In newly-created position, North Texas newcomer Cheryl Orr still learning about city’s gay community
DIVERSIFYING | Cheryl Orr, Dallas’ first-ever ethics and diversity officer, has been busy in her first month learning about various communities. (Photo courtesy Anna Waugh)
ANNA WAUGH | Contributing Writer
annamwaugh@gmail.com
Cheryl Orr has spent more than two decades working in human resources, but she’s never quite had a position like the new role she’s taking on in Dallas.
Orr moved here from Washington, D.C., in mid-May to serve as the city of Dallas’ ethics and diversity officer. Since the position was recently added, Orr said she’s still getting her feet wet, describing the position as being in “a formative stage.” But her goal is to plan and implement a citywide diversity program by the fall. And although the ethics aspect of the job is new to her, she said her background in human resources and working with equal employment opportunity policies has prepared her to take on the diversity component.
“The diversity side of this job is probably where I am strongest because of my EEO history,” she said. “The diversity side is really one, the whole value of diversity in the workplace and the other is what I call managing the diversity of the workforce and they both are done so we can get work done.”
Since starting a little more than a month ago, Orr has been meeting with groups, and while she has yet to meet with the city’s LGBT employe resource group, she plans to. And she’s met with the city’s LGBT Task Force, which is comprised of local LGBT leaders and headed by Councilman Adam Medrano.
She’s planning to continue the meetings and discussions with various committee leaders on race, culture, gender and LGBT issues in order to develop the ethics initiatives and diversity programs.
“I want a lot of input,” Orr said about the diversity program. “This isn’t something you come in and just do. You craft it around what people want.”
Orr held a meeting with the Fair Housing Office, which handles complaints filed under the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance that prevents bias based on sexual orientation in housing, employment and public accommodations. Gender identity is included in the ordinance’s definition of sexual orientation. The new program will, of course, include an LGBT component, but Orr said it will encompass every diverse aspect and demographic included in the workplace.
“All the areas of diversity will be part of the training,” Orr said. “It’s really valuing differences and it’s about relationships and who you’re interacting with. The bottom line is the workplace is about getting work done, so [the training is about] what’s the best way to get work done with all the different people in the workplace.”
Even though Orr brings a strong background in H.R. and in EEO policy to Dallas, she doesn’t have any experience working directly with the LGBT community. She said she’s working on further understanding the issues affecting the community, especially transgender issues, adding that she’s sought advice from Trans Pride Initiative President Nell Gaither.
“[She] helped me understand the trans community, which is what I need to do,” Orr said. “I’m really educating myself so I can understand those issues. They are different than other issues I’ve handled. I have a narrow frame of how a member of the trans community would be treated differently in the workplace and, if they are, that’s where I come in.”
Orr added that while her role doesn’t currently include handling personnel discrimination complaints, she said her job is prevention, so an employee who’s been uncomfortable for any reason should speak with her about how she can prevent something similar from happening again.
She’s even been shown the city’s It Gets Better video that was filmed last year and featured a dozen gay employees, as well as the mayor and city manager, sharing their personal coming out stories and about the city as a welcoming employer. While she’s not sure where she’d include the video in the diversity training, she said she definitely plans to have it shown at some point, such as employe orientation.
“It’s a very moving wonderful video,” she said. “I was very pleased to see that.”
There will eventually be a website for the ethics and diversity office. Until then, Orr is encouraging anyone, city employee or citizen, to contact her with questions or feedback on ethics and diversity issues. She can be emailed at Cheryl.Orr@DallasCityHall.com.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition June 20, 2014.