Think Creative Issue 8

with Sandy Oleksy-Ojikutu Recently named Senior Advisor with Creative’s Africa Center, Sandy is an authority on Sub- Saharan Africa with three decades of project design and implementation experience at USAID. Q A &

Diversity & Inclusion Council New at Creative!

Creative’s new Diversity & Inclusion Council is a resource to ensure the company is meeting — and exceeding — its stated values. We asked two council members for their perspectives:

What drives your passion for Africa? Sandy: I went to live in Nigeria as a consequence of a personal choice. I lived within a Nigerian family, my husband’s family, now my family. Having left my post at Pace University in New York, I smoothly transitioned into joining the Faculty of Education at Nigeria’s University of Lagos (UNILAG) training teachers and lecturing on aspects of educational psychology. There, I gained tenure and earned a sabbatical year back in New York at Columbia University. Toward the end of my time at UNILAG, my work with doctoral students focused on traditional

What do you think should be the focus of international partners in Africa? Sandy: Basic needs exist across Africa, and similarly across the world. It is a matter of degree. I know folks would like me to identify a hierarchy of needs, but it just is not that simple. Good health services ensure and protect life. Education provides the skills needed for a good quality of life. Food security sustains life. Rule of law and democratic elections maintain peace and security for individuals and their respective nations. Elec- trical power supports industrial development and promotes safety. Trade hubs facilitate personal and national economic growth, and so on. Since these basic needs are simultaneous and not se-

Thad Arrington Associate Director, Human Resources Division

Today’s Black Lives Matter movement has created an opportunity to reflect on our society and have the difficult discussion about how pervasive racism is embedded in our culture. While Creative is proud of its historically diverse work- force, this council is a great opportunity to open dialogue within the company and align our business practices to ensure that all understand the need for inclusion and feel empowered to execute initiatives and advocate for it in a re- sponsible way. Schala Battle Technical Director, Communities in Transition Division The value of diversity and inclusion is mission critical. Creative’s willingness and ability to embrace D&I is not just the right thing to do, it really is the only thing if we want to have a thriving culture and attract and retain the best talent while maximizing the meaning and impact of our work. Conversations need to focus on more than diversity numbers and recognize that inclusion is a critical business driver and treat it as such. I hope the council will be able guide Creative through a process of more comprehensive culture change, ensuring that Creative’s work in D&I is more than performative. I think with the right support we can. n

counseling for adolescent and young adults analyzing the use of totems, ceremo- nies and age-grades to mark both the passage of time and the assumption of social responsibilities. My students taught me about the many challenges of growing up in Nigeria (as well as in Liberia, Libya and Iran!) and about the role of their cultures in aiding their progress. They taught me to really listen without judgment. To be an honest observer and an advocate, from the position of an outsider. These insights served me well as I expanded my work through USAID across the continent — to listen deeply

quential in most countries, international development partners negotiate with African nations to bring their unique strengths and skills to specific geographic areas to assist in addressing basic needs. Yes, various political considerations are part of the decision- making, but the goal is to eliminate dire needs (e.g., extreme poverty) and assist nations in developing solutions that meet and service basic needs. The impacts are cumulative across a broad spectrum of development interventions within a nation.

What are the key areas Creative may have to consider doing development work in Africa? Sandy: Creative’s staff does listen deeply, understanding the value of dialogue with host country counterparts and beneficiaries when designing interventions in response to solicita- tions. This type of dialogue is not an easy task — moreover, Creative does this well! Their resulting submissions have that ring of truth. They address donor needs and requirements while respecting and representing the beneficiaries’ self-defined needs. Perhaps that is the unique ingredient needed for sustainability. n

to individuals to understand their values and vision without judgment. To value differences, to see individuals, communities and nations in one panoramic view. And then have a dialogue with host governments, communities and individuals. When you live in any part of Africa and deal with daily life issues as your own personal issues over an extended time (32 years in my case), you quietly internalize insight into African values. I simply want Africa — as a continent, a collection of nations, and as an amalgamation of individuals — to succeed and prosper, and I want to support that process. This desire grew over time and through experiences with individual Africans. It continues to grow.

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