Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Accountability at the ALS

The ALS has a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and supports a culture in which the entire ALS community, including staff, users, affiliates, and visitors, feels welcomed and valued.

LBNL and the ALS believe that inclusion, diversity, equity, and accountability (IDEA) are key enablers to accomplishing the Lab’s vision of bringing science solutions to the world. As critical components of the Lab’s stewardship efforts, they unlock innovation, produce high-performing teams, and drive meaningful impact and outcomes. LBNL and the ALS strive to

• • create an environment in which everyone belongs (inclusion);
  • welcome and engage all people and perspectives (diversity);
  • ensure fair access to opportunities (equity); and
  • take responsibility for making progress (accountability).

We take part in the Lab’s IDEA efforts and apply them to our operations as a user facility.

IDEA Committee

The ALS’s efforts in IDEA comprise a new framework that encompasses several task forces and an IDEA Committee, which advises ALS leadership. Task forces address a focused set of issues related to ALS culture and consist of volunteer members. The chairs of these task forces, along with the IDEA chair, an IDEA facilitator, and at-large representatives of ALS staff, form the IDEA Committee, which coordinates task force activities and makes recommendations on policy changes to the ALS director. The IDEA framework is flexible, allowing task forces to sunset or be created to address new priorities.

The IDEA Committee members, encompassing the committee chair, facilitator, task force chairs, and at-large members are:

	ALS IDEA Committee Chair Hans Bechtel
	ALS IDEA Facilitator Ashley White
	Career and Professional Development Task Force Chair: Diane Bryant
	Education and Communication Task Force Description The Education and Communication Task Force is aimed at communicating IDEA related topics to the ALS community as well as offering short training-like events. Task Force Chair: Ian Lacey
	Onboarding Task Force Chair: Christoph Klewe
	Recognition Task Force Description The Recognition Task Force focuses on peer, supervisor, and external recognition of ALS staff and user communities. We aim to retain talent and boost satisfaction through inclusive, diverse, and equitable recognition of our hardworking and accomplished team. Task Force Chair: Cindy Lee
	Outreach, Recruiting, and Hiring Task Force Description Fostering a diverse workforce—in experience, perspective, and background—and a culture of inclusion are key to attracting the best candidates. Our task force conducts research, has discussions, and makes policy recommendations to ALS management that aim to achieve consistent and effective hiring processes across all ALS workgroups in the pursuit of increasing our staff diversity. Task Force Chair: Alex Hexemer
	Social Activities Task Force Chair: Doug Bashaw
	Work-Life Balance Task Force Description We work to identify factors impacting Work-Life Balance and Job satisfaction among ALS staff and affiliates and propose long-term educated solutions to alleviate them.We are striving to provide to our colleagues a workplace that allows for a long, healthy, and satisfying career. All our goals and values can only be achieved and upheld when we have a healthy relationship with our workplace. To better understand how to get there, we have developed the ALS Work life balance statement. Task Force Chair: Alpha N’Diaye
	Early Career Member-at-Large Tibbers Hao
	Member-at-Large Wiebke Koepp
	Member-at-Large Andrea Taylor

The task forces are open to all in the ALS community, including staff, postdocs, students, and users. ALS community members interested in joining one of the task forces should contact the corresponding chair.

Additional IDEA-related resources are available on the ALS intranet (accessible with Berkeley Lab log-in).