Marco - thanks for your support. I appreciate all the questions and that everyone cares about what is best for INFORMS. The Exec Committee is planning a town hall in the next few weeks to provide more clarity and answer questions. Watch for the date/time when finalized.

Marco - thanks for your support. I appreciate all the questions and how much everyone cares about what is in the best interest of INFORMS. The Exec Committee is planning a town hall event in the next few weeks to provide more clarity and answer questions. Watch for the date when it is finalized.

and the second about increasing the pool of people benefiting from our field. I have no intention of compromising either of those. I have, however, come to realize that the term DEI is more of a roadblock than a path forward.

Your post is valid and does not sound hostile. There was no best way to handle this – the Exec Committee wanted to be transparent with the members. I’m fully committed to what I said in my candidate vision statement: the first bullet is related to increasing the pool of people entering our field,

We tried to be transparent to let the membership know what we are doing. It isn't fully developed yet, which is why Mark Lewis is heading up an ad hoc. The plan will be deeper than a name change, but will not back down on making sure every member feels they belong and has equal opportunities.

If everyone believed DEI stood for differences (D), provides equal opportunities (E), and promotes a sense of belonging (I), there would be no problem. Ted Cruz's senate committee produced a report called (D)ivision, (E)xtremism, (I)deology. Even within INFORMS, members view DEI differently.

Sorry if the message wasn't clear. Despite its well-intentioned goals, DEI causes strong and opposing reactions that can impede our overall goals. This as an opportunity to reaffirm our committment “to fostering a community where respect, opportunity, and belonging are central to everything we do.”