Vernon Hills hiring a consultant to assess diversity and inclusion efforts

Vernon Hills plans to hire a consultant to assess the village's diversity and inclusivity practices.

Bryan J. Watkins, a former educator who has worked on several law enforcement and government initiatives, has received informal approval to proceed with an inventory and assessment of village policies and practices.

The contract with Watkins/Ravenskeep LLC will not exceed $8,000. The village board is expected to officially vote on the pact Sept. 1.

Watkins has an extensive background in higher education, most recently as vice president and chief academic officer for Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.

Several years ago, he helped the Vernon Hills police implement a Master's program as part of its career development program. Since last fall, Watkins has headed the Vernon Hills Complete County Census Committee.

Village officials say they met with Watkins a few months ago to discuss Vernon Hills' policies, practices and relationship with the community.

The resulting diversity and inclusivity initiative was discussed last week by the village board. Officials said it is part of a continuing self-assessment and the pending review was not prompted by a specific occurrence.

"We want the (village) board and we want the community to know we are an organization that strives for equity, consistency and constant improvement in the manner we deliver services," Assistant Village Manager Jon Petrillo said during the lead-in to the discussion.

"While we feel there is an earned trust and we have confidence in our policies and practices within the various departments, our confidence as managers and leaders of the organization can and should be affirmed by external sources," he added.

Watkins, who attended the meeting, cited the police department's adoption of NAACP benchmarks as an example of ongoing work to assess itself.

"The village is heading in the right direction in the sense of wanting to look at itself, having looked at itself and we're going to continue to do that," he said.

"So that's really what this consultancy is about."

His work will include an inventory and assessment of village processes, including recruitment and promotion and how it projects itself as a potential employer, for example.

Watkins said the work also will include determining diversity within the ranks and make recommendations on how to adjust if needed.

He also plans to meet with staff and community members for their perceptions.

The result will be suggested policies and procedures that work best for Vernon Hills, he said.

"National benchmarks are great but one size doesn't fit all," he said.