When you go to your job, you want to feel valued, right? Creating an environment where everyone feels respected and included is the right thing to do. At Children’s Minnesota, it also helps us retain our excellent staff, which in turn helps us provide the best possible care for patients and families.
While some people have redefined how they view diversity, equity and inclusion work, we at Children’s Minnesota keep moving forward on all three because they are a part of our strategy and how we serve patients, families and the community. As I said in this blog, they are at the heart of our vision and mission. Our diversity brings us the range of knowledge and experience needed to best solve the challenges we face as one of the largest independent pediatric health systems in the country. It helps us build trust with our diverse patient population. Our equity work helps us meet the individual needs of all our patients and families, not just some.
As for inclusion, I’ve invited Traci Shannon, an equity and inclusion program specialist at Children’s Minnesota, to share two powerful examples of the concrete steps we’re taking to be an inclusive organization.
This is what action looks like. This is how we continue to move diversity, equity and inclusion forward in 2026.
Traci Shannon in her own words
Years ago, I took one of those assessments that measures your top strengths and talents. When I got my results, it was interesting but not surprising to learn that three of my top five strengths were related to “relationship building.” I love people! I love hearing people’s stories. I love getting to know them and learning what’s important to them.
I’ve never met a person with whom I couldn’t find some area of connection; even if all we had in common was a deep love for our children, a passion for college basketball, or simply a mutual appreciation for a long-awaited sunny day.
I just celebrated three years at Children’s Minnesota, where my love of people is at the forefront of the work I do every single day!
In my role as equity and inclusion program specialist, I have a front-row seat to see how equity and inclusion aren’t merely policies, they’re how we show up for each other, as people, every day.
How we build inclusion together
These two ideas, equity and inclusion, are foundational to our work of building a culture of belonging. At the heart of this culture-building work are our nine employee resource groups (ERGs). Our ERGs are powerful modes of connection and engagement within Children’s Minnesota. For those who may be unaware, an ERG is a voluntary, organizationally supported group led by employees.
Our ERGs are formed around a shared identity and/or life experience. They are intentional about welcoming not only those with a particular identity, but allies too. In the words of founding PRIDE ERG member Jeannette LaBarre, “It is often the allies who drive change.”
Here are the ERGs we have at Children’s Minnesota:
- Asian
- Black Employee Empowerment Network (BEEN)
- Disability Advocacy
- Familia (Latiné)
- Kesher (Jewish)
- Military and Veterans
- Muslim
- Nurses of Color
- People Respecting Individual Differences Equally (PRIDE)
Our ERGs help people feel seen, valued and supported. They create safe spaces for connection, cultural expression, learning and advocacy. For example, our Asian ERG has hosted numerous “Lunch and Learn” events, allowing all staff to learn about the nationalities, ethnicities and diverse cultures of the Asian diaspora.
Our ERGs also help Children’s Minnesota better understand and respond to the needs of its workforce, by serving as a business and professional advisory resource. In response to a concern about inequities in hospital-issue clothing, Children’s Minnesota became one of the first U.S. hospital systems to offer modesty gowns designed for kids. This initiative emerged from the work of a multidisciplinary team, with the Muslim ERG, Nurses of Color ERG, and BEEN ERG playing key roles.
Each of our ERGs has a defined purpose, their own annual goals that connect to inclusion, community engagement, employee development and business priorities. For example, every year, the Familia ERG sends some of its members to LíderCon, an annual leadership conference.
This ensures that Children’s Minnesota remains visible to the external community and is part of a wider network of organizations committed to cultivating Latinx leaders and strengthening community partnerships.
Building inclusion from day one
Another reason I’m exceptionally proud to work at Children’s Minnesota is because it understands that the culture of inclusion and belonging that we are building has many layers. The foundation starts with applying an equity lens to every aspect of employee engagement, starting with an employee’s very first day with us. In the last year and a half, I was privileged to be a part of a working group that came together to reimagine our New Employee Orientation (NEO).
NEO is the first experience our new employees have with Children’s Minnesota. The quality of that experience matters because it sets the tone for belonging, clarity and confidence from day one. Through careful examination of our previous NEO process, we noticed inconsistencies across patient‑facing and non‑patient‑facing roles; differences between in‑person and virtual orientation experiences; and mixed levels of clarity in those critical first two days. In short, the intent was there, but we needed to strengthen consistency and cohesion of the orientation process of our new employees.
So, we asked ourselves: What would it take to make NEO more consistent and more equitable, while keeping it engaging and digestible for everyone?
The result: a redesigned 1.5‑day, entirely in‑person experience launched in early 2026! Early feedback has been extremely encouraging, with participants reporting stronger feelings of belonging and confidence after attending orientation. This tells us that the changes we made, both in content and in facilitation, are resonating in the ways we hoped they would.
Our heartbeat
Whether an employee has been with Children’s Minnesota for a month, a year, a decade or more, I’m confident they would agree that Children’s Minnesota is a very special place. The buildings are beautiful, the care we give is exceptional, our patients and families are nothing short of amazing.
But from where I sit, it is the employees that are the heartbeat of this organization. I feel so honored to do work every day that supports employees in what are hopefully some very meaningful ways. Whether it’s helping ERGs with annual celebrations or welcoming new employees into an intentionally inclusive environment, I am constantly reminded that equity and inclusion truly exist on a two-way street. I’m here to provide the framework, but our employees provide the spirit for this work and keep it alive.
James Burroughs
Senior vice president, government and community relations, chief equity and inclusion officer
James Burroughs joined Children’s Minnesota as its first chief equity and inclusion officer in 2019. He is responsible for advancing equity and inclusion in all parts of the organization.
Follow James on LinkedIn.
