The Collective Impact (CI) framework, originated by Kania and Kramer (2011), has been used to address complex, seemingly intractable social problems like system-wide educational reform. More recently, the approach has been used to foster equity, inclusion and diversity by facilitating structured collaboration among partner organizations to achieve significant and lasting social change. Partners in the CI process bring their strengths and assets to bear, evoking the image of “Voltron”, the popular cartoon featuring five characters who bring their distinctive powers to collectively become Voltron: Legendary Defender (Vu Le, 2018).

In the workshop, participants will initially review and discuss the current version of the CI framework with specific attention to how CI can be used to improve recruitment and retention of minorities to the STEM fields with a particular focus on ecological and environmental areas. Among the case studies to be examined will be EcologyPlus, a Design and Development Launch Pilot of NSF’s INCLUDES program. This CI alliance of 15 partners was organized by ESA to tackle the underrepresentation of racial and ethnic minorities in ecology and related careers. Participants will also examine how CI can be applied to other issues within the field of ecology.

At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand what collective impact is and what it is not
• Connect participants with others in ESA interested in using CI for equity, inclusion and diversity
• Identify how the “Voltron” principle can be applied to other entrenched issues and complex social problems in the field