What We Do

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For the National Park Service, relevancy, diversity and inclusion defines both a value and a practice for connecting the American public to the nation's shared natural and cultural heritage. It is both an organizational mindset and skillset that serves as a framework from which the National Park Service must function to succeed and thrive into the 21st century and become an agency that is responsive to the needs of contemporary American society.

The Office of Relevancy, Diversity, and Inclusion works to integrate the principles and practices of relevancy, diversity, and inclusion throughout the National Park Service. The Office of RDI provides national-level thought leadership and direction for RDI efforts, measures the impacts of RDI efforts, and develops national-level RDI strategies. Some of these strategies include spreading awareness and dialogue, empowering employees through Employee Resource Groups,and working in collaboration with NPS offices, programs, and partners.

Spreading Awareness and Dialogue

The Office of RDI works to create a shared understanding of RDI and generate awareness through dialogue,information-sharing and training through events like the RDI at the Centennial Webinar Series or Co-Creating Narratives in Public Spaces.These efforts aim to communicate the fundamental business importance of RDI to the Service and its stakeholders and embed RDI skills within the workforce. Creating an internal conversation on RDI is critical for the success of the National Park Service to sustain itself as a valued part of American society. Additionally, the Office of RDI manages the Allies for Inclusion, a facilitated dialogue program that engages NPS employees in discussions on critical topics and issues for creating a more diverse, inclusive, and relevant organization. NPS employees are trained as facilitators and work together in small cohorts to create dialogue opportunities for their parks/programs/offices. To learn more, contact [e-mail].

Empowering Employees

The Office of RDI works to empower employees to create change through Employee Resource Groups. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are voluntary, employee-led affinity groups that serve as a resource for members and organizations by fostering a diverse, inclusive workplace aligned with organizational mission, values, goals, business practices, and objectives. Other benefits include the development of future leaders, increased employee engagement, and expanded marketplace reach. The Office of RDI produced guidance for NPS Employee Resource Groups. In addition, the Office of RDI oversees and provides administrative support and resources to several Employee Resource Groups.

Working in Collaboration

The Office of RDI works in collaboration with NPS Employee Resource Groups, programs, offices, and partners to tell all American stories, engage youth with the NPS mission, support workforce diversity, and more.Through these efforts we seek out diverse individuals, opinions, and ideas throughout American society and invite them "aboard" as stakeholders and partners. By connecting with others inside and outside of the NPS that are working to advance relevancy, diversity, and inclusion we increase our institutional capacity to drive innovation, solve problems, and improve performance.