City Council established the Inclusion, Diversity & Equity Action (IDEA) Committee in 2020. IDEA’s origins began in 2019 as part of our  Engage New Albany strategic plan update, when we consistently heard small group workshop feedback that New Albany needed a more concerted effort to be a welcoming community to people of all backgrounds. Then, when the tumultuous events around race relations occurred in the United States in 2020, we felt compelled to ask questions about diversity, inclusion and equity as part of our resident survey.

New Albany has long been committed to self-evaluation and improvement, and we view the work of the IDEA Committee as an extension of our commitment. Mayor Sloan Spalding and Councilwoman Marlene Brisk are serving as City Council’s liaisons to the IDEA Committee, which is being facilitated by Dr. Lisa White and Courtnee Carrigan. Councilman Matt Shull is also participating in the discussions, which are open to the public. IDEA Committee members include Nicole Dempsey, Vida Farwana, LaVerne Fudge-Williamson, Ofra Eliav Greenshtein, Mo Gupta, Abe Jacob, Kimberly Lee Minor, Paul Naumoff, Dr. Nwando Olayiwola, Shohba Painter, Anita Patel, Benjamin Reid, Ben Collins, Tiana Samuels, Renee Shumate, Jennie Wilson, Joe Stefanov, Adrienne Joly and Jennifer Mason.

The IDEA Committee is in the process of developing a set of recommendations in the areas of events, programs, partnerships and communications, all to support the goal of creating a community environment that is welcoming to all people, encourages a diverse citizenship, and inspires participation by everyone in community activities and leadership roles.

You can view a calendar of upcoming and past IDEA Committee meeting agendas by heading to our Boards and Commissions page. If you would like to provide input, suggestions or questions about any of the IDEA Committee’s recommendations, please email idea@newalbanyohio.org or complete our survey by clicking here.