Empower Equity and Racial Justice with Dr. Ame Lambert

Dr. Ame Lambert is the Vice President for Global Diversity & Inclusion at Portland State University (PSU). Tune in as Ame speaks with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin about the generative power of Appreciative Inquiry in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion at universities and beyond.


“What pain and anger of frustration actually are communicating is that in my core, I have a sense of how it should be.”

— Dr. Ame Lambert

Ame describes how Appreciative Inquiry helps bring diverse groups together across cultures, races, and ethnicities, making it a powerful tool for seeing the universal humanity in all of us and bringing out the best in each of us.

You’ll learn how Ame and her colleagues are using an appreciative approach to co-create a racially just and equitable future for the Portland community. She notes how the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, along with a similar tragedy at PSU, fueled her action-focused diversity and inclusion summit called Time to Act. Listen in to learn about the powerful impact of this summit and the work that continues to unfold at PSU.

In her role as Vice President for Global Diversity & Inclusion at Portland State University, Dr. Ame Lambert leads the embedding of equity into all university operations, and supports the thriving of minoritized students and employees. Her goal and core purpose is to close the gap between potential and thriving for students and the university as a whole.

Episode Highlights

  • What pushed Ame to use Appreciative Inquiry in her diversity and inclusion work.
  • How to use Appreciative Inquiry to fuel action in people who feel hopeless, angry, and frustrated.
  • The Appreciative Inquiry framework that informed the design of the Time to Act Summit.
  • Dream and Discovery questions that encourage people to imagine a more inclusive, equitable future.
  • Goals and action items of PSU’s Time to Act Plan.
  • How PSU is infusing diversity, equity, and inclusion into leadership and infrastructure, student education, scholarship and service, and the performance review process.

Resources Mentioned

Listen here

Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Tags in this article
DEI
Summit

Let’s Make a Positive Change Today!

Interested in learning more about AI? Want to help you or your organization grow in positive ways? Have research or real-world successes to share? 

Contact Us Today

Get In Touch About Appreciative Inquiry

woman thinking with an illustration of a lightbulb over her head
We look forward to speaking with you about Appreciative Inquiry but please keep your questions and comments here to under 512 characters.