The city of Chandler was recently honored as the winner of the 2024 ICMA’s Local Government Excellence Awards in Community Equity and Inclusion for the city’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategic Plan.

ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, is made up of professional city and county managers and other employees who serve local governments. This national award for local government excellence recognizes local government programs that demonstrate innovation, excellence and success in balancing that community's social, economic, environmental and cultural needs, according to a news release.

Chandler won in the population category of 50,000-plus.

In 2020, Chandler's Human Relations Commission, or HRC, appointed by the mayor and council, conducted a community-wide diversity and inclusion survey. In the results, there were opportunities identified to expand Chandler’s DEI efforts, the release states.

The HRC recommended to mayor and council that the city engage a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant to work with city departments and community stakeholders to address the key focus areas identified from the survey.

One year later, with guidance and support from the City Council and city leadership team, Chandler’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Division was created as part of the City Manager’s Office with four staff members and a directive to integrate DEI into every facet of city decision-making.

The DEI Division worked with a consultant to complete a DEI assessment. Part of this effort was organizing focus groups, conversations and other opportunities for input from council, community leaders, stakeholders, the general public and city employees.

With the assessment’s findings and the DEI Division working in close collaboration with the HRC, a detailed plan with specific goals, tactics and quantifiable outcomes was created.

Along with the DEI consultant’s expertise and insight, the city identified areas for enhancement and established benchmarks for tracking progress. This plan is a working document, designed to grow, change and adapt as our population and its needs evolve over time, ensuring that the city's approach remains responsive and relevant to the community's future challenges and opportunities.

As a result, new programs implemented by the DEI Division include an event sponsorship pilot program to help cultivate new community events, new DEI training for city staff, an internal speaker series, and piloting instant language translation devices at customer service counters to help multiple departments communicate with Chandler residents in their preferred language.

This is in addition to the numerous community and cultural events they organize, sponsor and engage with

City Manager Joshua Wright, Assistant City Manager Tadd Wille and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer Niki Tapia accepted the award during the ICMA Annual Conference, held in late September in Pittsburgh, Penn.

To learn more and review the city’s DEI Strategic Plan, visit the linked Chandler DEI Study. To learn more about the DEI Division and its current initiatives, visit Chandler Diversity or connect with the team on Facebook and Instagram.

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