Marcus Center Board is a Finalist For 2022 NACD Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Awards

Marcus Performing Arts Center (MPAC) announced today that it is one of 20 boards recognized as a finalist for the 2022 National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Awards. These national awards recognize boards that have improved their governance and created long-term value for stakeholders by implementing forward-thinking diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) practices. Finalists were celebrated at the NACD DE&I Awards Gala at Gotham Hall in New York City on Wednesday, December 7, 2022. NACD received more than 150 nominations for this year's awards.

"The board at the Marcus Performing Arts Center is honored to be chosen as a finalist in the nonprofit category," said Ray Wilson, MPAC Board Chair. "In our line of work, we have a unique opportunity to leverage the unifying power of the performing arts to advance DE&I efforts. Our goal is to ensure that all people in our organization - board, staff, volunteers, artists - reflect the diverse demographics of the community and that everyone, no matter their background, can see themselves represented in our organization."

MPAC was one of four organizations recognized nationally in the Nonprofit Organization category.

"Marcus Performing Arts Center has worked to achieve great strides in creating an equitable boardroom," said Peter Gleason, NACD president and CEO. "NACD is proud to honor Marcus Performing Arts Center for advancing DE&I in its boardroom and throughout its organization."

MPAC has been committed to DE&I efforts for nearly 20 years. To further these efforts, MPAC commissioned a study by P3 Development Group in 2018 to establish a diversity and inclusion strategy. In 2020, MPAC's Board of Directors committed to creating a more robust, metrics-based action plan to advance racial equity, diversity, and inclusion (REDI) for the organization. A REDI task force was formed of MPAC staff and board members, and P3 Development Group was re-engaged to revisit the 2018 report and make recommendations with a 2020 lens. Through this process, the MPAC REDI Action Plan was developed with strategic pillars and goals in three key areas:

• REPRESENTATION of artists, leadership, board, staff, and volunteer members who reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of Milwaukee County
• INCLUSION-focused culture centered on creating, sustaining, and promoting an environment of belonging across the organization
• INVESTMENT financially in REDI initiatives across the organization

"The Marcus Performing Arts Center's Board of Directors has been an agent of change in leading our REDI goals, and they stand by a simple mantra: What gets measured, gets done," said Kendra Whitlock Ingram, MPAC President & CEO. "This national recognition solidifies their commitment to ensuring the Marcus Performing Arts Center is our region's world-class gathering place for all."

As MPAC enters its second year of the plan, many key targets have been achieved, including:

• BIPOC representation on the MPAC board is 53%; Women make up more than 50% of the board
• More than 50% of MPAC Presents artists are BIPOC individuals telling BIPOC stories
• All board members and leadership staff (directors, VP, CEO) participated in an Intercultural Development Inventory assessment, which helps to determine one's mindset/skillset towards cultural difference and commonality
• MPAC Leadership staff received extensive anti-racism education, and the majority of the leadership participated in the 6-week YWCA Unlearning Racism course.
• MPAC commissioned several artistic works by BIPOC artists (dance, music, and theatre)
• MPAC engaged its first Cultural Ambassador, Green Bay Packers star and Dancing with the Stars Champion Donald Driver, to advance MPAC's community engagement efforts

"While we have made great progress with our REDI Action Plan, we recognize that the process toward racial equity, diversity, and inclusion is a marathon and not a sprint, and it's our mission as an organization to always be thinking, acting, and listening with a REDI lens," said Gladys Manzanet, MPAC Board Director and REDI Chair. "We thank NACD for recognizing our Board of Directors' diligence to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion within the performing arts."

For more information on MPAC's REDI Action Plan, please visit www.marcuscenter.org/REDI. For more information on NACD's commitment to the advancement of DE&I at the board level, and for further insights, trends, and perspectives on this issue, please visit the NACD Center for Inclusive Governance and the NACD Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Resource Center.

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