Making Space: Gender-Inclusivity in Professional Spaces

Career Level: Basic-, intermediate-, and advanced-level career services and university relations and recruiting professionals
Competency: Organizing information, logistics, people, and processes toward desired outcomes
Fee: $49 (member); $69 (nonmember);

This product is currently unavailable. If you have any questions, please contact NACE Education & Events at events@naceweb.org, 610.625.1026.

Summary
How do ensure that your workplace culture is welcoming to all gender-identities? Today’s students and early professionals are looking for spaces that welcome all gender-identities. One place we can start is in evaluating professional dress standards and guidelines. Many offices have professional dress guidelines that are rooted in a gender binary and can often lead to microaggressions against students and early professionals who have identities beyond the binary. Creating an inclusive space will help students and early professionals feel more seen, safe, and appreciated.

In 2020, Virginia Commonwealth University adopted several programs and procedures to make sure students felt seen. The first was a revamp of one of career services’ most popular resources: the Suit Yourself Closet. Originally, the Closet was divided into a gender binary. The Closet has been revamped with a new inventory procedure, making the space as welcoming as possible to a wider spectrum of gender identity.

The second was the Call Me By My Name initiative, which launched with a number of campus partners. The Call Me By My Name initiative gave students, faulty, and staff the opportunity to more easily and simultaneously update their name of use in multiple university systems. It also includes a pool of resources and advice to support stakeholders during and after adopting the language changes.

Join staff from Virginia Commonwealth University to explore the journey taken to create more gender-inclusive spaces for students. Additionally, the presenter will discuss the challenges faced, the solutions developed, and strategies that can be adopted in professional offices today.

Following this program, you will be able to:
- Define and identify gender-inclusive challenges and solutions in professional dress and professional language standards;
- Provide examples of best practices when evaluating a space for gender-inclusivity; and
- Discuss methodologies and best practices for creating inclusive spaces during time dedicated to group reflection.
Presenters

Ash Taylor-Beierl, Job Location & Development Coordinator, [ARCHIVES]
Ash Taylor-Beierl currently serves as the assistant director for the employer and experiential development team at Virginia Commonwealth University's (VCU) career services department in Richmond, VA. She has served in various roles in higher education since 2018. She holds a B.S. in health sciences from Arizona State University and an M.Ed. in education leadership from VCU . She is currently working on a Ph.D. at VCU with a concentration in education leadership, policy, and justice. Her research interests include how public policy and higher education student success practices impact the academic outcomes of marginalized populations.