As the first director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), Elizabeth Martinez-Podolsky doesn’t have the typical shoes of a predecessor to fill. Instead, her journey in the role begins with building upon a foundation of work started by members of the CVM community in pursuit of more diverse and inclusive environments.

Since her May 24 start date, Martinez-Podolsky has been connecting with community members and gathering information to help aid her in crafting a vision for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at the College. 

“I want us to work together so that we can have an intentional, purposeful direction,” she says. “I know that many people already have started those conversations and that’s great. I feel like I’ve stepped into a place that’s ready, and that’s the most exciting part for me. Now, we just need to come together and move in a unified direction.”

In acknowledgment of the work done by the community and to better understand CVM’s current diversity initiatives, part of Martinez-Podolsky’s initial work will include conducting an environmental assessment to identify what efforts are working and what could be improved. That includes bringing folks into the conversation who may have questions or uncertainties about expanding diversity efforts at CVM. 

“The common misconception is that only people of color or people that are queer, disabled, or are of other marginalized identities are the only people that have something to say—but I disagree with that,” Martinez-Podolsky says. “I believe we all have a story that contributes greatly to this conversation. I don’t think diversity automatically starts with allyship. It starts with self, and it starts in that concept of ‘Who am I?’ and then it can become ‘Who am I in relation to others?’”

Championing DEI efforts have been central to Martinez-Podolsky’s work in higher education over the past 12 years. She comes to CVM after serving as the director of multicultural student success at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Iowa State University for nearly six years. In this position, she worked directly with students across a range of identities, facilitated and created programs and policies to address DEI needs, and represented CALS in university-wide DEI initiatives and conversations. 

Now at CVM, Martinez-Podolsky hopes to do the same and much more. It’s work she acknowledges isn’t always glamorous and can’t be done overnight. It also takes the support of a community to accomplish. Martinez-Podolsky foresees the use of listening sessions to gather feedback from CVM community members as part of the environmental assessment to help build and guide a DEI vision for the college. 

While working together is key for these efforts, Martinez-Podolsky says it’s also important for community members to reflect on their identity and actions as individuals. 

“My philosophy in this work is to do it intentionally and purposefully. That starts with taking a step back,” she says. “And I know that's not what people want to hear. They want to get started, they want to be out front and center talking about the injustices and naming things, which is important and needed, too. But we always need to couple activism and strategic diversity work with introspection.”