In early 2021, members of the Board and the entire ASA staff participated in a three-part Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training with Tangible Development, a professional training company committed to educating leaders on how to leverage diversity and create an inclusive environment.
Board member Carole Lewis notes, “The training is helping us recognize that there needs to be acknowledgment and scrutiny of the systemic inequities and apply it to our policies, practices and outreach efforts.”
Former Board Chair David Horn adds, “There’s no question that better decision making and programming result when you have multiple views contributing to the conversation. Since the training, the Board has tasked all ASA committees to develop strategies for incorporating DEI
into their efforts. The lack of diversity in agriculture in Rensselaer and Washington counties makes this a challenge, but we are committed to bring more voices and views to ASA.”
This training was supported by the Hudson Valley Farmlink Network which is coordinated by the American Farmland Trust with primary funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
