In South Bend, Indiana, the mission of Human Capital and Inclusion is to facilitate a diverse and inclusive city collaborative in our workplace, workforce and community. Through strategic initiatives, we work with other HCI staff, city department leadership, and community organizations to position HCI as one of the most effective organizational units in the country at delivering policy infrastructure, programs, services and initiatives that allow everyone to thrive. These strategic initiatives include incorporating diversity & inclusion throughout our workplace, workforce and community; accountability for expanding city-wide inclusive procurement processes; recruiting, hiring and retaining top talent, enforcing fair and equitable employment, housing, public accommodations, and education practices; partnering with Community Investments and other city departments to foster a vibrant and inclusive city economy; and creating opportunities for learning around issues of diversity and inclusion.
Leading these efforts is the City of South Bend’s first Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Christina Brooks. Christina is a results-driven diversity and inclusion professional with twenty years of experience working with underrepresented populations in public, private, local, national and international settings. Ten years of her experience is grounded in successfully analyzing existing policy, processes, best practice research, and working with organizational leadership to create and implement specialized diversity education programs, recruiting plans, inclusion programs, and other equity tools and strategies. Christina holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University at South Bend with concentrations in Political Science and History and a Master’s in Non Profit Administration from Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame.