Resilient Leadership: Supporting Peers and Public Employees in Employee Resource Groups

In an era of political uncertainty, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) serve as essential hubs for public employees to receive essential support from colleagues, navigate challenges in the workplace, and provide valuable avenues for professional growth. The Employees of Color ERG at Multnomah County invites fellow ERG leaders and ERG members to a space dedicated to navigating the complexities of leading during the current political landscape and into the future. 

This workshop offers a forum to share strategies and discuss challenges for starting or sustaining ERGs. Participants will start by looking at the history of ERGs at Multnomah County as an example of ERG development, goal setting, challenges, and successes. Participants will then work in facilitated discussions in small groups to discuss current issues at their agency and develop strategies to leverage power in their specific contexts. This workshop offers a dedicated space for peer-to-peer learning and collaborative problem solving to address unique challenges of leading and being a part of ERGs. Participants will leave with new perspectives from their peers and examples of actionable best-practices for centering equity at work within ERG spaces.  

Jonathan Cruz currently works at the Multnomah County Health Department as a Program Specialist in the Air Quality program. He is also the Executive Coordinator of the County’s Employees of Color Resource Group. 

Jonathan is a health educator, educating communities on air quality hazards such as winter wood burning, wildfire smoke, and indoor air quality.  Jonathan has been a community organizer and educator since 2010 when he started working in a loko iʻa (fishpond) on Oʻahu. It was working with the ʻāina (land) and with the community that he found a love for outdoor education and environmental justice. He has a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education and a minor in reading interventions from the University of Portland. Jonathan has taught in many different settings, from being a retail florist hosting workshops, an animal educator at the Oregon Zoo, a COVID-19 contact tracer, and a vaccine educator. 

Jonathan uses his ability to connect with others and share information in engaging ways to empower people to make connections with health information and to motivate people to take action. He has been a consultant to many culturally-specific community organizations and government projects in Portland, specializing in community engagement, data justice, environmental justice, and program development and implementation. Some organizations/departments he’s worked with include Participatory Budgeting Oregon, the Oregon Pacific Islander Coalition (OPIC), Living Islands, Pacific Climate Warriors, The Hawaiian Civic Club of Oregon (KALO HCC), and the Portland Clean Energy Fund.