AATC's DE&I Committee Starts Strong

2022 continues to be a forward-thinking year for the Apartment Association of Tarrant County (AATC). Launching this year’s new DE&I committee is proving to be a very engaging initiative for the Association. Lake Barnes of Atlantic Pacific Management, one of the Association’s newest Lyceum graduates and 2022 board members, has agreed to spearhead this endeavor. This committee is slated to be one of the most dynamic and exciting yet.

What does Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion mean to you? For AATC, it is the opportunity to help our members create a welcoming workplace for employees of all backgrounds and demographics. We recognize the disparity and need for change in our industry and have taken on this challenge. AATC’s commitment to DE&I is to help our members bring fair and equal access, engagement, and opportunity to all employees regardless of racial, socio-economic, gender, ethnic, or sexual origin.

Over the last five years, the apartment industry has widely adopted Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, with NAA leading the charge. Therefore, the opportunity for AATC to be a leader of change in the DFW Metroplex by providing its members with strategies and tools to promote DE&I within their organization is monumental, and has AATC is ready to take on this charge with vigor and pride. 

The committee’s first meeting was on March 18, 2022, with high attendance. The committee’s year-end goals include, but are not limited to, building the framework for a 3-year Go-Forward strategy, creating a mission statement, and configuring the governance model with moving parts that will work together to ensure our members have clear initiatives on how to support their employees who typically are underrepresented. Our members are excited to get started on such a multi-faceted initiative. Our resources will include a toolkit, workshops, speaking events, and so much more!

Will you be the change you want to see? If you are interested in joining the DE&I committee, please contact Gregory Ann Goldrick at ggoldrick@aatcnet.org.

Lake Barnes, ARM, CAM, CPM Candidate, Atlantic Pacific, is AATC's 2022 Diversity Equity & Inclusion Committee Chair. For more information, contact Gregory Ann Goldrick at ggoldrick@aatcnet.org.