible. Nurses also support both biological and foster families with training and education related to the medical needs of children, increasing family stability and better long-term outcomes for the children involved.
In our seventh episode, we continue our conversation with Dr. Deborah Shropshire, OKDHS’ Child Welfare Services (CWS) Director, and Patrick Klein, who retired as the OKDHS Adult and Family Services (AFS) Director after 31 years with OKDHS.