Workshop | Care, Commitment, and Culture: How We Built the State’s Most Successful Equity and Inclusion Committee

In this interactive panel, members of the Oregon Eligibility Partnership (OEP) Equity and Inclusion Committee (EIC) leadership council will share how they built a thriving, employee-led initiative supported closely by agency leadership. With 100+ virtual attendees each month, the OEP EIC model exemplifies what is possible when DEI efforts are supported by strong collaboration, lived experience, and leadership at all levels.

Panelists will share how they developed a sustainable structure that supports burnout prevention through shared responsibilities and role rotation, how they created meaningful community agreements adopted across Oregon Eligibility Partnership, and how they ensure accessibility by recording learning sessions and maintaining centralized resources for staff. The council also emphasizes both top-down and bottom-up strategies - what they call a “sandwich approach” - to elevate diverse voices and catalyze real change.

Whether attendees are building a DEI group from scratch or looking to revitalize an existing one, this panel will offer tangible ideas and replicable practices for fostering inclusive, resilient, and purpose-driven equity councils in government workplaces.

Shawn Sullivan is an award-winning author and disability advocate. He was diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum at age 37. As a result of his neurodivergence, employment has always been a struggle for him. Despite only getting hired four times from an interview, Shawn managed to have a very diverse employment background. He has worked in almost every sector in the United States, including within the following industries: Healthcare, state employment (Child Welfare and Oregon Eligibility Partnership), politics, technology, real estate, video production, radio and podcasting, military, construction, utilities, finance, retail, education and hospitality. He served his country until he injured himself in the line of duty. After the military Shawn went to college and graduated from Highline College with Honors. He then received his BA in writing from the Evergreen State College, and ultimately his Executive Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington.

Shawn began working for the State of Oregon in Child Welfare as a CPS investigator and visitation specialist. He led the successful movement to have sensory rooms in all visitation areas within the state of Oregon. Shawn currently works as a Learning and Development Specialist 1 with the Oregon Eligibility Partnership where he teaches management classes for new managers for three ODHS departments, Self Sufficiency Programs (SSP), Oregon Eligibility Partnership (OEP) and Aging and People with Disabilities APD.

Dominique Turman has been with the State of Oregon for five years. She is currently a Learning and Development Specialist with the Oregon Eligibility Partnership Learning and Engagement Tea, (OEP-LET). Prior to training new employees, Dominique worked as a family coach. She also has extensive experience providing employment services and other support to people with developmental disabilities. Her teaching experience started with training people how to wear contact lenses, and she has been fortunate to have connections with people from marginalized communities. Dominique married into a family of color and have experienced racism first hand. She has close ties with LGBTQIA2S+ community, and has familial experiences with mental health, neurodivergence, and involvement with the justice system. Equity is her lifelong passion, and proudly identifies as an ally and advocate for anyone that is part of a marginalized community.

Dominique joined the Equity & Inclusion Committee because she wants to advocate for equity and inclusion in all the training offered. When she was a family coach, she was often told by parents that they felt like a burden in the past when they asked for help. Dominique wants to make sure that we are honoring our agency’s Equity North Star and Trauma Informed Care standards so that we can truly support the most vulnerable populations we serve. She is aware of how devastating poverty can be, how shameful it can be to struggle, and how hard it can be to trust a stranger when you have no choice. If Dominique can help even one employee remember to lead with kindness, curiosity, and compassion, it is worth all the work she does. This type of work is never done, and Dominique is a part of this work because she believes in it. Dominque also believes the world is a better place when we all feel valuable.

Sarah Brown works at ODHS under Oregon Eligibility Partnership. Intersectional identity is the lens she uses to view the world around her and guide her work with the Department of Human Services. Sarah’s experiences as a second generation American and child of Self Sufficiency Programs’ support have shaped her views on both the agency and those we serve. Furthermore, her identity and existence as a neurodivergent member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community has guided the way Sarah moves through and am accepted by the world.

She joined the Equity and Inclusion Committee to be involved in creating a space that supports and celebrates the fact that diverse representation is the strength behind supporting Oregon’s underserved. Sarah’s commitment to the Leadership Council comes from a desire to actively contribute to the conversations surrounding education about underrepresented groups - and their hardships – as well as the implementation of actionable solutions. We can spend entire lifetimes learning about the ways we are all different from each other, but the time we spend uniting for a common goal of equity and measurable change within the Public Service Sector will be the most valuable.

Sara Deane is a cisgender white female in her late 40’s and is a life-long Oregonian. She has been working for the State of Oregon for two years, both as a Business Office Specialist, and currently as an Eligibility Worker for the Long-Term Care Network. As a single mother of two children with special needs, equity and inclusion are incredibly important to her. Sara wants to know that her kids will be welcomed and able to participate in any spaces and activities that bring them a sense of joy and accomplishment. A lot of times this may mean having some form of accommodation to make the activity accessible to them. Most of the time it requires empathy and understanding from the other people in the space. Sara believes that we all, as people, deserve to have a sense of belonging and inclusion in any space or activity that fills our cup.

Sara joined the OEP Equity and Inclusion Committee to learn more about how others experience these concepts in the communities we serve. She joined the Leadership Council to lend her voice and experience to informing others. She knows that she has grown tremendously, and hopes that she has helped others to grow as well.