MARYLAND TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION DIVERSITY CAMPAIGN

Target Audience: This campaign is aimed at three distinct audiences: - Public: For transit riders and non-riders, the campaign raises awareness that MDOT MTA is welcoming to all; - Employees: the campaign reminds our staff the value of diversity - Potential Employees: to let them know it is a welcoming place to work

Strategy Objective:These internal and public facing campaigns – celebrating Black History, Hispanic Heritage, LGBTQ+, and the cultures of Asian and Pacific Islanders – were designed to highlight the visibility and strengths of four major transit rider constituencies in order to form a deeper bond between each constituency and the MTA brand. To quote a member of the EDI Committee, "People want to be associated, and work with, people who look like them." The campaign remains one of the most visible elements of our agency-wide approach to equity. The theme "Celebrating Our Different Strengths Makes Us Altogether Stronger" appears on MTA vehicles throughout our system.

Situation Challenge: Equity and the equitable treatment of all within and outside of our organization is one of our agency's core values, and is at the center of our five-year strategic plan. As an element of that plan, MTA launched the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDIC) in 2020. This employee-led group drives forward change at MDOT MTA and cultivates an environment of inclusion to both our employees and our ridership. In 2022, the EDIC team wanted to create a campaign that focused on recognizing diverse cultures and create an environment of acceptance and tolerance. While originally created as an external campaign, we quickly saw the value in promoting this message internally as well.

Results Impact: Post-campaign surveys show that these efforts enjoyed remarkable acceptance by the MTA workforce, encouraging conversations and positive responses toward the agency. The campaign also spurred greater participation by MTA employees in the MDOT Diversity to Belonging Cohort to offer transit-rider specific insight, and an increase in employee contributions toward an MDOT-wide approach towards diversity and inclusion. As part of this campaign, MTA created its first ever bus wrap for LGBTQ+ Pride Month and participated in its first Pride Parade in Baltimore. Volunteer requests to participate in the Pride Parade quickly outpaced the number of staff needed.

Why Submit: The MTA Diversity Campaign has a simple but powerful message about the importance of inclusion. The campaign has led to an increase in membership and renewed enthusiasm for the work of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, with, for example, scores of volunteers lining up beside our first-ever LGBTQ+ bus wrap in the Baltimore Pride Parade. But perhaps the effect the campaign is having on future organizational decisions is a more important reason it deserves an AdWheel award. With the increased visibility the campaign brought to the issue of equity, MDOT MTA has begun actively recruiting for the first-ever role of Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for MDOT MTA, who will be responsible for data-driven decision making about leadership diversity. A similar position is