As the City’s Race & Equity executive director, Tyeastia will assist City departments in developing goals to advance racial equity, create and transform policy, and establish accountability measures for meeting those goals. The Division of Race & Equity drives culture change throughout the City enterprise and aims to dismantle systemic disparities and institutionalized racism to improve the lives of residents. Key areas of ongoing work include the City’s Strategic and Racial Equity Action Plan, the annual Trans Equity Summit, the truth and reconciliation initiative, and the Northside Oral History Project.
As a director in the city of Burlington, VT, Tyeastia led several significant racial equity initiatives, including establishing a Reparations Task Force, issuing recovery grant funding to Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) small businesses and nonprofits during the pandemic, planning the city’s first Juneteenth celebration and launching racial equity workshops for city employees.
She began her new role on March 28. Read more about Tyeastia's appointment here or connect with her via LinkedIn.