Leading the Change: Highlights from the ToL Scholars Summit
Many existing efforts (including ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ initiatives) dedicated to inclusive diversity with equity, access and accountability (IDEAA) in STEM focus on supporting and uplifting students and early career scientists from historically excluded groups. The National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ Leaders Evolving and Accountable to Progress (MicroBio-LEAP) project takes a different approach by focusing on individuals on the opposite end of the career continuum—those in leadership positions—to enact change.
The MicroBio-LEAP project consists of a 10-month Training-of-Leaders (ToL) Scholars Program that equips leaders with the knowledge and skills necessary to take action toward cultural change. During the program, the ToL Scholars challenge their unconscious biases, increase their intercultural awareness and skillsets and learn how to create psychologically safe working environments to encourage diversity and inclusion. At the program’s conclusion, the scholars possess the strategies and skills necessary to operate as IDEAA champions. To demonstrate this outcome, each scholar develops and submits a final deliverable focused on an IDEAA-related policy or practice to implement in one of their spheres of influence.
A crucial aspect of the ToL Scholars Program is the inaugural, in-person MicroBio-LEAP ToL Scholars summit that took place at ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ Microbe 2024 in Atlanta. This inaugural summit was the midpoint of the program; over 20 scholars gathered to engage in rich discussion, absorb in-depth knowledge around IDEAA best practices, listen and learn from IDEAA practitioners and champions, and collaborate to further develop their final deliverables for the program.
The Opening Keynote—How to Be an Inclusive Individual
The summit began with a keynote from , diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) speaker, author, researcher and founder of . Solomon delivered an energetic and engaging presentation on how to be an inclusive individual. This presentation emphasized not only the importance of implementing inclusive practices, but also of equipping individual leaders and team members of an organization/institution with the necessary skills and behaviors to cultivate an inclusive environment.
“The opening keynote speaker, Raven Solomon, was one of the highlights of the summit, as she left us with tools to practice being an inclusive individual. Her goal of unpacking inclusion in [45-minutes] was not only met, but surpassed!”
– Ana Maria Cardenas, Ph.D., D(ABMM), ToL Scholar 
Solomon gave examples of challenges she had to overcome and lessons she learned throughout her journey as a DEI expert, advocate and practitioner. For example, Solomon shared about a time when an audience member approached her (after speaking at a past session on the importance of inclusion) and explained that a figure she used was exclusive to those with color vision deficiencies. Rather than respond defensively, Solomon thanked the individual for their feedback and learned from it—ensuring that in future presentations her figures had more visually accessible color palettes.
Drawing from her own experiences, Solomon likened the journey, which the scholars have embarked on, to become an inclusive individual to a metaphorical road that includes many twists, turns and pit stops. She emphasized that the field of DEI is continuously changing, so the scholars may find that their destinations change too. Though the journey ahead may be a long one, Solomon encouraged the scholars to keep driving, sharing that it is through curiosity, humility and perseverance that they will see self-improvement.  
The Case Study—Infusing DEI in Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure Guidelines
Rachel Roper, Ph.D., a professor at East Carolina University’s Department of ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ and Immunology at the Brody School of Medicine, followed Solomon in the summit’s speaker lineup. Roper, who started her current position as the only woman in a staff of 17, explained how she began her IDEAA journey focusing on the effect of on women in science. Roper described the implementation of DEI throughout her institution and her efforts to enforce her institution’s strategic plan on a departmental level. To accomplish this goal, Roper worked to update the Brody School of Medicine’s governance codes, policies, procedures and the reappointment, promotion and tenure guidelines to promote DEI.
“Rachel Roper gave us ideas of how to generate specific interventions in our institutional policies, both up and down. Getting to hear about the institutional plans of those in my group, and getting a chance to give and receive feedback with an IDEAA team member, was very helpful and planted seeds for continuing connections and conversations.”
