ITHAKA’s mission centers on equity. We believe that everyone deserves access to high-quality education and knowledge to enable them to thrive. Our commitment and work are more important than ever as we and other organizations in the United States, despite progress related to civil rights, heed the call to recognize and overcome ongoing biases and disparities that exist in our society.
This policy statement reflects our steadfast promise to provide equal opportunities to people as human beings without regard to protected characteristics, and to value our differences; to foster a culture of safety and trust where feedback is celebrated; and to denounce and ensure our work environment is free from retaliation and harassment in any form.
As employees and job applicants, you have the right to expect ITHAKA to provide equal opportunities. What this means in practice is that we recruit, hire, treat, and promote people without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.
You also have the right to expect our workplace to be free from harassment, intimidation, threats, coercion, or discrimination for any reason, and expressly if you file a complaint, assist in an investigation, oppose an act or practice, or exercise any other right related to any federal, state, or local law requiring equal employment opportunity.
We invite you to reach out to our Director of DEI and EEO Coordinator, Dr. Angela Pearson, who is responsible for the day to day implementation and monitoring of ITHAKA’s Affirmative Action Plan with any questions you may have or to view portions of the plan. Our EEO Coordinator also periodically analyzes ITHAKA’s personnel actions and their effects to ensure compliance with our equal employment policy and administers our audit and reporting system.
To support auditing and compliance, we encourage employees to review and update their personal information related to gender identity, race, disability, and veteran status in our HRIS system. Additionally, we actively advocate for needed changes to reporting categories required by the federal, state, and local governments, including for example race and gender.
Our ultimate aim is to be a welcoming, inclusive environment for all people, and we strive for our policies and practices to fully reflect our core value that everyone belongs at ITHAKA. We call on all of our employees to live up to these expectations and to be ambassadors for our values and mission, embracing the call for equity in every interaction with one another, people who apply to work at ITHAKA, and with the broader community and public whom we serve.
Kevin Guthrie, President
Debbie Barrett, Vice President, Work, Life, and Culture
Dr. Angela Pearson, Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion