Vancouver for All: Using a Targeted Universalism Approach

As public entities have invested in equity work, it has also been evident that reimagining the work is critical to our continued success as communities are changing, the workforce is changing and expectations are shifting. We want to create a workforce that is better prepared to serve all communities throughout our city. By empowering staff with knowledge and skills, they will be better equipped to recognize and address barriers within their teams, work environments, and community. Vancouver for All supports this effort. We want to share it with other public employees so they can see the possibilities and visualize success in their own workplace.

The how and why the City of Vancouver shifted to the Vancouver for All initiative will be introduced. Examples of how our work represents a significant step towards fostering a culture of belonging and how we plan to eliminate barriers to success will be provided. Aligning with the City’s core values, this workshop aims to demonstrate how we are creating a culture where every individual feels valued and empowered. There will be an interactive exercise where the audience will understand our approach with employees to better deliver on Vancouver for All.

As the City of Vancouver Washington’s Director of Engagement and Access, Joy Fowler is responsible for the direction of the city’s community and employee engagement along with establishing accessibility throughout the city. She has introduced a new initiative that strengthens their belonging efforts, titled Vancouver for All. Joy serves as an advisor to the Mayor, City Managers and leadership team, while ensuring Vancouver for All is infused throughout our culture, strategies and goals. With over 12 years’ experience leading this work, Joy has a dedicated focus - providing leadership, strategy and vision around equity, inclusion, access and belonging for all Vancouver residents and employees.

Joy has previously led similar efforts at Multnomah County and the Port of Portland in Oregon as well as Umpqua Bank (now Columbia Bank) in five states, which includes Washington. She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, The Links, Incorporated - Portland (OR) Chapter, and co-founder of A MIRacle Foundation, that supports special needs children throughout the Pacific NW. She enjoys traveling and spending time with family!

Nicole “Nikki” Chen is the Business Partner at the City of Vancouver, for the Engagement and Access Department. Prior to becoming a government administrator, Nikki spent 19 years of her career working in healthcare at Stanford and El Camino Hospital in the Bay Area.

Nikki is known for creating life-changing authentic conversations. Nikki has an intuitive sense for how different people can work well together. A contagious energy and enthusiasm that will give any dark cloud a silver lining. Her joyful and infectious presence is known to leave a lasting and meaningful impact, that makes you walk away feeling empowered. Nikki uses her leadership platform to lead with integrity, patience, positivity, and curiosity with everyone she encounters.

Once she is done creating equitable safe spaces for all, Nikki hopes to retire and own a small farm on the shores of Puerto Vieja, Costa Rica.

Jen Dugger Spalding has spent more than 20 years helping organizations build systems that are more accessible, equitable, and effective for everyone. Her work bridges disability justice, ADA compliance, language access, and organizational change, with a focus on turning equity principles into practical strategies that improve outcomes across entire communities.

Before joining the City of Vancouver as ADA Coordinator, Jen spent nearly two decades in higher education disability services, including ten years as Director of the Disability Resource Center at Portland State University. Today, she leads the City’s accessibility efforts, including completing the City of Vancouver’s ADA self-evaluation and implementing its ADA Transition Plan. Jen has also served as the City’s de facto Language Access Coordinator and is leading the development of Vancouver’s first Language Access Plan, which is nearing completion.

Jen is passionate about applying frameworks such as Targeted Universalism to build systems that work better for everyone by addressing the barriers faced by those most excluded. She has presented locally and nationally on disability justice, accessibility, and inclusive organizational practices, and is known for translating complex concepts into engaging, actionable ideas that inspire meaningful change.

Originally from Ferguson, Missouri, Jen now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her wife, Sarah, their four-year-old daughter, Emersyn, and an ever-growing collection of cake recipes for their small-batch bakery, The Cake Lab PDX.