The Work Ahead

We have committed to a rigorous process with staff addressing improvements to our culture, specifically through an equity lens. We are also committed to doing this work as transparently as possible, sharing with staff what we are doing and when.

In keeping with that commitment, here is an update on what we are doing:

• Investigation — The Board oversight committee has hired Joe Edwards to look into the concerns raised by a former employee. As stated earlier, the work will be managed by the board to preserve the integrity of the investigation. In terms of scope, the board will ask the investigator to look into the details of the letter from the former employee. The investigators will establish their own list of people they want to interview and documents that they want to access, but we have confirmed that they will reach out to former staff. At the end of the investigation, PRX will share the findings with staff, regardless of the conclusions and recommendations. There is always a need to strike a balance between the privacy rights of individuals involved and the need to be transparent. We are committed to sharing the findings.
• We know that it will take some weeks for the investigation to be complete and for the DEI work to have an impact. As the investigation proceeds, we are using this experience to confront our culture and structures so we can be a better organization. In addition to the work of Project Inkblot, we are working with the training department, with whom the former employee worked. Until this is completed, we have put the team leader on administrative leave. An outside facilitator will begin work with that team. Their role will be to get a full understanding of the concerns and challenges and help the organization identify action steps to address these concerns.
• We are bringing in Common Ground Consulting to facilitate a series of internal discussions beginning next week. We are following Common Ground’s direction that these sessions include 10–20 people per discussion, with all senior team members present in each discussion. We expect that these sessions will be followed by an all-staff meeting once all meetings have concluded. We are confident that this approach will ensure equitable and productive internal dialogues.
• Project Inkblot — Project Inkblot concluded its discovery phase of group and one-on-one discussions with staff of color on August 14, 2020. Learnings from the discovery phase will shape the workshop that Project Inkblot will lead with PRX’s managers scheduled for August 26, 2020. In September, Project Inkblot will debrief with senior leadership to recommend next steps and share any learnings and findings from the workshop. This will also be shared with staff by either Project Inkblot or PRX’s leadership.

We will continue to update you on our progress and learnings through blog posts.