Summer ERG Spotlight Part 1: Pride and Allies

This summer, In Orbit is proud to feature several of KBR’s employee resource groups (ERGs) and the important work they do to create environments where our people can belong, connect, grow and bring their whole selves to work. To kick things off, we’re highlighting Pride and Allies, our ERG supporting the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies. Host John Arnold is joined by Gracie Orr, small business liaison officer for KBR’s Science and Space business unit and a leader of Pride and Allies, to discuss the ERG’s mission, progress and recent global activities, and what’s on the docket for Pride Month.

Transcript

IN ORBIT: A KBR PODCAST

Season 3, Episode 9

Summer ERG Spotlight Part 1: Pride and Allies

John Arnold

Hello! I’m John, and THIS is In Orbit.

Welcome to the podcast, everyone.

I’m talking to listeners in Houston, Texas, in the great state of Maryland — in Leatherhead, UK — in Sydney, Australia — in Delhi over in India — AND ALL POINTS in between! We’re thrilled that you’ve chosen to spend part of your day with us. We appreciate you!

When this episode airs, it should be June 1, if I’ve done all my math and scheduling right, which means in the United States it’s officially Pride Month!

I was discussing with a colleague the other day about how Pride is celebrated at different times in different parts of the world.

BUT even though other countries have already officially had their Pride Month observances, and other countries, like the UK, are gearing up for theirs, hopefully we can use this episode and this time to come together to celebrate progress around inclusion and diversity at KBR, particularly for our friends in the LGBTQIA+ community.

BUT — another but — it’s also important to realize that while we’re celebrating, there’s still a LOT of work to be done so that people can just openly be themselves without fear.

We’ve talked on the podcast before about the commendable work KBR has done to be an inclusive and diverse company that welcomes people, that encourages our people to bring their whole selves to work.

And that means EVERYONE — all caps — every single member of the KBR team of teams. In fact, KBR’s chief people officer Jenni Myles said KBR’s theme for the year — the People theme — was “Inclusion for All.”

So, in that spirit we’re going to do a few episodes this summer that feature some of our employee resource groups, or ERGs, highlighting the important work they’re doing to provide dedicated space within KBR where people can be a part of a community with other like-minded individuals and focus on making KBR an even BETTER and more welcoming place while also addressing important social issues.

Sorry! I’m a talker. ENOUGH from me. Let’s get on to the good stuff.

I’m excited today to welcome to the podcast Gracie Orr. Gracie is a small business liaison officer with KBR’s Science and Space business unit, part of KBR Government Solutions United States. And Gracie is also a leader of Pride and Allies, KBR’s ERG dedicated to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies.

She’s here with me today to talk about Pride and Allies and its mission, about its recent progress and activities from our different global chapters, and about what’s on the docket for Pride Month.

Welcome to the podcast, Gracie. We’re very glad to have you.

Gracie Orr

Thank you so much, John. I'm so happy to be here. Excited to talk with you today.

John Arnold

Well, we try to get to know all of our guests a little bit before we launch into the nitty-gritty. So why don't you please tell us a little bit about yourself and how you ended up at KBR?

Gracie Orr

So I'm a Navy veteran and I have worked in municipal and state government as well. And my career trajectory has led me to positions where I gained experience in procurement, logistics, compliance, program management and business development. And then over the past decade, I've had the opportunity of really taking a path that led me to work with the small business community on many different levels. That brought my career to the level of working with organizations that carry out state and federal and local programs centered around small minority and women owned businesses.

John Arnold

Very cool.

Gracie Orr

And that led me to KBR in January 2021 and the role of a small business liaison officer.

John Arnold

Well, first of all, thank you for your service. That's awesome. Appreciate it, immensely. And second of all, I am fascinated by your job title. You just gave us a little bit of insight into that, but without telling us anything confidential or privilege, would you mind telling us a little more about your involvement with small business, particularly as it pertains to our customers in the Science and Space business unit?

Gracie Orr

Sure. Yeah. Well, my passion for promoting supplier diversity sits uniquely in the center of what I do as a small business liaison for KBR Science and Space. And I'm sort of an intermediary between KBR and the small business community. While on one side of it I implement and monitor the Subcontracting Plan Program and ensure we are meeting our compliance with federal regulations and policies and all that good stuff.

