WELCOME JONATHAN BENTLEY FIRST-EVER DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION DIRECTOR JOINS STAFF Jonathan Bentley spent the summer making big moves. First, he rose to the top of a qualified candidate list for a new full-time position on City of Westerville staff, accepting the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director position last June. Then, he packed up his family and moved 137 miles west back to Central Ohio. It’s all part of Bentley’s professional commitment to helping communities show leadership in inclusivity and equity. Bentley comes to Westerville from the City of Youngstown, Ohio, where he served as Executive Director and Equal Employment Officer of its Human Relations Commission. He was hired by Westerville City Manager Monica Irelan after she formed the position earlier this year. In Youngstown, Bentley managed the City’s Human Relations Commission, mediating and/or resolving dispute and settlements on various issues of discrimination in the areas of education, fair employment and fair housing. He also created workforce programs to match individuals with available employment opportunities, and managed other employment and career training needs in Youngstown and the surrounding region. Bentley has also conducted training with law enforcement agencies. “Jonathan brings experience that will truly shape our inclusion efforts as a community,” said Irelan. “He can help us centralize and fully form our ideas as well as maximize the impact we can have when it comes to policy development and partnerships. Westerville has a tradition of attracting strong talent, and Jonathan will be exceptional in this role.” The DEI position was created by Irelan to build upon Westerville City Council and administration’s work in
forming legislation and programs to promote a safe, inclusive community. The posting of the position captured praise from other public officials. Bentley says Irelan’s language that the DEI director will “bridge the gap between internal programs and external efforts, building alliances with organizations confronting racism” was resolute, bold and attention-getting. “It was very clear to me that Westerville is serious about internal and external development to be a gold standard community in diversity, inclusion and equity,” said Bentley. “We have to define the role of local government in that objective and invite partners to come along with us. Westerville’s work is already known, so we really are setting the pace for the communities within the state of Ohio, and obviously beyond as evidenced by comments in Ann Arbor.”* Bentley holds a Masters of Science in Higher Education from Youngstown State University. He graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor’s in clinical psychology. He and his family, including wife Selena and young children, are now settling in Central Ohio near family. The public is invited to meet Bentley at the Westerville City Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 7, which is Council’s first meeting after summer recess. For more information on the City of Westerville City Manager’s Office, please visit www.westerville.org/cmo.
DEI POSITION GAINS RECOGNITION *In a May 17 public meeting of Ann Arbor, Michigan. City Councilmember Linh Song said she has been researching the role of “DEI officers” in other communities such as Minneapolis, Minnesota and Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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“I want to do a shoutout to Westerville, Ohio — a population of 40,000 — and how they have a job description up for their DEI director,” she said. “For folks who are unfamiliar with this and how it differs from internal HR work, diversity, equity and inclusion for Westerville, Ohio, looks like a way to promote an environment of gender, generational, racial, religious and ethnic diversity to position them as a leading community of inclusion in central Ohio.”
WESTERVILLE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT • (614) 901-6500 • www.wester ville.org
