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African American, Hispanic, Middle Eastern and other peoples deal with systemic racism every day of their lives. PDMA is committed to unifying activities that create positive experiences for members and non-members alike, thereby enabling growth and success both individually and collectively.
Today, we live in a world lacking empathy; one dominated by separatist activism and fear mongering. It is a world that our group does not accept and is actively working to change.
As a profession, product developers and managers are skilled at identifying markets and the spoken and unspoken needs of those markets. We are in the business of designing products, services and experiences to create empathy between those things and the markets they serve.
Instead of tearing things down, we can build things up. Rather than talk about what we at PDMA are going to do, today, we choose to talk about what we’ve already done.
In March of this year, 44 years after our founding, the PDMA Board of Directors adopted our first Diversity and Inclusion framework and authorized the creation of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. We recognized that growing things organically is a passive, spectator activity but building something requires active participation on the part of individuals who lend their time, money and talents to make what was once nothing into something; turning words in to action and hopes into dreams.
Recognizing the problem is only the first step. We are working with our members and other organizations to create an active and inclusive dialogue to identify and implement meaningful change to the way we do business and view the world and impact society on a broader scale.
What can you do?
To join in the conversation, please go to the “Innovators Respond to World Events” section on PDMA’s Knowledge Hub. We have created a new community in the PDMA Knowledge Hub to discuss how we as product managers and innovation leaders can positively influence the future.
PDMA International Board of Directors
Ernie Harris – Chair
Mark Adkins – Vice-Chair
Susan Penta – Secretary-Treasurer
Gloria Barczak – Director
Karen Dworaczyk – Director
Wayne Fisher – Director
Sudhi Gulur – Director
Michael O’Connor – Director
Suzanne Thompson – Director
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