The Office of Organizational Culture and Effectiveness Continues to Serve CNM's Mission, Vision, and Values

After months of community conversation and input, in alignment with the direction and efforts of the CNM Governing Board, and with the support of CNM executive leadership, CNM is excited to launch the Office of Organizational Culture and Effectiveness. Formerly the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the new iteration represents the thoughtful and collaborative review and re-visioning of this important office. The new name also better reflects the actual work that the Office has been undertaking since it was originally formed. The new Office of Organizational Culture and Effectiveness became official on July 1.

“We look forward to the Office of Organizational Culture and Effectiveness helping us to continue advancing a CNM culture that builds supportive relationships grounded in CNM’s values,” said CNM President Tracy Hartzler. “At CNM, our relationships are so important in connecting learners, faculty and staff, employers, community members, and our many stakeholders. The OCE team and its partners across the College, Ingenuity and Foundation will help us expand and celebrate the impact we have together on Changing Lives, Building Community.”

Dr. Felecia Caton Garcia will continue to lead the work of the Office as the Executive Director of Organizational Culture and Effectiveness (OCE), and the members of the DEI leadership team will continue to serve in their critical roles on the new OCE Leadership Team.

The creation of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in 2022 was the result of the vision of the Governing Board and CNM leadership, and the work of CNM’s Equity Council. Over the past three years, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has offered professional development opportunities for faculty and staff, supported employee and student groups committed to inclusive excellence, sponsored a vast array of cultural events and educational opportunities, and worked with community partners to better serve CNM learners.

As Felecia and her team prepared to celebrate the third anniversary of the Office, they also felt it was the perfect opportunity to review and re-vision their work, look for areas of improvement, and reflect on the dynamic landscape of higher education.

“In order to continue to support the fundamental work of CNM as expressed in the current Strategic Plan, we recognized the need to re-vision a scope of data-informed work that will lead us to impactful and meaningful outcomes,” Felecia says. “CNM and the Office of Organizational Culture and Effectiveness remain unwavering in our commitment to ensure that every learner and employee has the opportunity for success and to create a thriving and inclusive organizational culture. In particular, we look forward to deepening our partnership with the Office of Data Strategy to tell a more complete story about our learners and employees."

For several of the OCE team members, this new iteration is a reflection of the College’s commitment to support each learner and employee while they’re at CNM.

“I am truly excited about the expansion of the Office and continuing the important work of helping people feel seen and heard at every stage of their educational journey,” says Travis Thompson, CNM’s Manager of Employee Learning and Organizational Development, and Human Resources liaison for OCE. “CNM serves such a diverse community, and it’s critical that we enact strategies that will continue to make CNM a welcoming and accessible institution for every learner, staff, and faculty member.”

“I look forward to continuing to work with faculty to develop student-centered pedagogies that make the learning experience enriching, gratifying and culturally informed, and subsequently improve our retention and graduation rates," says Jamie Wilson, Presidential Fellow for Organizational Culture and Effectiveness.

“I am most excited about what the expansion of the Office means in terms of better supporting our students, staff and faculty,” says Sandra Vazquez, Associate Director of CNM Student Life and liaison for OCE. “I am so proud of the work that our Office has supported so far, and I can’t wait to continue the work and help implement larger organizational change.”

The Office of Organizational Culture and Effectiveness will be sharing information on their scope of work, strategies, and activities in the months to come. In the meantime, if anyone in the CNM community has questions or suggestions, please contact the Office of Organizational Culture and Effectiveness at [email protected] or visit the OOCE webpage for more information and resources.