Moving Towards More Inclusive Conferences and Events: Reflections on Establishing a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chair

Abstract

As a part of the continued movement towards Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), the IEEE Professional Communication Society (ProComm) has recently established a DEI Chair for the ProComm 2023 conference. In an effort to document and promote discussion on initiatives towards more inclusive conferences, this brief paper presents a case study about the establishment of that chair and the work done to continuously improve diversity and inclusivity at the conference and beyond, in particular, addressing the needs of the smaller conference within the context of a large organization like IEEE and how to make the DEI position both manageable and effective within the constraints of a smaller society. The goal of this paper, therefore, is to explore the current and future plans for this chair at the ProComm Conference, with the recognition that while there may be no such thing as a perfectly inclusive conference, we can certainly continuously improve in that direction.