FARRAH WILDER on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the California Association of Realtors
F
or any organization that wants to progress forward, having a diverse workforce that feels is treated equally is a must! Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) especially at the top levels of management have shown to improve not just the mood of the employees or generally what they feel about the organization, but also it has been found to improve the financial footing of a business, according to a research published by McKinsey. The company’s research found that the companies where women made up more than 30 percent of executives outperformed the companies with fewer female representation in the top management by almost 50%. Additionally, the research further found that ethnically and culturally diverse organizations performed better by as much as 36% compared to those
that shunned DEI policies and practices. Seeing the importance of DEI to an organization, we decided to bring an expert on board to tell us more about why DEI is crucial for the survival of any business. Farrah Wilder is the California Association of REALTOR®’s Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer. She supports C.A.R.’s fair housing and inclusion efforts. She collaborates with internal and external partners and key stakeholders including C.A.R. members, REALTOR® associations, and others on initiatives that will dramatically heighten awareness, allyship, equity, and capabilities within the REALTOR® community, the real estate industry, and beyond.
Prior to working for C.A.R, Farrah was a Realtor with Compass and the founder of a real estate team based in Oakland, California. Farrah served on the Boards of the Oakland and Oakland Berkeley Association of REALTORS® from 2014 through 2017 and was the 2018 Chair of C.A.R.’s Federal Committee. Farrah was brought to C.A.R at a time when DEI was a really hot topic, especially coming on the backlog of cases of inequality in the justice system. She is also a volunteer leader whereby she has chaired a variety of committees, contributed to the development of residential real estate policy, and lobbied federal, state, and local lawmakers. Previously, she served on the Boards of the Oakland and Oakland Berkeley Association of REALTORS® from 2014 APRIL 2022 | 55