On the other spectrum, I get to work with many of the great small business organizations and the leaders to identify small businesses that will help us achieve our small business goals. And along the way, I've really met some amazing people and really built some strong relationships for our small business and for KBR as well.

John Arnold

That's fantastic. So from supplier diversity to a passion for people diversity — I love that. The theme is pervasive even from what you do on a daily basis to what you're doing with our ERGs.

Gracie Orr

It really aligned like that. I think that passion came out when I saw the opportunity to join Pride and Allies, it just really made sense.

John Arnold

That's awesome. So when this episode goes live, it'll officially be June, Pride Month, or LGBT Pride Month, here in America. And I mentioned it briefly in the opening, but for those who may not be familiar, could you tell us a little about the history of Pride Month and what we are commemorating and celebrating?

Gracie Orr

To go back in the history of it all, Pride Month is a time of reflection, celebration and to honor those who have gone before us to create the past liberty that we have today in the LGBTQ+ community. And back in 1969, go back in the history, the Stonewall Rights took place in New York City's Greenwich Village, and really that was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement. And it really ignited activism and some of the great pioneers of our community such as Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera.

They brought so much power and energy to that movement. And from that point, there were so many organizations formed, marches and even a newspaper was created for gay rights, a couple of newspapers. And what was meant to really tear apart a community actually just brought the community even closer together and ignited it.

And today we celebrate Pride Month across the nation in a month-long series of events. We celebrate with Pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, concerts, and in a whole entire month. And I found a little quote on the website, and it says, "Pride is a joyful celebration of all of the beautiful identities of our LGBTQ+ community. We create spaces where we can bring our whole selves to dance and march in the streets and declare, ‘We are here, we are visible, and we are proud.’” So I really like that. I wanted to share that with you.

John Arnold

I love that quote as well. I really, really love that. So KBR has made huge strides in the past few years to be a company, as we were talking about before, where everyone can bring their whole self to work. A place that welcomes and includes people from all walks of life. Our brethren in the LGBTQ+ community are certainly part of that, which is part of what led to the creation of the Pride and Allies employee resource group. So I wonder if you could give our listeners maybe some background, some context on Pride and Allies and what its mission is.

Gracie Orr

Sure. Pride and Allies was actually launched just at the end of 2020 in the UK. And [KBR employees] Penny Voget and Sam Fox were our first leaders to step in and do a formal launch to take it forward in the first year. And then fast-forward, we really have began to energize and see so much expansion on Pride and Allies on a global scale. In Australia we have Joe Cutelle under leadership for Pride and Allies. He's done an enormous job of really bringing that group together and really providing great opportunities for our LGBTQ+ and our allies in that area.

We have a site lead, Leo Griffin, in the UK, and he is energized and ready to roll. And so we have a very robust Fraser-Nash [Consultancy, a KBR subsidiary] Pride and Allies group, and I just really want to give a shout-out to my U.S. team as well.

Louis Ramirez is our vice chair. Jose Chavero Rivera is our Marketing and Comms chair, and he's amazing. And so is Louis. And then Monique Burns, is our Networking and Outreach. Matthew Lachkovic, he is at our Lexington Park Maryland site and just energized and doing great things there. Chloe Flanagan is at our OKC [Oklahoma City] site, and then Sarah Isaac Isaacson is at our Huntsville [Alabama] site.

And so we're just really growing and it's a beautiful thing to see. Our mission, it goes across the board. We serve as a bridge to resources, connection and education for the LGBTQ+ community and our allies as well. We are working hard to build community through promoting positive environments, safe spaces, and really that inclusive culture of KBR and acceptance. And we also provide LGBTQ+ focused networking opportunities through education, professional development, and social opportunities.

John Arnold

You mentioned many times … it sounds like we have a lot of awesome, dynamic personalities that are really energizing the work that Pride and Allies is trying to do. And so I wonder if you could talk a little bit about how we're parlaying that energy …

Gracie Orr

Absolutely.

John Arnold

... and that drive into progress at KBR and its commitment to a better and more holistic sense of inclusion across the company?

