Inclusive Impact Spotlight

The Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities has a long history of partnering with community organizations, local governments, nonprofits, businesses, colleges and universities, and school divisions to offer programs and resources designed to address unique needs and evolving circumstances.

These partnerships form the backbone of much of the work we do at VCIC as we work to provide participants with the most effective ways to interact in a respectful, inclusive, and courageous manner.

With that in mind, we are launching a new “Inclusive Impact” spotlight series, focused on community partners, our work together, and how our engagement has helped foster growth, promote understanding, and improve relationships.

For our first entry, we are sharing the journey of a local government that has been a long-time VCIC partner. They have seen positive changes as both a result of our ongoing collaboration and their own dedication to improving their workplace culture.

It began nearly eight years ago.

Being an increasingly multicultural community, local government leaders were eager to identify potential trainers, facilitators, or partnerships to help make connections and offer insight to employees. VCIC was identified as the right partner to help employees learn and grow while reflecting the very communities they serve.

The initial result was a series of in-depth professional development sessions provided by VCIC to all local government leaders.

Several years into this partnership, when a new hire joined the Human Resources Department in a community engagement role, he recognized the potential instantly.

“It’s important to be able to just connect with residents and to meet them where they are,” he said. “And a one size fits all approach doesn’t work, which is what led to [us] partnering with VCIC.”

Once he learned more about the local government’s existing partnership with VCIC, he envisioned the opportunity to expand training opportunities, increase organizational collaboration, and better train and prepare employees.

The partnership grew from there, supported by a newly formed department and shaped by feedback from employees, the needs of an expanding staff, and the growing diversity of a community relying on local government services.

Today, thanks to this shared emphasis, VCIC provides more personalized professional development and consultation for employees, including upskilling and leadership development workshops, creating spaces for employees to learn with and from one another, and offering effective ways for leadership to incorporate inclusion, acceptance, and cross-cultural communication into their day to day management styles.

This focus on internal improvements is important, the HR staff member said, because they directly result in interpersonal improvements across the community, especially when employees interact with members of the public.

“As a government entity, we are a service entity,” he said. “So being able to create spaces where VCIC can come in and teach things like unconscious bias or what neurodiversity is or what inclusion and belonging are helps to create that environment; a place where employees can learn and incorporate that into the services they provide to our residents.”

As VCIC continues to provide professional development for interested employees, recently there has been increased interest from specific departments looking for their own learning opportunities. Department heads are reaching out to work directly with VCIC to make specific internal improvements and provide curated resources to their staff members.

According to the HR staff member, he’s now seeing that employees are eager to make a difference and they want to see through the right lens so that they can better serve the residents for that particular area.

And much of that can be attributed to how the different VCIC sessions are run.

“They really do a great mix of showing data, knowledge and insights,” he said. “The training opportunities offer best practices and delve into the educational side while still creating the space for our employees to dissect the knowledge that they’re getting and talk about their own experiences. It brings in the personal side of things and how it might apply to a specific situation. And with so many diverse employees in the room, it helps for everyone to exchange perspectives and learn.”

But the success of this partnership is also driven, in large part, by the willingness of local government leadership to make fairness, inclusivity, understanding, and healthy dialogue a real priority.

“It’s becoming an embedded part of our DNA,” the HR staff member said. “Leadership has been amazing, and they have embraced the idea that part of our capability should be inclusion, courage, and cultural awareness.”

Now, inclusivity and diversity are built into the employee performance tool. The HR Department has also developed approaches that specifically deal with conflict and misunderstandings in an inclusive manner.

But the most noticeable change, according to the HR staff member, has been the impact on individual team members.

“Employees are getting together to talk about how we can be better,” he said. “That’s been an amazing improvement.”

As our inclusive impact spotlight series continues, we aim to explore the different types of organizations with which the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities works and share how we engage with a wide variety of stakeholders to build more inclusive workplaces, educational spaces, and communities.

Today, we will explore the ongoing relationship we formed with a small business back in 2022, and how the resources we provided then are still helping to shape their work culture years later.

The company was founded in 2017, but soon expanded, adding full-time staff to meet growing demand. As the number of employees increased, the business’ founder realized he needed to think about what this new team would need.

