One of the Chamber’s five key focus areas for its mission-work is Community Development. We activate a diverse next generation of business and community leaders. We champion Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and we engage the right people at the right time to improve our quality of life with quality of place initiatives.

We announced in October that the Chamber was selected to be a part of TRAIN Cohort 2020, a TRUE Northwest Arkansas Initiative that seeks to build early leaders for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) work in the region. The TRUE TRAIN Program provides an 8-month training opportunity for 20 organizations to increase their capacity to integrate and apply a DEI framework throughout their work.

The Chamber (along with the 19 other organizations) recently graduated from this program and now will build on the DEI processes learned and start to implement changes into our organization, making us a more inclusive organization.

Members of the 2020 cohort include:

• Arisa Health, Inc.
• Arkansas Arts & Fashion Forum
• Arts Live Theatre
• Benton County Government
• Boys & Girls Club of Benton County
• The Jones Center for Families
• NWA Ballet Theatre
• NWA Land Trust
• Partners for Better Housing
• Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce
• Children’s Advocacy Center of Benton County
• Girls on the Run of Northwest Arkansas
• Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce
• Mount Sequoyah Center, Inc.
• Fayetteville Art Alliance
• The Salvation Army-Northwest Arkansas Area Command
• Teen Action and Support Center
• United Way of Northwest Arkansas
• Westark Area Council, Inc. – Boy Scouts of America
• Women of Oz NWA

Building a Vibrant, Diverse and Cohesive Community
TRUE Northwest Arkansas Initiative builds leaders through peer learning opportunities and coaching sessions with experts. This program fits perfectly into our Chamber’s Community Development mission-work by helping us build a vibrant, diverse and cohesive community that embraces togetherness and welcomes all.

Being selected to this program also helps us stay up to date on the latest best practices to empower the next generation of community leaders with the knowledge and skills necessary for championing DEI across the region. TRAIN Cohort 2020 participants represented partners from multiple sectors, including nonprofit organizations, government agencies, public institutions, and faith-based organizations.