Meet Courtney Mercado, our new EDI facilitator
Please join me in welcoming Courtney Mercado to our Board of Child Care community! 
Courtney is our first-ever Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) facilitator, and we are incredibly lucky to have her on the BCC team.
To engage more deeply in our EDI journey, we needed a professional who could provide guidance and help us develop new skills in this important area. The Executive Team at BCC created a meaningful job description to empower this position and advance our journey.
Including engagement, wellness, and belongingness responsibilities into the position seemed natural and supportive of the environment we strive to create, where staff can engage with joy and purpose! The position is part of the Human Resources Department and the Senior Leadership Team to amplify this critical strategy.
In her new role, Courtney meets with me (the CEO) monthly. Check out her job description to see how we imagined the position.
A proud social work graduate of Morgan State University and of Howard University, Courtney is working to identify, develop, model, and promote a culture of diversity and inclusion at BCC. Her goals include driving impact in engagement, professional development, anti-racism, diversity, and inclusion at all levels.
Courtney views human service as the most important work there is, and she states, “those who answer the call give of themselves in mind, body, and spirit – all to help improve life experiences of those who are unseen and unheard.”
I recently asked Courtney why the EDI facilitator job is so meaningful for her. Here’s what she said.
“I have always seen my EDI work as my contribution to ensuring the people who do this great work feel seen, valued, and supported by the agencies they work for. We spend many hours of our lives at work, which indicates we have bought into the mission and are willing to do what we must for this work. I take honor in knowing my role collaborates with every entity within the agency to ensure we are prioritizing inclusive practices at every level. This work is challenging and often draining but extremely necessary. Whenever I can genuinely connect with people or see a program working well, I find it to all be worth it.”
Thank you, Courtney, for answering the call and becoming part of the BCC team!
To reach Courtney or learn more about BCC’s first Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion plan, call 443-805-5252 or email cmmercado@boardofchildcare.org.
LA Spagnola
President & CEO, Board of Child Care