Kane County Reporter

Geneva City Council received an update from a community inclusion task force on its efforts since its inception nearly two years ago, including a proposal to partner with Ethos of Evanston to drive improved organization and public outreach.

DEI Task Force Chairperson Ashley Nuzzo-Ericksen and member Lisa Cervenka told council during its Feb. 21 meeting, streamed on YouTube, that the task force, charged with developing proposals that the city could use to improve diversity, equity and inclusion, has been meeting regularly for about 18 months. They have held discussions with a number of community stakeholders, including nonprofits, churches and volunteer groups, and have started to gather information on key areas of focus, including the proposal to team up with Ethos, a consulting firm specializing in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“Ethos is a very large company, and they have a lot of facilitations,” Nuzzo-Erickson told council. “They have Fortune 500 companies as their clients and also cities just like Geneva.”

The company works with a variety of organizations, which Nuzzo-Erickson told council includes a large team that would work with the city on a strategic plan.

“As I said, some of their clients are Aldi, the city of Chicago, the Met, they have a lot of nonprofit organizations as well as Fortune 500,” she said.

Nuzzo-Erickson and Cervenka told council Ethos was selected as the partner for this phase and added that the company worked with the task force to reduce its bid, which initially exceeded the city’s budget.

Cervenka told council that over the next eight months, Ethos will provide a plan for community outreach, gather data and conduct analysis, provide a full equity assessment customized to align with the task force’s areas of focus, and develop a strategic plan drawing upon all of the research, providing a summary and a set of strategic proposals.

Council learned that the project will feature online and in-person meetings with residents and key stakeholders to determine their vision. Ethos also will ensure the information is returned in a form that can be easily explained to council and the community.