Hi, everyone:

I'm saddened as I reflect on the last few weeks of racial violence and the history of systemic racism in the United States. With my fellow ICF San Diego Board members, I stand in solidarity with African American communities and others around the world who experience this institutional racism -- which has most recently taken the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Our hearts are with their families.

As an organization, ICF is committed to dismantling inequality, becoming better allies, and driving meaningful and lasting change. As the global association for coaches and coaching, ICF can harness the collective power, influence, and voice of our membership to champion changes that will benefit our industry, our clients, our communities, and the world.

Being the local chapter of that organization, we at ICF San Diego are committed to doing this using our core mission as our guide: by providing development opportunities, building community, and creating connections. Acknowledging our privilege as a majority-white Board of Directors, it is our intention to redouble our efforts to listen and learn from you, the coaches we serve, bringing intentional listening and respectful facilitation of conversations.

In that spirit, we seek voices to lead us in the important conversations that can move us forward, fostering deeper understanding and growth. If you're interested in playing a role in these conversations, we want to hear from you.

As another effort to learn together and hold each other accountable, we've created a topic in our Membership Forum where we encourage all to share the ways each of us are taking action personally. If there are other topics you'd like to open for discussion on the Membership Forum, you can start a thread here.

Please join us in our commitment to co-creating a future that is not like the past.

In solidarity,
Lynn Levis
President, ICF San Diego