Equity in Our Practice

Growth in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion creates a wide span of thought, breadth of participation, and shared rewards among our team. We want to recognize and engage with people of all identities, abilities, and socioeconomic positions.

Where We Have Been

In 2018, Schuler Shook’s Partners committed to advance our efforts to build a more equitable company. We developed specific internal goals and honed our outreach work. Examples of our work to date include offering mentorships and internships for young professionals; engaging with DEI Committees at professional groups such as AIA, USITT, ASTC, and IALD; participating in organizations such as Women in Lighting and Design and Women in Theatre; contributing our design work to projects with social justice goals; and financially supporting student opportunities through Chicago’s ACE Mentor program. We value the work we have done to date, and we recognize that there is more to do.

Where We Are Now

The killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and many other Black Americans re-ignited an outcry against structural racism in the US. We realized that we must strengthen our actions. Racial Equity will be our focus as we work to grow in all matters of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

We have begun our process. The Partners have worked together with experts to understand structural racism more fully, ask ourselves difficult questions, and frame the work ahead. We now commit ourselves to take immediate action.

Where We Are Going

As we continue to listen and learn, we will take the following action:

• Continue to engage with experts to improve our understanding of racism and how we can make meaningful changes.
• Expand our diversity and equity training for everyone at Schuler Shook.
• Maintain an environment that welcomes open dialogue and increases awareness among our team.
• Evaluate our recruiting practices and develop ways to increase diversity within our staff.
• Broaden our outreach efforts through school programs, internships, and training opportunities.
• Increase Schuler Shook’s participation in projects with social justice goals.
• Actively support minority-owned businesses in our subcontracting and business operations.
• Encourage our team to engage in personal efforts to promote social justice.
• Continue to advocate for inclusive design for all people.

We recognize that meaningful change requires work, and we commit to the work ahead. We will provide updates to this page as we advance this effort.