How Differences Make our FaM1ly Stronger

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Fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where associates are valued and empowered to flourish in their careers is paramount for Members 1st Federal Credit Union. 

In honor of Global Diversity Awareness Month, we are spotlighting Shanice Mariluz, our Vice President of Enterprise Portfolio Management and member of our Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Associate Resource Group (ARG). In this blog post, Shanice discusses Members 1st's commitment to the importance of diversity in the workplace, her role and more. 

Diversity, inclusion and belonging connect to our credit union's mission, vision and values by encouraging equitable behaviors that drive our core values of creating and maintaining meaningful relationships with each other, our members and the community. 

As a development chair, I partner with leaders to grow our diversity competency to recognize and value diversity in all forms. It is essential to Members 1st to maintain a respectful, safe and inclusive environment where we all are valued and feel a sense of belonging. 

Our differences make us stronger and allow me to be myself. My personality, skillset, experience, ethnicity, culture, and community relationships are valued! Members 1st is learning and growing every day with the support of our leadership to implement thoughtful, practical and innovative approaches to advance the alignment of our business and diversity strategies.

Some of the initiatives we have implemented include: 

• Our influential and empowered ARG made up of change ambassadors working to connect, learn and foster a diverse, inclusive work environment. 
• We have focused on being actively engaged in diverse community events.
• We have provided workplace learning and development resources for associates to be open-minded about their differences. 
• We increased awareness of “unconscious bias” and other terms relating to diversity, inclusion and belonging. 
• We have reworked our Associate Field Guide to ensure it contains inclusive language. 
• We are preparing our leaders to be true allies in the workplace. 
• We created a book club to spark inclusion and diversity dialogue. 
• We are working to create a roadmap to complement a lifelong commitment to diversity strategies in the workplace. 

Our associates are family, and they are the key to our mission and our future. It is because of their passion, expertise and commitment that we've grown to be one of the most successful financial institutions in the regions we serve. Explore our open positions and consider joining our faM1ly.