NIBS has secured 20 signatures from leaders committed to supporting greater diversity in the built environment.

The primary goals that CEOs agreed to include building diverse staff and volunteer leadership teams, sharing best practices, and promoting this work with association membership.

Lakisha A. Woods, CAE, President and CEO of NIBS, said this commitment ensures real and equitable change will take place for employees and employers throughout the building industry.

Initially, Michelle Buczkowski considered “being the only” an isolating place.

Buczkowski, vice president of talent management with 84 Lumber, shared during the virtual leadership meeting of the Women Executives in Building on August 31, that many times she felt like the youngest – and only – woman in a room.

“For a while I saw ‘being the only’ as a lonely place,” Buczkowski said. “[Later] all the things that made me ‘the only’ became my superpower.”

A 2021 Built Environment Social Equity Survey of the National Institute of Building Sciences has found that more than two in five (43%) employed/working respondents indicate their company has a program or initiative dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion.

NIBS launched the survey in March with the help of market research and consulting firm Avenue M Group. Nearly 12,000 responses were collected.

At the National Institute of Building Sciences, we are committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness.

We believe in an environment built on respect and dignity. We also believe diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical to the foundation of the built environment and greater industry as a whole.