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Dr. Kirk Adams, Executive Director, Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion (ISDI)

Illustration of five diverse people leaning over a long unfurled document and signing it with pens, while a crowd of diverse onlookers stands behind them — a community co-signing a shared charter.
Executive Director ISDI

When the Signs Come Down: Turning Resistance Into Lasting Power

What happens after the marching stops? Dr. Kirk Adams on turning energized resistance into lasting power through community, strategy, and ...
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Illustration of a person in a hooded jacket carrying a glowing lantern across a cool, dim landscape toward a warmly lit group of diverse people who hold hands and raise a banner reading OUR ADVOCACY, a ribbon of warm light connecting the lone figure to the group.
Executive Director ISDI

The Time for Quiet Concern Has Passed

Quiet concern isn't enough anymore. Dr. Kirk Adams on storytelling as leverage, defending hard-won rights, and turning moral clarity into ...
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Overhead illustration of a large circular jigsaw puzzle whose colored pieces are labeled with words including May 21, Community, Faith, Cultural, and Accessibility, with a calendar icon at the center. A diverse crowd of people rings the circle, several reaching toward the middle, evoking different communities fitting together as one.
Executive Director ISDI

The Walls Between Us Were Never Meant to Last

On May 21, Cultural Diversity and Global Accessibility Awareness Day share the calendar. Dr. Kirk Adams on why the walls ...
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Illustration of six diverse people forming a human chain across a rope-and-plank bridge spanning a deep, cloud-filled chasm between two cliffs, linking a ledge holding a briefcase and papers to a ledge holding a small house and tree.
Executive Director ISDI

From Silos to Synergy: Help Us Build the Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion

Equity work too often runs in silos. Dr. Kirk Adams on leading with intersectionality as strategy—and building ISDI's Community Coalition ...
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Illustration of diverse people in business attire building a wall of interlocking blue, gold, and white blocks together; one kneels holding architectural blueprints. A faint city skyline rises behind them, evoking constructing something as a team.
Executive Director ISDI

It’s Time to Build What We’ve Been Waiting For – a Community Coalition

You know what needs to change but lack the authority? Dr. Kirk Adams on building influence without positional power through ...
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Promotional graphic for the NW Diversity Learning Series, Workshop #2. Left: a headshot of Bernardo Ferdman on a bright blue background, a man with light skin, a short gray beard, and rimless glasses, wearing a black pinstriped shirt. A black label reads: 'Bernardo Ferdman, Ferdman Consulting.' Right, on white, the title reads: 'Working with Polarizing Tensions: Practicing Inclusion with Compassion and Care.' A blue banner reads: 'May 14, 2026, Thursday. 9 to 11 AM PT, 12 to 2 PM ET.' The I4SDI.org URL and the Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion logo appear at bottom right.
Executive Director ISDI

NWDLS Workshop #2: Working with Polarizing Tensions: Practicing Inclusion with Compassion and Care | May 14, 2026 | Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion (ISDI)

Polarizing tensions don't stop at the door of your workplace, they walk right in and make inclusion harder. On Thursday, ...
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Illustration of a diverse group meeting on a rooftop terrace against a soft city skyline. Some sit with notebooks and coffee while others stand discussing beside a flip chart showing a connected-node diagram, depicting collaborative planning.
Executive Director ISDI

This Summer, We Build The Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion

This summer, ISDI builds the Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion. Dr. Kirk Adams invites founding members to move ...
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Illustration of diverse professionals standing and talking in small groups on a floor marked with glowing dots connected by lines, like a network or constellation linking every person to the others.
Executive Director ISDI

You Are Not the Only One in the Room

Feeling like the only DEIA champion in the room? You are not alone. Dr. Kirk Adams on building cross-sector community ...
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Illustration of five diverse people, each gripping a differently colored rope, pulling the separate strands together so they twist into one thick braided cord at the center. A sunrise glows behind a faint city skyline, evoking individual efforts woven into collective strength.
Executive Director ISDI

Clarity Is Power: Why the Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion Matters Now — and Why You Should Help Build It

Confusion is freezing DEIA progress. Dr. Kirk Adams on why clarity is power—and how the Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity ...
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Illustration of four diverse professionals standing close together in a misty, rocky landscape, holding a large ornate compass between them. Question marks hover over their heads, suggesting uncertainty being navigated by a shared sense of direction.
Executive Director ISDI

When the Rules Are Blurry, Community Becomes the Compass

When DEIA rules feel blurry and risk feels everywhere, community becomes the compass. Dr. Kirk Adams on turning confusion into ...
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