“As you think about attracting and retaining staff, you also need to think holistically about the well-being of your team,” he shared. “This was a part of a comprehensive approach to better supporting everyone.”

At the time, he remembers, so many businesses and organizations were looking for inclusive, supportive consulting. But the price tag and inflexibility was an immediate barrier.

That was when the founder first reached out to VCIC and shared his needs: a basic overview of inclusive staff management, some coaching, and a series of focus groups.

“They told me they could do that,” the founder said. “They were very interested in finding out exactly what we needed in a way that was both cost-effective and aligned with our goals. I think they tailored their consulting to our very specific business case.”

The first step was to plan the focus groups as a way to gather honest feedback from staff about how the company was doing and what was needed to support the team.

The results were eye-opening.

“It revealed some pretty serious gaps in our organizational structure,” the founder candidly shared. “It gave a voice to people who wanted to articulate what they felt were problems. It was a forum for challenging conversations.”

But gathering staff responses wasn’t the end of the partnership. After that initial engagement, VCIC developed an in-depth report, which included recommendations to address the needs that staff had voiced and ways to build a successful business infrastructure that models respectful dialogue, improves motivation, builds skills, and ensures each team member feels respected, valued, and supported.

“The expectations and requirements from employees had changed pretty dramatically,” the founder said. “And we had not kept up.”

Some of the report’s recommendations were simple but essential, and the founder and his team worked to enact them immediately. This included items like adopting a formal organizational chart, establishing clear pay bands, and formalizing an official company handbook.

“VCIC focused a lot on what we could get done,” the founder recalls. “They were honest and they helped us thread the needle as we communicated these changes to employees. They were legitimately interested in our work, not just checking a box.”

Other conversations, like communication norms and the decision-making process, were less quantifiable, but no less important.

The goal of the whole exercise, as the founder described, was to encourage clarity, transparency, and understanding, improve staff morale, and strengthen the company’s position going forward.

VCIC’s report also sparked a larger conversation within the company.

“It led to a whole new approach to staff success and well-being,” the founder said. “We’ve incrementally added to that over the years, and it’s proved to be a pretty important foundation for us.”

The company began measuring staff well-being through surveys twice a year. They also started collecting data on employee retention and promotion to better inform their decision making. This, in turn, led to them hiring another HR provider to better meet the needs of their growing staff.

“We took the time to thoughtfully create what I think are now foundational parts of our organization,” the founder said.

Since then, business has steadily increased and the number of clients the company serves has grown, as has the team. As the founder tells it, VCIC’s engagement and the guidance they provided directly contributed to the company’s ongoing success.

“Almost every dimension of this I would attribute to the recommendations from VCIC’s report,” he explained. “That report was quite helpful to us.”

But that wasn’t the end of their partnership.

As the company’s needs have evolved, so too has the support VCIC provides. This has predominantly taken the form of leadership coaching for the senior team members, which VCIC and the company worked together to develop.

“The sessions were actionable, built around our availability, and delivered in a way where the resources are evergreen,” the founder said. “That’s been the consistent theme with VCIC: when we need them, they’re always willing to talk, they’re flexible, and they work with us to find the best approach.”

When asked how their ongoing partnership with VCIC has made the company more effective when serving clients, the founder’s response was unequivocal.

“We’ve tried to approach clients the same way VCIC approached us,” he said. “By being very responsive, demonstrating that we care, listening, and getting results in a way that makes the organization we’re working with stronger.”

Now, in 2025, the founder continues to see how their collaboration with VCIC has uplifted employees, improved leadership, and strengthened relationships.

“While there’s always room for improvement year-over-year, we’ve been able to maintain a high level of staff satisfaction for that reason,” he said. “And I think some of that comes from this strong foundation of operations and communications. We’re making sure that every team member feels fulfilled and challenged and are protected.”

Through the company’s relationship with VCIC and their own dedication to inclusivity, dialogue, respect, and shared success, this local business dramatically improved its internal culture; they were able to respond to the needs of employees, build new organizational structures, and craft an organization-wide commitment to the long-term application of their values.

But that change didn’t happen overnight, as the founder was quick to point out. In fact, he views this multi-year effort as an essential part of his company’s journey; one that others should be willing to embrace in order to improve.

“We’re a good example of an organization that had to face some facts and had to rebuild,” he said. “There’s no shame in that.”

The Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities is a trusted partner for businesses and organizations across the Commonwealth that are seeking to foster inclusive, productive working environments. VCIC works with organizations of all sizes and from a diverse range of sectors.

For our latest entry in the VCIC Inclusive Impact series, we are sharing our ongoing partnership with a large local employer that serves as one branch of a nationwide company.

For the employer, the collaboration with VCIC began following an intentional, company-wide emphasis on their shared values.

“We had just come out of this values evolution,” the company’s vice president said. “And what we were really working on was our culture.”

It was during this time that the vice president heard about VCIC through a consulting partner.

Recognizing the need for guidance from a trusted expert, he jumped at the opportunity.

“We immediately brought VCIC on board to work with our senior leadership team,” the vice president recalled.

What followed was a series of conversations that resulted in VCIC participating in one of the company’s workshops, which offered nearly 200 managers with a four part series on how to lead through our values and culture.

VCIC developed and hosted one of these presentations, focused on inclusion. This portion of the series was well received and engaged managers in a thoughtful and effective way.

The company’s vice president saw the response and immediately knew the kind of impact this partnership could have.

“It became very clear to us through our conversations about VCIC’s facilitation that they could meet us where we are,” he recalled. “VCIC could help us grow in a safe, meaningful, and non-judgmental way.”

And the feedback from the managers in attendance bore the vice president’s assumptions out. According to him, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.

“The content was made accessible,” he said. “And the conversation was approached in such a relatable way. It encouraged our people to think beyond the news we hear and see every single day and it allowed us to think a bit deeper, and it resulted in the participants accepting and embracing what they heard.”

And that’s where the partnerships stood over the next several years, with staff annually attending VCIC’s Virginia Inclusion Summit.

It was during one of these events, during a breakout session,  that the vice president met an area influencer and heard about a learning development model she had stood up at her own business.

“After meeting with her and picking her brain,” he said, “we began to discuss internally how we could design our own learning development model; one that fit our culture, our needs, and would help strengthen leadership skills of senior staff.”

A staff development professional we spoke with from the company explained how this new leadership development program took shape.

“To make sure it was relevant to our audience,” the staff development professional said, “we chose to emphasize our culture, our values, and look at these issues from a risk perspective. And VCIC was able to adapt and accommodate at every point to meet our unique needs.”

The leadership development program consists of a series of sessions over the course of several months, with a capstone project at the end.

Much like the initial inclusivity program for managers from several years prior, the new leadership development program was a success and continues to form a critical part of the company’s training infrastructure.

According to the staff development professional, the discussions amongst attendees were substantive and despite some complicated issues, the breakaway sessions were calm and informative.

“VCIC’s section was one of the favorites of the day,” she said. “And we could understand why.”

The program participants discussed the difference between diversity and inclusion, respecting differences as a way to improve belonging, and ways to make staff feel like they are a part of something bigger.

“We were pleasantly surprised because we were going to address some pretty intense and potentially uncomfortable topics,” she said. “And we wanted it to land well. We wanted it to be meaningful and help drive our business forward. And it got rave reviews.”

This engagement has resulted in separate, one-off sessions with core leaders of the company’s executive team. Based on the positive experiences with VCIC, the company also introduced VCIC to their national leadership. This, in turn, has resulted in national-level leaders within this sector experiencing different aspects of VCIC programming, including in compliance, diversity, and inclusion.

“VCIC isn’t just impacting our company,” the vice president said. “It’s leaving a footprint on the national corporation as a whole.”

Today, the company continues to provide this leadership development program, and VCIC continues to participate in the sessions.

“We explain what our company culture is like,” the vice president said of the leadership development program. “We share expectations and outline how inclusion and respect are an essential part of what we do and how we need to embrace folks who are different. We lean in on inclusion because it fits our organization in a more productive way.”

And the impact has not only been noticeable by both the team members we spoke to, it has been eye-opening.

“I can picture individuals who would not be who they are today without these VCIC-led sessions,” the vice president shared. “There are people I met many years ago that are now behaving in very different ways. They are using very different language. They all have a greater appreciation for the diversity on our team.”

Looking ahead, what does the future look like for such a successful partnership between VCIC and this local company?

