voc ep 84: Briana Yancy

(Photo courtesy of the Severn River Association, www.severnriver.org)

Briana Yancy is our guest this week on Voices of the Chesapeake Bay. Briana is a “Life Scientist” for the Environmental Protection Agency working on the agency’s over-arching Chesapeake Bay Program as the Diversity Workgroup Coordinator for the Mid-Atlantic Region.

“The Diversity Workgroup is comprised of employees from government agencies, non-profit, grassroots, and for-profit organizations, as well as community and environmental justice leaders who reside and work in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. (They) are diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice experts, hiring managers, and individuals who are passionate about advancing DEIJ in the work to conserve and restore the Chesapeake Bay and its waterways.

“The Diversity Workgroup was formed following the signing of the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement and is tasked with meeting the Diversity Outcome: to identify stakeholder groups that are not currently represented in the leadership, decision-making, and implementation of conservation and restoration activities and create meaningful opportunities and programs to recruit and engage them in the Bay Program's efforts. This goal encompasses all dimensions of diversity, including race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, national origin, citizenship, religion, age, physical abilities, gender, sexual identity, and other factors. However, we are primarily focused on increasing the representation of those who have been traditionally excluded from the Chesapeake Bay environmental field. Our workgroup also leads efforts to incorporate diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) into the implementation of other goals and outcomes in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.” https://www.chesapeakebay.net/who/group/diversity-workgroup