APS Joins the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion Pledge

Specific actions listed in the pledge include establishing trust for difficult conversations about diversity and inclusion; expanding unconscious bias education in the workplace; sharing best practices as well as unsuccessful efforts; and creating strategic diversity and inclusion plans in concert with the organizations' board of directors.

In signing the pledge, CEOs are asked to offer examples of successful actions to advance diversity and inclusion in their organizations. Bagger pointed to three: (1) formation at APS of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group to obtain employee input on actions APS can take to drive positive cultural and policy change within the Society; (2) on June 10, 2020, in the wake of the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others, APS closed for business to stand in solidarity with the Black community and asked employees to use the day to reflect and take action to eradicate racism in science and academia; and (3) recognizing that no one set of holidays is meaningful for every employee, APS established a Days of Significance Calendar in which employees have more personal days to provide flexibility in how they use their time off.

Bagger is joined by the CEO of the American Institute of Physics Michael Moloney, and the CEOs of six other AIP member societies. The CEOs and leaders who signed the pledge are:

• Susan Fox, Acoustical Society of America
• Angela Keyser, American Association of Physicists in Medicine
• Beth Cunningham, American Association of Physics Teachers
• Kevin Marvel, American Astronomical Society
• Kristin Stevens, American Crystallographic Association
• Michael Moloney, American Institute of Physics
• Jonathan Bagger, American Physical Society
• Liz Rogan, The Optical Society

“The American Physical Society is proud to join its fellow AIP member societies in signing the CEO pledge," said Bagger. "Diversity, inclusion, and respect are core values of APS because they are foundational to social justice and essential to advance science itself. Committing to this pledge will strengthen APS and allow it to better serve the physics community, both at home and abroad.”

For more information on the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion pledge, visit ceoaction.com.