Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. – The consequences of years of government-sanctioned and society reinforced racism boiled to a head in 2020. A broad understanding that systems needed to change at all levels of society swept the nation in what we hope is a permanent resetting of our Nation’s expectations for diversity, equity, and inclusion. As an organization that works with diverse populations in underserved communities, National CORE looked at its efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion and realized we had the opportunity to build on a rich history of advocating for and causing meaningful change for the most disenfranchised in our communities.
“We needed to address racial healing and social equity for our employees, residents, communities, and partners during this turbulent time and beyond,” said National CORE President/CEO Steve PonTell. “One of the first steps was to work with our Board of Directors to create and adopt a public Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement that embodied our believes, goals, and vision. We also empowered our employees to identify opportunities for change by creating an independent employee-led committee, the Unity in Diversity Alliance (UIDA), to provide insight and recommendations. To ensure continuing diligence, we created a position that would focus on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion to make sure that we were creating a culture of inclusivity.”
Today we are pleased to announce the appointment of Bryce Hudson as the first Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at National CORE. He brings more than 20 years of experience in diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education along with a wealth of knowledge in developing and implementing programming that empowers underserved populations as well as creating affinity groups to engage members of diverse backgrounds and cultures.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to work with the leadership and the UIDA at National CORE to build an institutional culture that supports diversity, accessibility, equity, and inclusion,” said Hudson. “I look forward to creating a workplace and affordable housing communities that are reflective of the larger neighborhoods National CORE serves, providing access and opportunities.”
Before joining National CORE, Hudson served as the Senior Program Director for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs at the College of Southern Nevada where he created and managed a campus-wide mentoring program for first-generation and underrepresented students. In that role, he designed and implemented a variety of diverse programs, services, and initiatives associated with student success, tutoring, academic assessment, testing, accessibility, at-risk student services, crisis management, and co-curricular education programs.
“The UIDA Committee thanks the leadership at National CORE for empowering its employees to be part of actualizing a long-term diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy,” said Committee representatives, David Grunwald and Zandria Smith. “The Committee will work closely with Hudson to continue advocating for diversity and inclusion throughout our organization and the communities we serve.”
The Founders of National CORE started this organization with the belief that all people deserve a safe, clean, decent place to call home and to live a life empowered to pursue their dreams. With Hudson’s leadership, National CORE will build on this premise, addressing racial and social inequities, implementing strategies throughout the organization and beyond, both programmatically and administratively, to provide equal access and opportunity for all.
###
About National CORE
National Community Renaissance, based in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit developers of affordable housing. National CORE manages more than 9,000 affordable, senior, and market-rate units in California, Texas, and Florida. For more information on National CORE, please visit www.nationalcore.org.
National CORE’s Diversity Statement
At National CORE and Hope through Housing, we believe that one of our highest purposes is to create an environment for our staff and our residents in which love, dignity, self-respect, and community pride can flourish for all of our stakeholders without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status, or any other category protected under federal, state, and local law.
We strive to create a workplace and residential communities that are reflective of the larger communities we serve and where everyone feels empowered to thrive. Promoting equity and inclusion is one of our primary pathways to serve our communities better.
Recent Comments