POWER Engineers Inc. CEO Jim Haynes signed the CEO Action Pledge for Diversity & Inclusion late last month, moving the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts another step forward.

The pledge, which can be viewed at ceoaction.com, commits POWER to the following:

• Making the company a safe place for conversations about diversity and inclusion
• Implementing and expanding unconscious bias education
• Sharing best practices and lessons learned with the industry
• Working with the board of directors on inclusion and diversity plans

“It’s a natural next step in our efforts,” Haynes said. “Our goal is to make POWER the best possible place to work. To realize that vision, we need to make sure we’re a welcoming, inclusive place where everyone feels like they belong.”

POWER has already begun work on several of the efforts outlined in the pledge. The company formed a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee in 2020 and hired an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) manager in early 2021. Human Resources regional manager Sumi Sankaran-Deal was named to the American Council of Engineering Companies’ Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee last year, which facilitates sharing best practices. Sankaran-Deal is the current chair of POWER’s DEI Committee, which has created internal forums, educational opportunities, and other ways to encourage safe conversations about diversity and inclusion.

In addition to these efforts, POWER was recently recognized for its leadership in racial diversity by AEC Advisors, an M&A and corporate finance firm for the architecture, engineering and consulting industry. POWER was ranked third-highest on the racial diversity index in its revenue category, and the report showed growth in this area over the past five years.

“The AEC Advisors report shows we’re making progress, and our CEO Action Pledge shows we recognize the need to take visible action steps,” Haynes said. “We’re more committed than ever to continuing to make POWER stronger and more welcoming of the world’s most talented professionals.”

About POWER Engineers

POWER Engineers is a global consulting engineering and environmental firm specializing in integrated solutions for clients in the energy, renewables, food and beverage, government, agribusiness and oil and gas industries. Founded in 1976, we are an employee-owned company with 50 offices and more than 3,500 employees across North America. For more information, please visit www.powereng.com.