As the vice president put it: “I’m not sure, but it’s going to be something good.”

VCIC has worked for many years with school divisions all across Virginia, partnering with administrators, educators, and students to advance belonging, improve academic achievement, and foster inclusive learning environments.

For this entry in our partner spotlight series, we are focusing on a specific rural school division that has partnered with VCIC for over a decade.

When the division administrator we spoke with accepted her position in 2020, she shared that she “really leaned on the staff at VCIC to kind of strategize and bring together what our school board was saying, what our interests were, what the community concerns were, and to learn about what other school divisions were doing.”

At the time, VCIC was working with the division through new teacher orientations, focused on building a sense of belonging and a positive classroom environment.

“For the past 12 years, our professional development has led with the sense of belonging,” the administrator said, “and I don’t go a day in this school system without hearing those words. At this point, it’s so much a part of who we are and what we do; we build a sense of belonging.”

Building on that strong foundation, VCIC and the administrator pulled together and empowered specialized teams within each school, made up of different staff members. Each team would then receive specialized professional development provided by VCIC, while the administrator would work to build relationships between teams.

That was the first year. Then, based on evolving needs across the division, VCIC began introducing other curated opportunities as well.

“We began adding professional development trainings for each school,” the administrator remembered. “Each school has a different culture, and an elementary school doesn’t have the same needs as a high school. VCIC helped us maneuver through this and really customized and tailored these professional developments to the needs of the school at the time.”

Since then, VCIC has begun providing teachers with even more curated training opportunities, making it possible to go in-depth on certain topics and providing personalized consultations for school leadership. And the impact is readily apparent.

These steps have improved the way the division’s teachers engage with one another, how they develop as professionals, and helped establish a culture of collaboration at all levels.

But what about the students?

According to the administrator, so much of their efforts with VCIC focus on ensuring students feel respected, valued, and accepted.

“We talk a lot about the hierarchy of needs,” she said. “If students don’t have a sense of belonging and feel safe, how are they ever going to self actualize, to learn, and to maximize their potential?”

One way the division addresses this is through a belonging survey they first developed alongside VCIC and which has now been administered for several years.

“It’s for all of our students in grades 4 through 12,” the administrator shared. “We believe in that survey and the student voice that comes out of it.”

But that’s far from the only way VCIC and the school division are working together to engage and empower students.

According to the administrator, students have started school-sanctioned groups that provide direct feedback to the administration. This feedback, the administrator was quick to point out, isn’t simply set aside. Instead, these student-driven ideas have resulted in changes in practice across the division.

The division also works with VCIC to provide opportunities for students to participate in events like the Diversity Dialogue Day for high schools and the Prejudice Awareness Summit for middle schools. These are programs that not only inform students, but emphasize their own agency- that they have the ability to act to improve their school and community.

It is a lesson the students of the division have taken to heart.

“We were looking at discipline data a couple of years ago,” the administrator explained, “and we realized that the students with the greatest number of severe discipline issues were transfer students. They hadn’t grown up in our community and many were transferring in the middle of the year. They didn’t feel that sense of belonging.”

When one student group heard about this, they took immediate action. In consultation with the administration, they established a mid-year social for transfer students, meant to provide important information, but to also begin building trust and forming relationships.

“The students saw the need and they jumped into action,” the administrator said. “And we haven’t had the same discipline problems since.”

As the years have passed, it’s clear the approach VCIC has taken has evolved in response to changing needs, emerging issues, and the realities of serving a rural community.

According to the administrator, this flexibility has been a key component of the partnership between VCIC and the school division over the last decade or more.

“They’ve always been willing to just jump in,” she said. “Whatever the need, they have been willing to dive in and tailor their approach or adapt a program in a way that aligns with the unique needs of that school.”

This ongoing partnership has resulted in a more positive division culture for both teachers and students, a willingness to have difficult conversations in a respectful way, and a shared commitment to belonging, inclusivity and academic achievement. In short, a supportive framework that has earned everyone’s buy-in.

“We own it,” the administrator said, smiling. “The kids own it. The adults own it. We’re in this together.”

 The Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities is a trusted partner for organizations across the Commonwealth that are seeking to foster inclusive, productive working environments. VCIC works with organizations of all sizes and from a diverse range of sectors.

