“We can always make a difference if we muster the courage to think critically, to care for others, and to sustain hope, so we can organize and mobilize with one another to bring power and pressure to bear on the prevailing status quo.” - Cornel West
DEI&B
CS&A Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Mission Statement
At Carney, Sandoe & Associates, we are committed to the importance of increasing equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging – both within our own organization and among the educational communities with whom we partner.
Cognizant of our ability to reach a wide variety of schools, teachers, and educational leaders, it is our goal to provide educators with resources that help foster diverse and inclusive environments. We aim to facilitate continued learning and to encourage valuable networking opportunities.
FORUM/DEIB
In January 2015, we held our first FORUM/DEIB in Philadelphia. The event has grown and now spans two days, providing opportunities for job seekers from underrepresented groups to interview with hiring schools while simultaneously offering robust professional development workshops around equity and inclusion in schools.
2021 saw the first-ever virtual FORUM/DEIB, and featured two weeks of professional development and three days of interviewing.
Women's* Institute
Seeing a need to increase the number of women in leadership roles, in June 2017 Carney Sandoe held the inaugural Women's* Institute designed to support women in the education community by creating a trusted space for personal and professional advancement and mentorship. The event serves to empower women by providing skills, tools, and networking opportunities to obtain traditionally underrepresented roles at schools.
In 2020 and 2021, the event was reimagined as the virtual Women's* (Re)Institute, a month-long event for women in education at all stages of their career. With dozens of sessions, cohort groups, roundtable discussions, 1:1 advising opportunities, and more, the event was attended by nearly 2,500 women in 2020 and 2021 combined.
Recruitment and Professional Development
Our commitment to equity and inclusion extends beyond our events. Each year, we recruit at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) across the country and partner with organizations that serve underrepresented groups
We attend and sponsor (and sometimes even speak at) national conferences devoted to DEIJB – including the BOLD Summit at The Galloway School; NAIS People of Color Conference; National Anti-Racism Teach-In; White Privilege Conference; MCRC@ADVIS DEI Conference; AISNE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Signature Conference; and SAIS Diversity Practitioners Institute.
As a team, we regularly engage in on-site and virtual professional development with diversity experts to continue to learn and grow our own cultural competencies so we not only can serve our candidates and schools equitably, but promote equity and inclusion as a practice to the people we partner with.
Consulting and Training for Schools
We recently launched our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Consulting Practice that partners with schools to help them build more inclusive communities through implicit bias training for the hiring process, cultural competency work, campus climate surveys, and workshops for faculty and students.
In our Search Group, we offer complimentary implicit bias training for retained head of school and key administrator searches.
Good morning Devereaux,Ria Maxwell See More Success Stories
I hope you will indulge me by allowing me to share a story about my hiring experience this year.
Yesterday our President/Head of School asked me to speak to the Parent Diversity Committee about our hiring season and our plan to recruit a diverse faculty. This conversation began last October when we hired over 20 people in July to expand our Lower School in order to socially distance. Of those 20 hires, there were very few who were people of color. This was not a statistic that pleased our community.
As I prepared to share information about this hiring season, I reflected upon why we were able to hire, to date, 5 people of color out of 9 filled positions. It has always been a goal of mine to diversify our faculty. It is not new for me. It has been difficult because I found limited numbers of candidates.
Yesterday I credited you, Carney Sandoe, and your team with our capacity to find a broader range of candidates. I explained that you are the most effective recruitment firm for education. I also said that I work with a few recruiters who specialize in diverse candidates, and have not had the same results as I have found with Carney Sandoe this year.
I was able to point to the trailblazing work you have done in the field of DEI. I showed your website and the links you have. I shared my experience at the Diversity Hiring Conference. I also said your commitment is so dedicated that you have a team in place to help schools with these issues.
I know that every independent school in the country has the same goal, and I know how busy this keeps your team. I never feel like I do not have your colleagues’ full attention and commitment throughout the process.
I know that our school is known and the people I work with help make the right match.
John Faubert and Rice Bryan were so helpful in securing our two new division directors – even working throughout the winter holiday break.
DZ [Diana Zito] has been incredibly helpful with our tech hires. She asks the best questions and really understands who is best suited for each position we have filled.
Liam Gluck visited our campus (prior to the pandemic) and still is able to tell candidates about our campus and culture with first-hand experience.
Kim Garner – a magician and diplomat!
The list goes on and on.
All this to say, thank you. Every year that I approach the hiring season, I feel like I am reconnecting with old friends. I have seen the growth and adaptability that your leadership has brought to your organization, and I am truly grateful.