As we enter 2024, something feels different. The month of January came in with a vengeance and the year has not let up. Meetings have increased, the time between flights is less and the importance of one’s job has doubled. For Kevin Clayton, taking on the role of saving DEI has become his life’s work.
It’s no secret that DEI is under attack in America. Just as fast as the term DEI was created, a mere ten years later, there are certain sections of society that no longer think corporate America needs to create Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
So, Kevin Clayton, the Senior Vice President Head of Social Impact and Equity for the Cleveland Cavaliers, has decided to take on the responsibility of advancing the expectation of keeping DEI relevant.
The Shaker High School graduate has had a chance to live and work all over the country but knew his role with the Cavaliers would be different when he took the job of DEI executive right before the pandemic.
“I took the role to come home and work for the CAVS because I knew the company was intentional about making a difference in the community,” Clayton said. “The CAVS and the NBA had a mission to become a beacon for what Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion looked like for professional sports teams around the world.”
The NBA leads all other sports leagues when it comes to creating diversity within its culture. But today, Clayton is moving beyond his organization to make sure that the meaning behind DEI remains important to the people who benefit from it and to the corporations trying to honor it.
“We are experiencing some pushback by those who think that we no longer need to level the playing field. We have to go further to keep the idea of equality where it belongs,” Clayton said.
Clayton also serves as the Board Chair for the Cleveland Urban League and is working with other DEI executives to create ways to not only keep DEI relevant but advance the conversation to drive for change even faster.
“The work that we are doing attempts to make sure that everyone is represented, so we created signs around the building in other languages to include those who do not speak English,” Clayton explained. “Dan Gilbert, our chairman, made it clear that he wanted us to extend the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse to the community so they can use the building, too.”
Recently, the Cavaliers have hosted a progressive campaign to include organizations like The Real Black Friday, The Taste of Black Cleveland, and Latina Night and they partnered with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to build a park.
Clayton also works very hard to make sure that the team members of the Cavalier organization reflect the Cleveland community at large. They have all-gender restrooms for those who classify themselves as other than male or female. They offer quiet rooms for those who are on the spectrum and might need a moment away from all the noise. They have an aggressive supplier diversity program.
Clayton and the CAVS have worked to target each community that, in the past, might have been underrepresented by the community — and the difference is being felt at the games.
“We wanted our relationship with the community to be relational, not transactional. “We wanted to make sure that we become what the community needs from an organization like ours, and we think we have done that,” Clayton said.
Now comes the hard part of keeping DEI alive around the country so Americans all over can feel the real changes that corporations are making toward inclusiveness and diversity in their communities.
Clayton recently sat down with DEI executives of Jack Casino, The Cleveland Browns, The Cleveland Guardians, and several other organizations to work to extend the conversations of saving DEI.
Clayton is on a mission to make sure that the attack on DEI is won by sounding the drum of its effects on the communities that need it, and the employees who are thriving because of it.
“It’s important to me that we continue to do the outstanding work of making sure everyone participates in the dream of having the kind of life that they envision,” Clayton said.
There is no doubt that Clayton is advancing the expectations for himself, the Cavaliers, and everyone around him so that we can all benefit from what we deserve. ●
