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The State of DEI in the Field of Aging

This webinar features Marvell Adams Jr, Chief Operating Officer of the Kendall Corporation, discussing the significant racial inequities within leadership positions in post-acute and long-term care organizations. The presentation, part of a summit on mitigating racial inequities in the industry, highlights the stark contrast between the diverse frontline workforce and the predominantly white executive leadership.

Key insights:

  1. Leadership diversity gap: Among the top 200 non-profit senior living providers, there is a severe lack of racial diversity in CEO positions. The overwhelming majority are white men, with minimal representation of people of color and women.
  2. Systemic barriers: The hiring process for senior leadership positions creates multiple barriers for diverse candidates:
    • Experience requirements favor those already in the pipeline for 10-20 years
    • Professional networks and “cultural fit” assessments tend to favor candidates similar to current leadership
    • Boards of directors, search firms, and faith-based sponsors lack diversity themselves
  3. Pipeline challenges: Creating a more diverse leadership pipeline requires immediate action but will take years to yield results, as candidates need time to develop the experience and credentials sought by hiring committees.
  4. Business partnerships: Even business partners and service providers to the industry demonstrate a lack of diversity, further reinforcing the homogeneity of the sector’s leadership ecosystem.
  5. Call to action: Adams emphasizes the need for bold, drastic decisions across boards, C-suites, business partners, and search firms. He challenges organizations to examine their hiring practices and take concrete steps to improve diversity rather than waiting for systemic racism to be fully dismantled.

Adams concludes by asking attendees to consider the discomfort they might feel if interviewing with someone of a different background, noting that this discomfort is what Black professionals in the industry regularly experience. He argues that meaningful change requires consistent, deliberate steps taken every day to address these deeply embedded inequities in senior living leadership.