Last month, Brenna Schmidt started a new role as Diversity Coordinator in the Office of the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. Brenna will be part of key initiatives around diversity, inclusion, and equity in City government. 

We caught up with Brenna to learn more about her and her plans for the role. 

Hey Brenna! Congrats on your new role. What got you started in diversity work?

I got started in diversity work after I graduated from Temple University in 2017. Growing up, I lived in a very homogenous town where I was one of the only people of color. As a young black girl in that environment, I was extremely aware of the lack of diversity around me and I knew that I needed to experience living in an area where I would see more people like myself. Once I got to college, I knew that I was passionate about working with people of underrepresented groups and enabling people to let their voices be heard. When I saw that there was an opening in the Office of the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, I knew that this was the perfect opportunity to fulfill my sense of purpose and make an impact on Philadelphia.

That’s great. So, what kind of work have you been doing since you stepped into this role?

In this role I’ve been grateful to work on a variety of projects that allow me to understand diversity, inclusion, and City government from many different perspectives. I’ve been working with many of the City Resource Groups (CRGs), and I am in a leadership role in the women of color CRG. In this group, we are focusing on professional development, networking, and D&I initiatives that we can implement in City government to enable women of color to be exposed to new opportunities. I’ve also been partnering with the Office of HR & Talent to explore our recruiting efforts to attract and retain diverse employees.

What excites you most about the work you’re doing?

I’m excited to see the projects that I’m working on come to fruition. It’s always fulfilling to see something you’ve been working on for a period of time become a finished product. I’m also really excited about the work that we’re doing in the CRGs. This work is so important to me, and I’m looking forward to meeting new people and developing strategies to make the City a place where people feel like they can bring their authentic selves to work.

What is something new and exciting we can look forward to seeing come out of the Office in the next few months?

We’re starting to pull together the annual Workforce Profile Report—which is exciting! This is the fourth year the Office is releasing the report, and it breaks down the diversity of the City’s workforce in tons of different ways, including race, ethnicity, tenure, age, gender, and more. This will be my first year working on it, so I’m anxious to start the process and for the release.

What’s your favorite part of Philadelphia?

I love how culturally diverse Philly is. I’ve lived in a couple neighborhoods and they’re all so different from one another and I think that’s really cool. It’s especially evident when I’m riding my bike throughout the city and you can see the clear changes from neighborhood to neighborhood.