A Seat at the Table: Team Refines Focus on Representation, Inclusion at SRS

Savannah River Mission Completion's Representation and Inclusion Working Group is working to foster a culture of mutual respect that recruits, retains and develops a workforce from various experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and abilities. Pictured from left: Andrea Lupton, Sinclair White, Lee Gause-McNair, Andrea Bridges, Alexander McKellar and Maria Rios-Armstrong. Pictured in the bubbles from the top are Carissa Smith, TeShania Bey and Azikiwe Hooker.

AIKEN, S.C. - A new working group is promoting a sharpened focus on representation and inclusion within the liquid waste cleanup team for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) program at the Savannah River Site (SRS).

"Everyone deserves a seat at the table - that was a lesson instilled in me growing up, and that is what representation and inclusion is all about," according to Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) Representation and Inclusion Chair Lee Gause-McNair, a facility safety and health manager. "We believe employees are the most valuable asset of a company, and offering them opportunities to learn, grow and thrive can strengthen the organization from within."

SRMC is the liquid waste contractor completing EM's radioactive tank waste cleanup mission at SRS. The contractor operates facilities such as the Salt Waste Processing Facility, Defense Waste Processing Facility and SRS Tank Farms, which is a grouping of underground radioactive waste tanks.

Comprising a diverse team of nine employees, the working group is responsible for aiding the SRMC executive team in fostering a culture of mutual respect that recruits, retains and develops a workforce from various experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and abilities so that everyone feels a sense of community.

Some of the group's responsibilities are to provide input to the executive team on company actions that impact the workforce, act as ambassadors across the organization, and review representation and inclusion performance metrics to identify trends and make recommendations on actions.

The working group's current initiatives are to - through focus groups and other feedback forums - identify opportunities to enhance the availability of career growth opportunities for all employees. Specifically, the group aims to bridge the learning gap for new employees based on level of education and experience. The team's overall goal is to contribute to the development of tailored learning for leaders and managers in building strong relationships based on trust, respect and fairness.

SRMC President and Program Manager Dave Olson said he strongly supports the tenet of the working group that everyone on the SRMC team feels fully understood and considered.

"Savanah River Mission Completion will always strive to leverage a representative and inclusive workforce to achieve superior business results," Olson said. "We are putting initiatives in place to be an employer of choice and to be a respectful and supportive workplace that enables SRMC to attract and retain a diverse workforce that represents our customers and community."

-Contributor: Colleen Hart