MILWAUKEE – SaintA, an evolving, community-facing human services organization that offers a comprehensive array of prevention, intervention and crisis resources that help children and families thrive, was awarded a Top Workplaces 2021 honor by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Top Workplaces. The highly coveted honor is based solely on anonymous employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey.
“At SaintA, our mission is to facilitate equity, learning, healing and wellness for the children and families in our community, but these values also extend to our colleagues,” said Ann Leinfelder Grove, President and CEO of SaintA. “In recent years, we have been intentional about finding new and innovative ways to support, equip and invest in our team and I’m proud to see that reflected in our employees’ feedback.”
The anonymous survey uniquely measures 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization, including alignment, execution, and connection.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Top of Mind for Employees
Employee survey data illustrated the importance of SaintA’s DE&I efforts.
“At a time when racial injustice is top of mind for the nation and our local community, SaintA embarked on a journey to understand, identify and address inequity not only within the communities it serves but within our own walls,” said Leinfelder Grove.
In 2020, SaintA held its first all-agency virtual gathering called “The Healing Starts With Us,” where the team publicly denounced systemic racism, committed to being part of the community healing, and accepted their individual and collective responsibility to advocate for the racial justice they want to see.
Additionally, in recent years, SaintA has created and nurtured a Historical Trauma workgroup, an Equity Council, and several additional staff-led affinity groups that address equity. SaintA’s Board of Directors approved a sweeping equity and inclusion statement and SaintA launched and continues to support an array of Employee Resource Groups including groups for LGBTQ individuals, Aspiring Women of Color, and Men in Social Work. The agency has also launched an Aspiring Women of Color mentor program.
Over the past several years, SaintA has been intentional about diversifying its workforce, executive team and board of directors to reflect the diversity of the people SaintA serves. In 2013, SaintA’s executive team was 100% white. Today, it is 33% African American. Additionally, 32% of SaintA’s Board is made up of individuals from BIPOC communities.
“The past year has been incredibly difficult,” said Leinfelder Grove. “To hear directly from your employees that they feel cared for, supported and valued – while the work they were doing was caring for, supporting and adding value to the lives of children and families across Wisconsin – is incredibly rewarding.”
ABOUT SAINTA
SaintA is an evolving, community-facing human services organization based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a national leader in recognizing and addressing the impact of trauma, SaintA has been caring for kids for more than 170 years. Championing families, SaintA offers a comprehensive array of prevention, intervention and crisis resources to facilitate equity, learning, healing and wellness by restoring the connections that help children and families thrive. Learn more at https://sainta.org/.
