(Washington, D.C., December 5, 2023) − DLR Group announced today the appointment of Jessica Bantom as the firm’s Global Leader of Equity, Diversity, and Belonging. She joins DLR Group as a principal and a member of the firm’s executive team. She will be based in Washington, D.C.
Bantom shares her vision for a path forward, accelerating DLR Group’s ongoing equity work through honest, collaborative conversations.
Bantom is a design thinker and a skilled management consultant with more than 20 years of experience. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Marymount University and holds a masters in interior design as well as multiple certifications related to equity, change management, design thinking, and facilitation. She pivoted her career in 2019 to drive understanding and change as a diversity, equity, and belonging practitioner, leading teams and organizations to design, implement, and scale effective equity, diversity, and belonging programs.
“She will also collaborate with firm leaders to establish and promote equity initiatives that move us to a consistently equitable, diverse, and inclusive design culture,” said McKay.
Bantom is an experienced equity leader, helping organizations evolve their culture to understand, appreciate, and acknowledge identity and cultural differences. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Marymount University focused on the intersection of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging with design.
“When done thoughtfully, equity, diversity, and belonging work together in an organization not as an initiative but as strategic direction for the whole organization,” said Bantom. “Adopting these values is really representative of an organization making an intentional pivot to acknowledge that you value people who have historically been excluded.”
Bantom recently authored Design for Identity: How to Design Authentically for a Diverse World and is an in-demand speaker on the topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the built environment.
