The WELL Equity Rating is here.

In November 2020 when I officially assumed the role of CEO of IWBI with all the pomp and circumstance that peak pandemic times could afford – on my couch, in my living room, decked in athleisure wear and over Zoom –?the enormity of my new responsibilities wasn’t lost on me. Like many intersectional leaders, I felt a real pressure to be more than a model CEO, but to be a model female, gay, mixed-race CEO. Against the backdrop of Black Lives Matter demonstrations, widespread Asian hate crimes and a political and judicial environment threatening the hard-fought tenets of marriage equality, it felt like there was a lot on the line for someone like me to take on a role so rarely held by “someone like me.”

Yet, in keeping with a season that inspires gratitude even in the most fractious of times, I found myself counting my blessings and awash with gratitude for the many champions and mentors who advised and sponsored me along the way. And I found myself wondering how I could pay forward what I had been gifted and clear a path for others who, in some way or another, also identify as “other.”?

Earlier that fall, IWBI had launched WELL v2, an important evolution of IWBI’s WELL Standard and the end result of nearly four years of dedicated research, development and market testing. As IWBI’s first Chief Product Officer, I had spearheaded its creation alongside our amazing Standard Development team. I remember exactly where we were sitting the day we committed to put equity at the very center of our decision-making as we re-envisioned WELL as a tool for market transformation.?

?Given all the time I’d spent working with schools, I had experienced first-hand how spaces and places that are welcoming, inclusive and accessible can literally transform the lives of those who need it most.

So on my first day on the job, I felt emboldened to announce that during my tenure as CEO, IWBI’s top priority would be to advance diversity, equity and inclusion by leveraging the amazing platform for change that is WELL. In the coming months, that commitment took the shape of the??WELL Equity Rating.

Two years later, I could not be prouder of what we’ve built together, nor more humbled to work alongside such a talented and dedicated team of individuals. I’m so grateful?to our extraordinary?IWBI Health Equity Advisory, and the 200 expert advisors from 26 countries who so generously contributed their time, knowledge and passion. Led by more than 40 prestigious co-chairs, they brought unrivaled expertise in health equity, diversity and inclusion, accessible design, community building and belonging. The development process also included feedback and input from others with lived experience who represent the target populations prioritized by the rating. These include BIPOC individuals (Black, Indigenous and other people of color), first-generation immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, people who are physically disabled and/or neurodivergent and primary caregivers.??

The creation of the WELL Equity Rating was a true labor of love and we needed every day of those two years to bring it to fruition. We worked hard to meticulously link each design and organizational intervention from the WELL feature library to specific research that demonstrated more equitable outcomes for one or more of our target populations. And as we found gaps, we carefully crafted new beta features that could be explored by project teams and, if found effective, would become permanent elements of the rating and of the WELL Standard.?

The development process was led internally by three extraordinary women whose professional and lived experiences brought nuance and context to every aspect of the rating’s design. To IWBI’s Community Concept Lead, Dr. Angelita Scott, to Gayathri Unnikrishnan who led our Standard Development team through this build, and to Kimberly Lewis Inkumsah, our head of Equity, Engagement and Events, I extend my heartfelt thanks. And to the rest of the IWBI team— virtually all of whom contributed meaningfully to this offering in some shape or form — this couldn't have happened without you!?

Today, we formally launch the WELL Equity Rating?as a transformative tool that uses evidence-based strategies to empower organizations to make good on their promises to address disparities in underserved populations, improve company culture and employee health and advance ESG performance. IWBI has enrolled to pursue the rating and we do so in good company with more than?30 organizations that have also signed on as early adopters.?

So as I sit on my couch this November, I’m feeling a little bit older, a little bit wiser and a good bit larger because my wife and I are expecting this spring! With baby Hodgdon on the way, our shared commitment to advance equity at scale has never felt more pressing, nor more personal.

By providing organizations of all shapes, sizes and sectors from around the world this clear and flexible roadmap for creating places and spaces that advance equity for all, I’m more determined than ever to ensure that my child – and all our children – will feel welcome, seen and heard.?

#