Meet Ashby Village’s DEI Guide
If you haven’t already met Rita Shimmin, you’ve probably heard about her. Rita is the consultant engaged to support and help guide the Village’s Leadership team, and the whole community, through our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Initiative journey.
Click here to see the impact of Rita's work with one facet of Ashby Village's leadership: the Neighborhood Group Council (NGC).
Rita has been a teacher, trainer and coach for more than 40 years. She has worked within educational institutions, at all levels -- with kindergarteners and university management teams -- and with business entities, including community-based non-profits and national investment firms. She is co-founder of the UNtraining and recently retired after 30 plus years of non-profit work, the last 17 in leadership at the GLIDE Foundation, a faith-based social services and social justice agency in San Francisco. She is very happy with her retirement. And very protective of it. “I like to have days where I can stay up all night and get up as late as I want to,” she says.
When Rita heard about the work Ashby Village was doing and then talked with AV Executive Director Andy Gaines and Board President Andra Lichtenstein, she knew she wanted to work with us. At 76, she says her mind and sense of self is expanding tremendously, and she wants to work with other folks at the same age and see how their experiences of change and transformation might be in sync with hers.