From the Desk of John R. Griffin

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Commitment to Diversity
Dear Colleagues –

There is a Native American teaching that, to me, speaks volumes about the connection among people and between us and our natural world…
The way we treat the earth affects all people,
and how we treat one another is reflected in how we treat the earth.

My personal philosophy is this: We are part of our natural world; we are not distinct from it nor do we have dominion over it. In fact, the natural world is a successful model for many values that human communities seek -- continuity, stability and sustenance, adaptation, sustained productivity, evolutionary change, renewal without exhaustion of resources and thriving through diversity.

As natural resource professionals, we know that organisms and systems become more vulnerable as they become more homogeneous. These systems include human organizations. Our long-term success depends on our ability to adopt a workforce ethic that embraces diversity. With this in mind, I wanted to issue an updated statement on diversity at DNR.

Our policy is that all employees -- regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, religious affiliation, nationality, or physical ability – have an equal opportunity to advance professionally and make significant contributions to our work. As an organization, our collective goal is to create and maintain a workplace environment where this policy and our reality are indistinguishable.

To achieve this goal, we must focus on three areas:

Developing a skilled, high-performing workforce that reflects our State’s diverse population;

Creating a workforce and a culture that builds and uses diversity to strengthen our capacity to face current and future challenges; and

Cultivating relationships with diverse stakeholder groups to ensure our policies and practices both achieve our conservation and service goals and remain relevant and reflective of the changing world in which we live.

Here at DNR, we have a tremendous opportunity to make a positive impact on our planet, and to make our agency one of the most diverse, inclusive and effective within Maryland State government. With these goals and opportunities in mind, I look forward to your full commitment and participation as we work together to foster and sustain an environment where each of us fully contributes to our mission and our culture in a meaningful way.

Thank you and regards,
John

June 6, 2008