Institute Thought Leaders in the News as Authorities on DEI

Thought leaders at the Institute for Inclusive Leadership were recently interviewed by Boston media outlets about the use of the word “ladies” after the Easthampton, Mass., school committee rescinded the job offer of a superintendent candidate reportedly for using the word in an email exchange with two women.

Elisa van Dam, Vice President of Allyship and Inclusion at the Institute, shared her thoughts in a Boston Globe article that pondered if “ladies” can be considered a microagression.

“It’s tone deaf.* It seems that he hasn’t been paying attention to the way language use has been evolving and how we are talking about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging,” she said. “He’s operating on a very old paradigm.”

Elisa, a nationally recognized authority on inclusion, has spent much of her career working with organizations and individual leaders to increase their understanding and practice of inclusive leadership behaviors, furthering the Institute’s mission to develop the mindset and skills of leaders at all stages of life so they can foster gender parity and cultures of inclusion.

*Reflecting on her quote in the Boston Globe, Elisa concluded that her word choice may have been offensive to some. “People who know me have likely heard me say that as part of my ongoing journey to be a more inclusive leader, I will inevitably screw up. Here’s a pretty public example — the term “tone deaf” is seen as ableist by many folks. I apologize to those I have offended, and will endeavor to use different language going forward,” she said.