The Story
Hi, I am Patrice Dunckley. I work as a connector of people, ideas and possibilities. As principal of Mindful Connections, LLC a professional services firm focusing on strategic execution of diversity and inclusion initiatives, I work with organizations searching for employee engagement solutions and fresh perspectives on sustainable growth.
I also have a coaching practice for individuals looking for their own fresh perspectives on personal and professional growth. This website is a place where my passion for fresh perspectives and my passion for diversity/inclusion come together.
The idea came to me as part of a mid-life crisis of sorts. After working as a diversity and inclusion professional (inside corporations and as a consultant) for over 20 years, I became frustrated at the pace of progress. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t believe that “isms” that are hundreds of year’s old can be eliminated in 20 years, but considering all of the smart, passionate people who do this work, the conversations we are having about diversity and inclusion really should be further along.
Through many conversations with the brilliant and passionate people who make up my peer group, we’ve established two things about the work so far:
- The first milestone in the work is that breadth has been achieved. Diversity is an accepted HR practice in most organizations (a condition that was not true 20 years ago)
- The second milestone has been the acceptance of basic best practices established as a foundation from which forward momentum can flow
The results of these two milestones include hundreds of organizations implementing established best practices, awareness has been built and goals set, books written, think-tanks established and still few organizations are reaching sustainable results. There are lots of success stories, but not as much satisfaction with sustainability.
Now that breadth and practice has been established, the next wave of work will be on sustainability. This website is part of that body of work. It will require the contributions and actions of many. We are working on a movement. A movement fueled by individuals focused on a common effort. A contribution to making the connections necessary to learn how to be competent in working with, selling to and providing services to all the people interested in our knowledge, our organizations, and their product or service. We focus specifically on inclusion as an action verb and exploring what we do to expand our capability and capacity for inclusion. Through essays, blogs, actions, comments and links, we are creating a space for personal experimentation and exploration so that anyone and everyone can be a part of a movement that enriches our contributions and connections.