Epstein Holds Panel Discussion on Diverse Career Perspectives

Yesterday, February 24th, Epstein held a lunchtime panel discussion on Diverse Career Perspectives featuring Epstein architects Hervé Sivuilu and Alexus Davis, engineer Yan Weng and planner Tim Gustafson. The event was moderated by Epstein engineer Beth Norton and construction professional Jon May and featured highly informative and engaging discussion topics about:

• How our panelists got involved in their industry/field and why did they stay
• Common misconceptions people have about their industry or experiences
• Insight into a formative experience that affected them personally or professionally
• Practical advice for someone early in their career
• Their hopes for the future of Diversity and Inclusion at Epstein

The well-attended discussion also gave great insights to attendees on topics like the unseen challenges facing our architects and engineers for whom English is a second language as well as the role conscious and unconscious bias plays in impacting the growth and potential.

This event is part of Epsteins newly formed Diversity & Inclusion Initiative, a program that aims to build a culture which fosters inclusive behavior and diverse perspectives through education and awareness.

The objectives of Epsteins D&I effort are centered on four main topics: education, awareness, inclusion and diversity. Each aims to:

• Educate our employees on the values of diversity and inclusion, and demonstrate how having a diverse and inclusive workforce can help enhance our world
• Improve the overall awareness of behavior and biases
• Promote empathy by embracing our unique character traits and nurture that communal sense of belonging, acceptance and engagement
• Assemble a workforce that is comprised of people with different backgrounds, beliefs and experiences

Over the coming year, Epsteins D&I group will be hosting monthly events to help better achieve the objectives of the initiative, featuring topics, among others, such as mental health awareness, generational differences in the workplace, and sexual orientation diversity.