STA Launches DE&I Initiative with Technology Leader Kanarys
Southwest Transplant Alliance announces the launch of “Project Joy” developed with Nationally Recognized DEI Technology Leader
DALLAS – March 2, 2021 - Southwest Transplant Alliance (STA) announced today a partnership with Kanarys, a Black-founded DEI technology platform that fosters collaboration between companies and employees on DEI in the workplace.
Kanarys is working with STA to provide the technology platform, data, and knowledge to further guide their position as a best place to work through a coordinated initiative providing a voice to all employees called Project Joy. Project Joy is tied directly to STAs strategic objective to create a culture of joy where all employees are given the opportunity to build their legacy of saving lives.
“We believe that it’s our responsibility to safeguard our culture and create an environment where all employees feel valued, seen and heard.”
“We believe that it’s our responsibility to safeguard our culture and create an environment where all employees feel valued, seen and heard,” said President and Chief Executive Officer of Southwest Transplant Alliance Patti Niles. “We have always been a culture-driven company committed to strong values. This project takes that commitment to a new level as we work to safeguard that culture today and well into the future for all of our employees.”
STA is an organ procurement organization headquartered in Dallas with operations throughout Texas. Employees work in more than 280 hospitals throughout the state to fulfill its lifesaving mission. This highly specialized segment of healthcare employs some of the best and brightest in the field. The organization’s commitment to DEI began this month with a Kanarys-led assessment anonymously distributed to all employees. In the months to follow, Kanarys will provide consulting and program support as STA works to utilize the data to create and sustain DEI programming for all employees.
“We founded Kanarys in 2018 with the goal of providing organizations with the tools and resources needed to create equitable workplaces,” said Mandy Price, Co-founder and CEO. “We leverage technology to give organizations the data they need to take action and create sustainable change through a combination of employee insights and analysis of foundational pieces like policies and procedures. We help companies move beyond a focus on diversity and get to the hard work of measuring inclusion and equity.”
About Southwest Transplant Alliance
Southwest Transplant Alliance (STA) is a nonprofit organization based in Dallas, Texas, that saves lives by fulfilling the gifts of organ and tissue donation. Founded in 1974, STA has facilitated more than 35,000 organs for recovery and enhanced the lives of tens of thousands of people through tissue recovery. STA is among the largest of 58 federally designated, nonprofit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States, is a member of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and is accredited by the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO). Established in 2018, the STA Foundation provides care for families, community education, and research in transplant science. STA serves communities in North Texas, Beaumont, Bryan/College Station, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Galveston, Midland/Odessa, Temple, Tyler and Wichita Falls. For more information, go to organ.org.
About Kanarys
Kanarys is a technology platform designed to foster collaboration between companies and employees to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace and bring about lasting change. Through transparency and accountability, the Kanarys platform provides a long term feedback mechanism for companies to continuously improve their diversity, equity, and inclusion - ultimately creating a better workplace for all. For more information on Kanarys, visit www.kanarys.com “Overall, the healthcare industry took a tremendous hit this year,” said President and CEO of STA Patti Niles. “It was a struggle to provide care, maintain morale and supply our frontline staff with proper protective equipment. Yet even with those challenges, organ donation was able to continue. We were able to save lives, heal families and deliver hope. I am proud of our frontline teams and our support staff for their incredible work in 2020.”