The terms justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion (JEDI) are often treated as buzzwords that amount to little more than counting people and perhaps a mandatory annual training. The reality is that JEDI (or the absence of JEDI) impacts every facet of the organization. When JEDI is a priority, the benefits are vast; it results in improvements in the quality and innovation of engineering design and problem solving, organizational culture and climate, and the fiscal bottom line. While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all JEDI rule book for organizations, there are best practices that can be adopted or adapted to improve outcomes for all stakeholders, including society as a whole. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), through its board-level body MOSAIC (Members of Society Advancing an Inclusive Culture), has curated a set of resources called the Best Practices Resource Guide (BPRG). This session will highlight actionable strategies from the BPRG on areas such as communications, partnerships, assessment, accountability, leadership, and events.
  
  At the end of this session, participants will be able to: define justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI); recognize the impacts of JEDI (or the lack thereof) on organizational and societal outcomes; and create and implement action plans toward engaging diverse teams in just, equitable, and inclusive engineering education and practice.

HOT TOPIC 8: Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI): Improving Our Profession, Improving Our World

To lean into ASCE’s sustainability efforts to mitigate environmental effects and use resources wisely, ASCE’s International Conferences on Sustainable Infrastructure (ICSI) 2021 will be held as a virtual event. The dates of ICSI 2021 will be December 6-10th.

Powered by the ICSI Steering Committee based in Houston, the 2021 event will bring together leaders to discuss leveraging sustainable infrastructure for resilient communities.  The program will offer content from across the globe, but have several highlights on sustainability initiatives in Houston, Texas. We hope you will join us virtually for plenary sessions, technical discussions, along with opportunities for Q&A and networking, connecting with virtual exhibitors, and to earn professional development hours.  

[Paper Proceedings](https://ascelibrary.org/doi/book/10.1061/9780784483879)

Conference DOI: https://doi.org/10.26226/m.63208d58cb3e8e001271fcc3