In January 2022, the City of Wilmington announced that Joe Conway would be its first Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer. Conway had previously worked for New Hanover Regional Medical Center for roughly a decade and a half, and since 2017 had served as NHRMC’s Director of Health Equity and Human Experience.
“Joe Conway departed from his role to pursue another opportunity and the city wishes him well as he continues to make a positive contribution to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The city intends to recruit for the role in the new year,” a city spokesperson said.
Conway departed the city to take a job as UNC Health’s Healthcare System Manager of Equity and Inclusion. He spoke highly of the work he and his team had accomplished during his time at the city.
“During my tenure as the inaugural Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at the City, we made significant strides in fostering a more inclusive and equitable environment,” Conway told WHQR.
Conway pointed to successes like rolling out implicit bias training to three hundred city employees, a project he said exceeded expectations and received positive feedback. He also noted the city secured a grant to enhance access to city services for non-English speaking residents.
Conway said he and his team successfully advocated for Juneteenth to become an official city holiday, and for inaugural city proclamations recognizing Black History Month, LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month. Conway also noted that the city’s LGBTQ+ taskforce helped improve the city’ Municipal Equality Index score from 36 to 66; the index, now in 12th edition, is a project run by the Human Rights Campaign that evaluates over 500 cities on nearly 50 different criteria. The city also took a role in the Williston Legacy Graduation, and helped lead the Cape Fear Minority Enterprise Development Week, Conway said.
Related: Juneteenth — A Conversation with Joe Conway, Wilmington's Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer
“My successor at the city, along with my colleagues and the community, are well-positioned to continue the important work we’ve initiated, keeping the momentum for equity and inclusion strong,” Conway said.
Conway said he hopes his replacement will continue to develop and implement the city’s Equity and Inclusion Roadmap, Language Accesss plan, and Equity and Inclusion Toolkit. He also hopes to the city continue to improve the city’s Municipal Equality Index score – and to provid transparent reports, “ideally every 3-4 months” to City Council and the public on ongoing efforts and achievements.
Conway’s departure was not widely announced, causing New Hanover County NAACP President LeRon Montgomery to express some concern.
“As President of the New Hanover County Branch of the NAACP, I am writing regarding both the past and future of the Office of Equity and Inclusion. We understand that Joe Conway, the chief officer of that department, has resigned, without announcement or comment from the City. And we have not seen an opening for the job or any announcement about who is running the department or when the position will be filled,” Montgomery wrote in an email to the city manager.
“This office was created in response to community pressure, and the City made promises in the Rise Together Initiative that are still unfilled … We look forward to hearing the City’s plans for the Diversity and Inclusion Department, and hope that the City will promote that work widely,” Montgomery wrote, referring to a city project launched in August of 2020, in the wake of the George Floyd murder durnig what many referred to as the Summer of Racial Reckoning.
While the city said it was planning to recruit starting sometime in 2024, Conway noted that the position may look different than the one he occupied.
“As of my last communication with the City Manger’s Office, they are looking at recalibrating this position to be more in line with existing leadership structures and the new strategic plan for the organization. The position should be posted after the holidays and may even be under a new title, so if folks are interested, they should pay attention to the careers page or contact the Human Resources Department at #TeamCOW,” Conway said.
[Disclosure notice: Joe Conway is a former member of the WHQR Board of Directors.]