A&P Diversity Council - Dmitri Gaston
With Ohio State since 2011, I began in Planning and Real Estate as a professional urban planner, helping the public and stakeholders to develop and implement urban land use plans. I hold a masters in Community and Regional Planning from Iowa State University College of Design.
Now as the Senior Manager of Diversity and Inclusion Education for Administration and Planning, I serve as an ex officio member of A&P’s Diversity Council, of which I have been a member since its inception in 2016. It is a major source for educating employees about the benefits of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. In my current responsibilities, I work with the A&P departments to create and maintain an emotionally healthy workplace, embracing diversity and inclusion education.
The work of the Council is important to me because I am an African American, tracing my lineage back eight generations in and around New Orleans, a culturally diverse and significant area of the United States. My family’s roots are deep and steeped in multiple races, cultures, and the quest for equality. This confluence of cultures and communities helped to define who I am, to embrace diversity as an honor, and helped me gain the requisite cultural competency to connect with all of humanity. Thus, diversity and inclusion are key elements for understanding who I am and to understand those I encounter through my life’s journey. The more A&P staff that achieve cultural competency, the more the workplace will become an emotionally healthy environment.