He says the county launched an Equity and Inclusion Leadership Team
Frederick, MD (KB) Michael Hughes is the Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer for Frederick County. He said his job is to create equitable outcomes for members of the community..
“In this case, it’s someone that can give full attention to promoting the issues, learn the community, coordinating efforts that are happening in different pockets, and representing the County, in general, around this,” explained Hughes. “And serve as the representative from the County to the community and also, representing the community back to the County Executive as well so she’s understanding what’s going on in the community, what the concerns are.”
Hughes said his position allows him to focus on producing a society that is equitable for all.
“Obviously, there’s a lot to get there, there’s a lot of things you need to do to get there,” he said, “but if we can create equitable outcomes, and look at the data, look at the relationships, look at policies and practices, then that’s how we’ll measure whether or not we’re being successful.”
Hughes said the County’s Equity and Inclusion Leadership Team recently launched. “For people in the community that are doing some of this work, or have an interest in doing some of this work,” he said. “We’ve got one of our Council members, of course, is on that team as well.”
Hughes said he recently moved to Frederick County from North Carolina. He said the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for him to meet poeple in person.
He also said he’s eager to get the opportunity to visit local schools.
“I haven’t been in the schools yet, but I’m excited to do that,” he said. “I come from an education background — higher education — but still, I’ve got a passion for education that way and I think that’s an important stage in life for us.”