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MortgagePoint » Your Trusted Source for Mortgage Banking and Servicing News 52 2 0 2 4 F I V E S T A R C O N F E R E N C E & E X P O TABLE TALKS DISCUSS CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTING DEI By D E M E T R I A C . L E S T E R I n the DEI Table Talks that took place at the 2024 Five Star Confer- ence & Expo, leaders in the indus- try were given a chance to engage in meaningful dialogues with experts committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in their companies and the mortgage sector. The roundtable conversations focused on the future of DEI initiatives at the American Mortgage Diversity Council (AMDC) in 2025. Toniqua Green, VP of Corporate Social Responsibility at Mr. Cooper, emphasized the importance of listening to employees in order to drive engagement and understand specific needs within different groups, such as Black, Asian, and Spanish communities. While the AMDC organization is in a phase of active listening to ensure their DEI efforts are relevant and effective, Green noted that the initial strong response to DEI following the killing of George Floyd has since diminished, indicating a need to maintain momentum and adapt strategies accordingly. "We know that temperament for DEI has changed since the killing of George Floyd," Green said. "People made all these big promises and all these big wishes, and now that has drained down. So, DEI is not falling to the wayside, but it's definitely less of a hot topic than what it used to be." The conversation aims to gather insights from various perspectives to implement future DEI strategies, focusing on ensuring that the organization's DEI efforts are aligned with the actual needs and wants of the employees. The Current State of DEI Initiatives D EI organizational structures are designed to encourage the equitable treatment and full participation of all persons, particularly those who have traditionally been underrepresented or susceptible to discrimination based on identity or disability. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), no more than 20% of professionals in the finance industry identify as non-white. AMDC hosted the event, and partic- ipants took part in brief, topic-focused dialogues facilitated by AMDC members on subjects such as: • What is the current environment of DEI at your company? • How do we recreate energy and regain support? • Is DEI part of your business case? • How can you be intentional in forwarding DEI without attracting scrutiny? "The purpose of this conversation is to help us understand how AMDC could move forward in 2025 and what some of our initiatives need to look like," Green said. "So, we want to hear from every- body on what's important, what's miss- ing, and how we can play a part in getting things going. We have a lot of similarities that people take for granted." According to the 2024 Diversity and Inclusion Global Strategic Business Report, the global D&I market—which was anticipated to be worth $10.9 billion in 2023—is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 10.6% between 2023 and 2030. Overall, whites make up 77% of the U.S. labor force, while Blacks and Asians