– Amy Reese, Ph.D., ToL Scholar 
Roper explained her process, the barriers she faced and how she overcame such challenges. After joining committees to build her network and working on initiatives to implement DEI throughout her institution, Roper and the —a committee within East Carolina University charged with reviewing academic unit codes and changes to existing academic unit codes to ensure compliance with regulations—presented her proposed DEI interventions to her institution’s governance committee. The proposal was initially denied, but she remained focused on her goal, waiting for the best opportunity to reintroduce it.
Months later, Black Lives Matter protests erupted worldwide in reaction to the murder of George Floyd. Calls for not only police accountability, but also racial justice, in general, created a social climate conducive to DEI efforts. Roper followed up with her institution’s governance and made a case for the importance of DEI conscious (code of operations that provide conduct for affairs) to support faculty and staff belonging to historically excluded groups. Thanks to Roper’s perseverance, the governance committee considered the interventions, eventually leading to the updating of the reappointment, promotion and tenure guidelines.
At the conclusion of Roper’s talk, her presentation was leveraged as a case study for the scholars. Shortly following her presentation, the scholars engaged in group discussion about how to employ Roper’s process at their own institutions/organizations and the potential pushback they may face, based on what Roper experienced.
With the framework of Roper’s DEI efforts in mind, and the information and techniques shared by Solomon, the ToL Scholars worked collaboratively on their final program deliverables. The scholars sought the assistance and thought partnership of not only their fellow scholars, but also members of the MicroBio-LEAP Task Force. Four of the 6 task force members attended the summit, both in-person and virtually, to facilitate discussions and provide feedback.
The Closing Speaker—Incorporating IDEAA Into Publication Processes
“Hearing from Gemma Reguera, whose editorial changes with AEM we’d read and discussed as a group, was a nice finality to demonstrate ways of positive change.”
- Amy Reese, Ph.D. 
The ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ Microbe 2024 ToL Scholars summit concluded with a presentation by Gemma Reguera, Ph.D., professor of microbiology, genetics and immunology and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Development at Michigan State University’s College of Natural Sciences. In her presentation, Reguera described her passion for DEI, her journey to becoming Editor in Chief (EiC) of ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥’s journal and and accessibility in the selection of AEM editorial board members. Reguera’s work as EiC included replacing the closed nomination system with an open call that emphasized a DEI-driven AEM editorial board and resulted in the board reaching near in 2021 and full gender parity in 2022, which that board has since sustained.
This method of DEI-driven open recruitment for editors was adopted across journal editorial boards at ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥. Reguera is currently working to reduce bias in the paper selection process through implicit bias training and double-blind reviews. She shared her experiences with the scholars to demonstrate how DEI principles and values can drive change in how scientists share and publish their research.
Reguera reminded the ToL scholars how leaders can function as cultural change agents within the microbial sciences, as they possess influence to incorporate IDEAA into their workplaces’ policies and practices—just as she did.
Renewed Determination—Next Steps After the Summit
The goal of MicroBio-LEAP is to train STEM leaders to help their workplaces embrace IDEAA and, in doing so, prompt a cultural shift in the microbial sciences toward creating more welcoming environments and facilitating an enhanced sense of belonging for all scientists. The 2024 inaugural MicroBio-LEAP ToL Scholars summit was a strong step toward this goal.
As the scholars dispersed from the summit, murmurs of earlier discussion could be heard throughout the room. Some discussion even continued as the ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ Microbe 2024 meeting proceeded. “The ToL Scholars summit at ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ Microbe 2024 was a fantastic event. It was great to see a diverse and caring group of individuals come to gather for such an important cause in such divisive times,” said scholar .
With a renewed determination following the summit, the scholars resumed their regular training in late July, and they will present their completed deliverables to their peers in mid-November. Upon program completion, the scholars will begin, or continue, the process of implementation within their respective workspaces.
The individual successes of this inaugural ToL Scholars cohort will lead to climatic change within various spheres of influence, with the culmination of each scholar’s success contributing to the MicroBio-LEAP Project’s ultimate goal of advancing cultural change in the microbial sciences, one that embraces and promotes IDEAA throughout the field. 
ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ is dedicated to elevating and embodying IDEAA across the microbial sciences. Stay up to date on ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥’s IDEAA efforts by visiting the IDEAA webpage. 