Gracie Orr

Yes, absolutely. I love seeing the energy and that passion, and it really starts at the top with our leadership. I've seen exponential growth around a more holistic approach with inclusion and diversity. The biggest takeaway, again, is our leaders just genuinely listening and truly wanting to understand the needs and challenges of employees across the board when it comes to diversity and inclusion and creating a safe space for all employees to bring their whole self to work.

We've had town halls where we have Stuart Brady [KBR president and CEO] really just supporting our mission of our ERGs and lifting up our ERGs. And so that meant so much. We have Jenny Myles [KBR chief people officer], that is constantly checking in with us and making sure that we have everything we need and building the team around us. So it's just been an awesome experience. And although Pride Knowledge is an individual ERG, we also have a strong bridge of collaboration and support with our other ERGs and our All In Community. Which is a global community that is dedicated to promoting overall inclusion and diversity.

So we have other [ERGs]... ASPIRE, advancing women leaders; MERGE, connecting and empowering racial and ethnic minorities; IMPACT for the early professionals, just to name a few. [sic] Armed Service Community, Armed Forces Community, which are for our veterans reservist spouse and their supporters. OK NoW [ONE KBR Network of Well-being], mental health and well-being. And it's even growing. We're working to add another — Advocate, for individuals with disabilities. So it's more than just talk, it's action. So that's where we're at right now.

John Arnold

That's very inspiring. It's awesome to hear firsthand from someone who is involved directly with the ERGs about how there is cross-collaboration between all of these different ones and especially through the All In community that you mentioned that brings all of that together. I wonder what's been going on with Pride and Allies, specifically, recently, and maybe could you provide us some examples of regional activities or progress that we've seen?

Gracie Orr:

Yeah, so just this past year we've really tried to focus more on, again, inclusion and diversity and what that looks like for our employees. And some of the activities that we did recently in the U.S. was we brought in a speaker to talk with our group, Liam Adair, the first Black transgender board-certified holistic practitioner …

John Arnold

Oh, wow.

Gracie Orr

... in Texas. And [he] just really gave a powerful and empowering presentation on bringing your whole self to work and his journey as a transgender in the workplace and the transition. And so just really being vulnerable in that sense and giving us insight into how we can be better at serving our employees that maybe going through a transition, or a transgender, or even just identifying as LGBTQ+. So that's one of the many things that we've been doing. I know we have a lot of other activities going on as well and coming up soon.

John Arnold

Excellent. One of the interesting points I remember last year in the conversation that we had with representatives from Pride and Allies was that it's not about foisting any kind of an agenda on anyone. But it might be difficult for some people who've never been in anyone else's shoes but their own, to think about living in a world where, not to put too fine a point on it, but you're afraid to be your whole self or to just be out in the world and who you are.

And that's why, and maybe you can talk more about this, but that's why things like this are so important even in corporate America and different parts of the world — is to provide these safe spaces where people can bring action to the fore and to be together and try to build that bridge of understanding.

Gracie Orr

Absolutely. Externally there are a lot of challenges that the LGBTQ+ community face. And so internally creating employee resources group groups such as Pride and Allies, like you said, really provides that connection, really provides that safe space to say, "You are accepted here, you belong here and you have support. You have a place to be who you are and bring your whole self to work."

John Arnold

That's awesome. Well, now without further ado, I guess we could talk about what some of our different regional chapters of Pride and Allies have got planned for this month of Pride Month here in the U.S. and abroad. Because I know that Australia has been doing their Pride celebrations for a while, and then the UK is getting ready to do theirs in July. So what have we got planned?

Gracie Orr

So it's a super excited time for Pride and Allies. And so the month of June, of course, we're celebrating the whole entire month and really just honoring, like I said before, those who have gone before us, the pioneers and the progress. And so in the U.S., of course, we always have monthly, with our Chamber of Commerce, we have the Drag Bingo.

John Arnold

Outstanding! That sounds like a blast.

Gracie Orr

It is! It really is. And just come together as a community and speaking on small businesses, they have the LGBTQ+ community small businesses come together and that's a great event. And then we also have Houston Pride Parade. For the first time ever, KBR will be walking in the parade. And we are so extremely excited about that on June 24th.

