In the wake of significant social and political upheaval in 2020, the Society for Marketing Professional Services embarked on a mission to renew efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the built environment industry. Spearheaded by a dedicated committee, SMPS continues to pave the way to transform business through marketing leadership and recognizing that inclusion is part of that strategy. As SMPS celebrates our fifty-year legacy, we must also explore who we want to be for the next fifty years by integrating representation, voice, and reflecting society overall.

In 2020, during a Society Board of Directors meeting in Las Vegas at the Pacific Regional Conference, the concept of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion task force was first proposed to the board. After the tumultuous events of 2020, including the tragic murder of George Floyd and other incidents targeting Black and Brown individuals, the task force's creation gained urgency. It became a top priority for the SMPS leadership.

The task force faced the significant challenge of defining its role in tackling industry diversity, equity, and inclusion. Recognizing that SMPS is a cross-discipline professional association comprised of marketers, and business developers, the task force under the leadership of Asheya Warren, FSMPS, CPSM began to structure a strategic framework. It became evident that professional services marketing presents an ideal starting point for enhancing inclusion and representation as professional barriers to entry are minimal, embraces varied educational backgrounds, and can benefit from a broader range of perspectives and skill sets. Recognizing this differentiator solves the industry's workforce recruitment issues while also better reflecting the communities that the built environment seeks to cultivate. The board of directors also embraced the importance of ensuring that DEI work stays top-of-mind and engrained in all lines of Society operations. To create a sense of permanence and perpetuity, the task force became a standing committee at the Society level in 2022.

The committee set out to create a philosophy statement that would embody the principles of DEI and guide the actions of SMPS. The philosophy statement, crafted collaboratively over several iterations, contains living, guiding principles that have become the groundwork for operational policy. By leaving room for growth and adaptation, the statement will remain relevant as the landscape shifts.

Over the past three years, the committee has launched numerous initiatives in alignment with the strategic framework which provide resources to chapters and industry firms. For example, the record-setting SMPS DEI Townhall series has held 9 sessions with subject-matter experts providing key insights demonstrating inclusion in action. The SMPS DEI Townhall series will continue to provide focused, timely content related to issues facing our members and firms.

As the committee continues its ongoing efforts, the goal is that SMPS and the industry can become more representative of the communities we collectively serve. As SMPS looks to the next fifty years, embracing and incorporating DEI lens throughout all programming efforts will propel the Society and A/E/C industries forward.