AMPLIFYING COMMONALITIES AT THE COUNTY
As Milwaukee County’s first diversity, equity and inclusion director, Dan Terrio is tasked with creating a workplace in which 4,000 employees feel like they belong. Along with promoting diverse hiring practices, Terrio – one of the only Native American and LGBTQ+ leaders within Milwaukee County – creates and implements DEI policies and education that guide the entire workforce. In less than three years in the position, he has created the county’s first DEI Council, bringing together 45 employees from 20 departments to address workforce needs, and implemented a pronoun usage guide and gender-affirming policies for transitioning employees. A charismatic communicator, Terrio also regularly coaches county leaders and employees in DEI best practices, all with the goal of helping the workforce better serve the county.
“GROWING UP on the Stockbridge-Munsee reservation in North Central Wisconsin, I understood the importance of community and belonging from an early age. If I showed up at a neighbor’s and dug through their fridge, they’d never ask me what I was doing. Instead, they’d tell me to stay for dinner. We took care of each other because we understood what bound us together.
Today, I get to steer the ship to create an equitable and inclusive workforce in Milwaukee County. After a position as the first diversity specialist for a credit union in Green Bay, I now work as the county’s first DEI director, a role that was created as a response to racism being deemed a public health crisis in 2019. My job involves hiring diverse people who are representative of our diverse community, but also creating an environment where our diverse workforce can thrive.
My grandma always used to say, “Sometimes you need to straighten your own house before you invite people in.” The challenges that exist in Milwaukee aren’t lost on me. I believe to address these concerns, we need to start inside. If we’re expecting employees to create a more equitable county, for example, then they have to experience equity at work.
I use a restorative justice approach, validating how the past has impacted marginalized populations and then working to make it better. I always start by emphasizing the things we have in common. Highlighting commonalities builds trust, respect and empathy that allow us to have productive conversations about what we differ in. Recognizing our shared experiences restores our sense of community in the workplace. When we can take care of each other, we can better work together to serve Milwaukee County.”