For our latest entry in the VCIC Inclusive Impact series, we are sharing our ongoing partnership with a Foundation that has engaged VCIC to deliver quality programming for their nonprofit leadership development program. For years, VCIC has played a critical role in the program helping nonprofit professionals develop the skills, confidence, and relationships they need to lead effectively in their organizations and communities.

Now in its 18th cohort, this program has become a cornerstone leadership development program for local nonprofit professionals. For the last 10 years, VCIC has been a consistent partner, helping participants strengthen not only their leadership capabilities but also their ability to work effectively with others and foster meaningful organizational cultures.

“This program gives nonprofit professionals the space to better understand who they are as leaders,” says the program’s director. “Participants gain insight into their strengths and opportunities for growth while engaging in conversations about leadership with people who truly understand the nonprofit context.”

The result is a stronger sense of confidence and a lasting network of peers that participants can continue to rely on long after the program concludes.

A key element of this program’s success is the intentional focus on community building from the very beginning. VCIC is brought in to lead a session on the program’s first day, helping participants establish a community of practice and create shared norms that guide the cohort throughout the nine-month experience. This early work focuses on building trust, encouraging authentic connections, and creating an environment where participants feel comfortable engaging in meaningful discussions. Rather than remaining at a surface level, participants are encouraged to get to know one another more deeply, navigate difficult conversations, and develop the foundation necessary for collaborative learning.

“VCIC really helps jumpstart the transformation from a group of individuals into a cohesive community,” the director explained. “By the end of the program, people leave not only more confident in themselves but also more aware of the impact they can have within their organizations and communities.”

VCIC’s involvement continues throughout the program, with a mid-session session reinforcing teamwork, belonging, and inclusive leadership. Midway through the cohort, sessions focus on what it means to be part of a team and how leaders can create environments where everyone feels respected, valued, and able to contribute their strengths. Participants consider how they can foster belonging within their organizations and with their clients. Participants are encouraged to consider how they can foster cultures where individuals feel supported, regardless of their title or role within the organization.

Over the years, the partnership between the Foundation and VCIC has evolved to ensure that the curriculum remains relevant to the changing realities nonprofit leaders face. Foundation staff regularly collaborate with VCIC to assess emerging needs and adapt content accordingly. One example involved reimagining a later session focused on organizational policies and procedures. While policy development is important, many participants found themselves outside the direct decision-making circles responsible for creating those policies. In response, VCIC worked with program leaders to redesign the session, placing greater emphasis on soft skills, influence, and the ability to shape organizational culture without formal authority.

The revised approach helped participants better understand how to influence change within their sphere of control and navigate complex organizational dynamics. It also reflected a broader commitment shared by both organizations; ensuring leadership development remains practical, responsive, and applicable to real-world challenges.

The program director notes that another hallmark of VCIC’s approach is its ability to help participants understand different perspectives within their organizations. Whether interacting with board members, colleagues, volunteers, or community stakeholders, nonprofit professionals are often required to navigate a variety of viewpoints and sometimes conflicting priorities. “One of the things VCIC has helped people do in a productive way is understand another person’s point of view within an organization,” she stated. “Participants learn how to put themselves in someone else’s shoes and think differently about the challenges others may be facing. That leads to more productive conversations and stronger workplace relationships.” This emphasis on empathy and interpersonal communication strengthens participants’ ability to lead effectively and collaborate across organizational roles.

For the foundation, the value of the partnership extends well beyond this one program. Over the years, VCIC has supported professional development for Foundation employees, leadership training initiatives, and facilitation efforts across a variety of programs and projects.

“VCIC has been a trusted partner of ours for years, and we have utilized their programs in a multitude of ways,” she shared. “The work VCIC does is important and relevant.”

When asked whether she would recommend VCIC to other organizations seeking leadership development support, her answer was immediate. “I would 100% recommend VCIC,” she said. “Leadership is about understanding yourself and developing your own skills, but it also requires existing in a world with other people. VCIC helps people understand their own experiences and how those experiences influence the way they interact with others. At the same time, they help participants better understand the experiences of those around them.”

As this program continues to develop the next generation of nonprofit leaders, VCIC remains proud to partner in the critical work of creating inclusive workplaces where individuals and the organizations that employ them can thrive.