In February, the UVA Institute for Engagement & Negotiation, in partnership with Governor Ralph Northam and his administration, hosted a Summit on Equitable Collaboration. Over the course of two days, experienced professionals and leaders from across the Virginia met to discuss and share their experiences increasing collaboration within a variety of fields. This Summit was an opportunity to introduce the six principles of Equitable Collaboration, developed by the Institute of Engagement & Negotiation as a part of their Transforming Community Spaces Initiative and share the progress and continued opportunity for improvement Virginia has in its goal of a more equitable future. 

Since the Summit, Governor Northam’s administration has reviewed the various ideas offered by participants in the Considering Virginia’s Policy Needs segment on Day 2 of the event, and they are pleased to share their response with actions being taken and foreseen. This response, as well as all participant ideas, can be found in the Summit Final Report. Recordings of the Summit and supplemental materials from presenters can be found on the Summit website, which will serve as a living resource for participants and others interested in equitable collaboration.

As you’ll see in the Summit report, the Governor’s administration received a lot of feedback on an array of topics. Action has already been taken to address a number of the issues and concerns raised, and a few examples include:

• Launching the the One Virginia for Inclusive Excellence Plan for State Government, the One Virginia for Inclusive Excellent Plan for Higher Education and the One Virginia Online Toolkit

• Virginia Health Equity Task Force and Health Equity Working Group

• Launching Statewide Equity Dashboards
  • Equity in Action
  • Equity at a Glance

• Establishing a training session for agency board liaisons

• Coordinating grant management across agencies

If you have additional resources related to equitable collaboration that you would be willing to share through the event website, or feedback you would like to offer, you can do so via the Shared Resources tab on the website or by simply sending an email to equitablecollabva@gmail.com.