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Perhaps her most bodacious
move has been to transition Alan Bannister to the
newly-formed Human Relations Council, where he will focus on
outreach and engagement. Bannister, a well-known presence in
the African-American community, is said to best utilize his
skillset when “not stuck behind a desk in an administrative
role but can get out and interface with diverse
communities.” Look for Alan to perform work on the upcoming
census, a critical project and an assignment in which he can
shine.
On the other hand, there
has long been a pressing need for professional leadership to
address the backlog of open complaints and allegations of
bias that currently exist in the city’s Department of
Diversity and Inclusion (D&I).
Look for the city to very
soon announce the appointment of Matt Boaz to replace
Bannister and serve as the new director of D&I. Boaz, an
African-American male, is originally from northwest Ohio and
a graduate of Bowling Green State University. He comes to
the City of Toledo from Wright State University and is a
national leader in diversity, equity and inclusion while
working toward fairness and justice.
Utilizing a “no-nonsense
approach to harassment, discrimination and other violations
of organizational policies,” Boaz has performed over 300
investigations and led diversity efforts for the University
of Cincinnati and Miami (Ohio) University. He also has
extensive experience leading contract compliance for the
federal government.
Look for Boaz to
prioritize bringing fairness to the investigation process
while cleaning up the many problems in the “broken” D&I
department.
Crosby’s changes do not
stop with D&I.
Another major change
involves the appointment of a new director for the Human
Resources (HR) department and will also require one of the
mayor’s longtime friends and acquaintances to transition
from a city department.
The new HR director, whose
name had not yet been released when this article was
written, is also an African-American male. He comes to
Toledo via Columbus, Ohio and Little Rock, Arkansas. He is a
Certified Human Resources Professional with over 20 years of
HR experience including eight years with The Ohio State
University. A graduate of The Ohio State University, Ohio
Dominican University and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha
Fraternity, Inc., the incoming HR Director is expected to
work hand-in-hand with the D&I Director to ensure that not
only employees, but also supervisors, middle managers and
directors are held accountable in matters of job
performance, diversity and inclusion.
At its core, Crosby’s
strategic efforts appear to be focused on placing a group of
diverse, highly professional people in senior level
leadership and cabinet level positions while taking
advantage of the strengths of current employees and
positioning them where they can be successful.
The new D&I and HR
appointees will join Chief Brian Byrd (Fire Department), Ed
Moore (Department of Public Utilities) and Crosby (Chief of
Staff) in a diverse Kapszukiewicz administration that is
increasingly guided and shaped by Crosby’s strategic
leadership.
Also notable is that these
changes are occurring at a time when the city’s current fire
class is the “most diverse ever outside of a court ordering
it.” The present class consists of 12 African Americans –
three women and nine men, the largest number of African
Americans in a fire class since 1992 and the highest
percentage of African Americans since 1984 when the city was
forced by a court ordered consent decree to increase the
number of minorities in the department.
Tuning In:
Crosby’s changes come
after she has become more settled in her position and taking
the time to get the lay of the land in Toledo, understanding
the local politics; its levers of power; and the dynamics of
our governmental decision-making. Many, including myself,
may have misinterpreted Crosby’s deliberateness as
passivity.
Yet the truth, as I now
see it, is that Crosby has been quietly tuning in to
Toledo’s “environment,” using observation, discernment and a
variety of “listening posts” such as the city’s employee
engagement survey or the mayor’s many town halls or
meetings.
What’s next?
Look for additional
changes in other departments to follow.
The City’s Division of
Streets, Bridges and Harbor; Sewer Department; Water
Distribution and Department of Neighborhoods have all come
up on Crosby’s radar, having been identified as additional
areas of concern.
It is clear that the
hiring of the new D&I and HR directors are bold strategic
moves to address these and other problematic areas.
Yet what is even more
eye-catching is that Crosby’s decisions seem to be made with
the goal of achieving long-range outcomes that enable change
to become sustainable rather than the splashy but flawed and
shortsighted moves that we have grown accustomed to being
made in Toledo.
Perhaps Crosby’s process
of observation, tuning in and her skill of discernment is a
“more excellent way” to not only address these day-to-day
problems but to also bring change that lasts.
Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, D.Min, at
drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org
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