About the Office of People, Culture and Belonging
The Office of People, Culture and Belonging was created to cultivate a community of belonging that empowers authenticity, celebrates cultures and growth, promotes fairness, and centers the human experience for all within the city of Aurora.
The office is strategically leading the organization through several interconnected initiatives. Steps include assessing where we are as an organization and as a community – what are the perceptions vs. the reality; a review of current challenges; inclusive leadership, unconscious bias, explicit and implicit bias and micro-aggression training for upper management, managers and supervisors; attracting, retaining and advancing top talent from diverse backgrounds; and developing a Racial Equity Plan for the city that will examine city services and procedures through a racial equity lens.
To learn more about the city of Aurora’s Office of People, Culture and Belonging, contact 303.739.7699 or email [email protected].
Leadership
- Sara Valencich, Officer of People, Culture and Belonging
- Natasha Campbell, Project Coordinator, Office of People, Culture and Belonging
Current Initiatives
Equity Champions
Equity Champions are the city’s racial equity core team, established in June 2020. They are the leadership team committed to equitable systemic change by designing, coordinating and organizing racial equity plans and activities across the city of Aurora. They champion and advocate for racial equity and model organizational values; represent departments at leadership meetings and communicate back to departments; provide leadership, facilitation and coaching to internal department teams; and coordinate, track and report department racial equity plans, successes and improvements.
Resolutions
A resolution was passed May 5, 2020, by the City Council "Condemning Hate Crime Acts and Anti-Asian Sentiments Against Asian Americans, Immigrants, and Refugees as Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic."
A resolution was passed December 21, 2020, by the City Council "Affirming Aurora's Commitment to Valuing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion."
Proclamations
Celebrating our diverse community begins with recognizing special events, people and groups who have positively impacted the city of Aurora. To accomplish this, the city issues a wide range of proclamations aimed at promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. For example, the city has issued proclamations celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Hispanic Heritage Month, Yom Kippur, Women’s History Month and others.
A proclamation must relate to the city of Aurora, an organization within the city, or a statewide or national issue affecting Aurora and must be in the general interest of our residents. Requests for proclamations are generally received from clubs, organizations, nonprofit groups, and individuals.
To learn more or to submit a proclamation request, visit the proclamation webpage.