History
Diversity and fairness in corporate America was happening, but not very fast. Consider these recent statistics:
- Ethnically identifiable names can lead to hiring disparities, especially for applicants with Arabic/South Asian names. Asians also face significant gaps in employer responses.(1)
- A generation ago, CEO's made 40 times more than workers; today they make 400 times more.(2)
- Studies show that women - virtually across all job categories - are still paid less for doing the very same job. And though women now hold about half of all managerial and professional positions, they account for only about 8% of executive vice presidents and above at Fortune 500 companies.(3)
With this in mind, Freada Kapor Klein decided to do something about it.
Level Playing Field Institute's Beginnings - In the Workplace
Frustrated by the inability of the for-profit world to foster diversity, and having already spent nearly three decades consulting to organizations on issues of discrimination and diversity, Freada aimed to tackle the problem from a different vantage point. She created a non-profit to rigorously and creatively address not just why diversity efforts had failed, but how diversity could succeed - also focusing on improving civility, fairness, and opportunity in workplaces. Founded by Freada in 2001, our organization was first known as the "Institute for Inclusive Work Environments."
Broadening the Vision
Beyond Freada's passion for troubleshooting workplace issues, Freada was also concerned about the plight of underserved, underrepresented students of color in higher education. During her tenure on the Executive Board of the College of Letters and Science at UC Berkeley, Freada and three colleagues founded the Bay Area Scholarship Awards (later known as the Initiative for Diversity in Education and Leadership [IDEAL].
Recognizing the importance of educational preparation for access to good jobs, the focus area of the Institute for Inclusive Work Environments was expanded to incorporate higher education, thus prompting the name change to "Level Playing Field Institute." IDEAL became the institute's first in-house higher education program.
Freada Kapor Klein continues to serve as an advisor and Board Chair to Level Playing Field Institute's program directors, and remains actively involved.
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