Rockford leaders call for change, question intent of chamber's new all-white board

It's been more than a month since the newly created Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce released the names of its all-white 15-member board of directors to the public while acknowledging the need for more minority representation.

To fix the lack of racial diversity on the organization's board, leaders say the board could add as many as five more board members and another five ex-officio members in the weeks to come and are encouraging minorities to participate on committees like the one charged with guiding the search for the organization's new chief executive officer.

Lesly Couper, president of the Rockford-based staffing agency Workplace and the chamber board's vice president, said board members are reaching out to residents in search of nominees who might be willing to represent minority business owners, executives and workers as part of the Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce.

"To properly represent our business communities, we need to have all perspectives involved and at the table," Couper said.

But some say the lack of diversity among the original board members raises questions about the organization's priorities.

Lack of diversity raises questions

Rockford School Board President Denise Pearson is one of three minorities on the city's seven-member, elected school board.

The lack of diversity on the new chamber board raises questions about how the organization was forged in the first place, Pearson said.

Was any thought given to how diversity would be achieved? Did minority residents feel empowered and welcomed enough in the original organizations to step up and serve?

Diversity, equity and inclusion should be a tenant of all community organizations, and it's something that requires commitment and relationship building, Pearson said.

While the chamber is far from the only organization in town that lacks inclusion on its board, diversity will continue to be an issue, she said, unless leaders put inclusion at the forefront of their discussions.

"All roads lead back to the foundation of how the merger came about and conversations that could have taken place at the foundational point," Pearson said. "What was discussed during the negotiation of merging? At that point, they could have given thought to the what the board would look like, taken into consideration our community and what makes up our community and could have made some decisions."

Mayor calls for 'true commitment'

The Greater Rockford Chamber is a new non-profit formed from the merging of the Rockford Area Economic Development Council and Greater Rockford Growth Partnership into the Rockford Chamber of Commerce. Its board of directors was put together by taking five volunteers from the boards of each of the three original organizations.

They ended up with an all-white board of directors. It's a situation Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara has said is unacceptable in a diverse community like Rockford and Winnebago County.

"That board should have a lot more diversity, and it shouldn't be one or two," McNamara said. "It should be a true commitment to diversity. I think you look at communities that are strong and thriving economically, they're inclusive. Their citizens feel like they belong. They can see themselves in positions of power, and we need to be that community."

Jeff Kolkey can be reached at (815) 987-1374, via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on Twitter @jeffkolkey.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce pledges to diversify all-white board