Institute Diversity’s Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement (SDIE) unit is launching a new Employee Resource Group (ERG) called RESILIENCE on Dec. 10 in the Peachtree Room of the Student Center.   

RESILIENCE is intended to be a peer empowerment group for employees who want to proactively pursue "wholehearted living" and/or give attention to the complexities of their experiences; manage the impact of adversity; turn adversity into opportunity; and effectively adapt to change. 

“Since the ERG pilot in 2013, we have considered the creation of additional ERGs. In particular, we thought the concept behind RESILIENCE was innovative and much-needed for the campus community,” said Cheryl Cofield, director of inclusion and engagement at SDIE. “We knew this ERG would have far-reaching impact to the campus community. We thought it would be useful to strengthen employees by developing their individual capacities to proactively navigate both routine and extraordinary life challenges.” 

Through RESILIENCE, employees will have opportunities to increase interpersonal savvy, resilience, and strength, and proactively mitigate the impact of routine stress, crisis, and change through educational experiences, facilitated dialogues, mentoring, and peer support. 

“Once launched,” Cofield added, “RESILIENCE will be complementary to the emerging campus wellness initiative, and will move employees toward self-efficacy in a variety of ways.”

Sonia Alvarez-Robinson, executive director of Strategic Consulting, will be the new ERG’s executive champion, and Cofield will serve as its principal empowerment officer. 

“Under the combined leadership, wisdom, and synergy of this dynamic duo, RESILIENCE will surely flourish,” remarked SDIE Executive Director Pearl Alexander.

RESILIENCE is one of six ERGs at Georgia Tech designed to support the Institute’s goal of ensuring like-minded employees can enhance their employment experience and have a greater sense of belonging. The six ERGs are GRIOT (African Heritage), HOLA (Hispanics/Latinos), Web of Brilliance (Introverts), PRIDE (LGBTQIA), RESILIENCE, and Women of Georgia Tech. 

ERGs were originally founded by the Office of Human Resources in September 2013, and following an 18-month pilot, the Institute’s official ERG initiative was launched in April 2015. Today, there are more than 1,300 members of the ERGs, which are managed by Institute Diversity’s SDIE unit. 

“While ERGs are fairly popular in large U.S. corporations, Georgia Tech is recognized as a national thought leader in higher education for having successfully launched these groups,” Alexander said. “Our ERGs are successful because of phenomenal support from key executive leaders, fierce and courageous leadership by our ERG principal empowerment officers and core leadership teams, and extraordinary employee commitment.”  

Fore more information and to sign up for the RESILIENCE ERG or launch event, visit www.diversity.gatech.edu/erg.