Donna Messer inside the blueprint3/19/2024 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I am incredibly grateful to the IEEE volunteers and staff that have worked tirelessly on all these committees. Increasing DEI in engineering is one of my most satisfying accomplishments, because the impact is felt not only by the current generation of engineers, but by all future generations and by the profession itself. More details on DEI progress can be found at the website For example, the 2023 Technical Field Awards included nine women and recipients from 9 of 10 Regions, while the 2023 Medal recipients included six women and recipients from 8 of 10 Regions. The progress we have made these past 8 years in making the IEEE more diverse, inclusive, and equitable is tremendous, as evidenced by significant improvement in the diversity of IEEE leaders, editors, Fellows, and IEEE Award recipients. It is my 2-year term as the founding chair of this committee that ends today. The IEEE Board of Directors formed a standing DEI Board committee in 2022. Jose Moura (2019 IEEE President) and Kathy Land (2021 IEEE President) were instrumental in getting these changes implemented as was Kathleen Kramer (IEEE Secretary and Chair of Governance at the time). It also overhauled the IEEE policies and procedures to hold members accountable for violating the Code of Ethics. This committee changed the IEEE Code of Ethics to preclude bullying and harassment. In 2019 I agreed to lead an ad-hoc Board Committee on Diversity, Inclusion and Ethics. That committee increased awareness about the importance of diverse ideas and perspectives in the IEEE, leading to improved diversity of IEEE leaders, award winners, and Fellows. With the support of Jose and the next TAB VP Kathy Land, we launched a standing TAB DEI Committee in 2017. Later that year Jose Moura, incoming Technical Activities Board (TAB) VP, asked me to chair an ad-hoc TAB committee on DEI. In response the 2015 IEEE Awards Chair David Messerschmidt and I co-authored a set of document on implicit bias in IEEE Awards still used today. My journey began in 2015 when, as Bell Medal Chair, I learned that around half of IEEE Medals and Technical Field Awards had never been won by a woman or person outside North America. Today marks the end of my 8 year journey leading IEEE committees on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), motivated by the notion that a diversity of ideas and perspectives is essential for the IEEE and the engineering profession to thrive. ![]()
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