And we'll be representing KBR in that sense. And then the Stonewall Riots anniversary campaign on June 28th. Again, Drag Bingo event on June 29th, and Pride and Allies, we have a quarterly virtual event that we'll be doing. In the UK, the Pride Celebration Week again is July 10th to the 14th. July is Pride celebration in Bristol in the local Fraser-Nash offices. So be on the lookout for more information on that.

They also will have a number of articles, at least one guest speaker, and they're going to have some workshops, trans inclusion and cake bake-off competitions in their offices. So Australia Pride takes place usually January, February, and March. But they will, in August, have a Wear It Purple Day, on August 25th. So be on the lookout for that if you'd like any more information on that.

John Arnold

Yeah, I'd actually love to guide our KBR employees, right now you could tell people maybe where to go to check out a calendar of events for these.

Gracie Orr

The main page that we put all of our events on is Yammer, but we're trying to get our website more accessible and more in line with our events so we can have a one-stop shop to find out what's going on. Again, number one thing I want to drive home is that everyone is welcome in Pride and Allies. So if you would like to connect, you can connect with us on the Yammer page. We started out, I believe, when we launched Pride and Allies U.S., it was about 180, and now we're at 250 on our Yammer page. So it's really great to see everybody coming together.

On our SharePoint site, you can go onto the SharePoint site through, I think it's the main KBR portal, and you can reach us at prideallieserg@kbr.com. And of course, you can always reach me at my email address gracie.orr@uskbr.com. So definitely feel free to reach out.

John Arnold

And I guess this goes in that same vein, but what can someone listening who is either LGBTQ+ in the community, or someone like me who's just a cisgendered white dude but wants to lend support and do what I can to support the community, do to get involved with Pride and Allies?

Gracie Orr

Well, like I said, not only do we do need everyone to join, but we generally want to connect and just make a positive impact for our KBR employees across the globe, not just in the U.S., not just in the UK, but across the globe. If you see opportunities to ... We have a virtual event this month, but we also have one coming up next month. So if you see the virtual events, attend those. And then of course, if there's any suggestions or questions, anything that comes to mind, please feel free to connect with us. And we're always open to have one-on-one conversations — whatever you think. If there's a event that you'd like to plan, reach out and if there's an event in your local site, please volunteer.

John Arnold

That's outstanding. So we'll encourage people to go back and listen to those email addresses and also be on the lookout for the Yammer group that you mentioned and for the website once it is built out a little more. Before I let you go, is there anything else that you'd like to add for our listeners?

Gracie Orr

Just like I said, we're looking to make a positive impact for our KBR employees, and we need everyone to do that. Not just if you identify as LGBTQ+, but if you're an ally. There's also been times where people have questions about being an ally and what that means. We're working on some training as well, so be on the lookout for that. We'll be, hopefully, introducing some training within the end of this year, coming up the start of the year.

We also want to provide some information on pronouns in the workplace, using pronouns and understanding the LGBTQ+ community a little bit more. But we're excited. I mean, it's a great time for Pride and Allies. If you're energized, if you're excited, please reach out to us. We're ready for you to join us.

John Arnold

Yeah, don't rest on your laurels, listeners. There's a place for everyone!

Gracie Orr

Absolutely. Yes.

John Arnold

Well, Gracie, we appreciate you. Once again, thank you so much for your time and looking forward to seeing all the pictures online and everything else from a happy and safe Pride Month.

Gracie Orr

Yes, thank you, John, so much. I appreciate it.

CONCLUSION

John Arnold

The passion for diversity and inclusion is evident with Gracie, and we thank her again for taking the time to come and tell us about Pride and Allies and plans for celebrating Pride Month, and also educating and bringing people together from all walks of life.

If you’re interested in getting involved with Pride and Allies at KBR, as Gracie mentioned, you can email her directly at gracie.orr@kbr.com or you can email PrideAlliesERG@kbr.com. You can also go check out their Yammer group and be on the lookout for updates to their website.

As always, we want to thank our amazing producer, Emma, for her work.

If you like what you heard or if you have an idea for a future episode, let us hear from you! You can holler at us at inorbit@kbr.com.

And that’s it! I hope you enjoyed the episode. Thank you for being with us and for staying in our orbit.

Take care.