Tamiko Stanley is a renowned diversity and inclusion expert and the Chief Officer of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Luminis Health. As an executive leader, Tamiko strives to “walk the talk” and be the change she describes. She remains committed to advancing the organization’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) journey while ensuring that the values of Respect, Inclusion, Service, and Excellence (RISE) are at the core of Luminis Health’s culture.
Her leadership style and efforts at Luminis Health focus on promoting an inclusive culture, aligning behaviors with values, and fostering innovation through diversity and creativity.
Stepping into Success: The Inspirational Journey of Tamiko’s Leadership in Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI)
Tamiko, a visionary leader in Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) draws inspiration from the limitless potential to affect positive change. Like many other positions throughout her career, when Tamiko assumed the role at Luminis Health there was a great deal of opportunity with the organization being at the nascent stages of the JEDI journey. Motivated by the opportunities for innovation, societal impact, and improved patient outcomes, Tamiko’s faith in the power of diversty work to drive organizational success was unwavering.
Supported by the leadership team and C.E.O. Tori Bayless, Tamiko recognized the organization’s strategic positioning to achieve greatness through a culture of equity and inclusion. With the CEO acknowledging the need for change her commitment to champion Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion demonstrated support. In addition, the collaborative spirit of her colleagues, who embraced her leadership and shared her vision for driving positive change, emboldened Tamiko. Tamiko’s proven track record of delivering on her promise to create an inclusive and innovative workplace further strengthened her courage to lead.
Tamiko’s deep-seated belief that integrating Equity principles into operations would benefit traditionally marginalized communities, drive innovation, and foster positive outcomes for the entire organization is what fueled her determination to overcome structural challenges.
Despite facing testing moments, Tamiko’s unwavering commitment to progress and the tangible impact of her work on others restored her resolve. Her unrelenting pursuit of change, guided by her passion for making a difference, propelled the organization’s JEDI journey forward and fostered a culture of continuous improvement.
Tamiko says, “Choose a career that speaks to your soul, fuels your passion, and is a part of the mark you want to make on this world.”
About Luminis Health and its services
Luminis Health System, formed through the recent merger of Anne Arundel Medical Center and Doctors Community Medical Center in 2019, is a healthcare organization that spans over several counties in Maryland. With three major campuses and multiple outpatient ambulatory locations, Luminis Health boasts a workforce of more than 9,000 dedicated professionals.
At the forefront of Luminis Health’s vision is the commitment to become a world-class model for Justice, Equity, Diversity, Anti-Racism, and Inclusion. Guided by the organization’s core values of Respect, Inclusion, Service, and Excellence (RISE) and driven by the ten recommendations put forth by
the Health Equity and Anti-Racism Task (HEART) Force, the company dedicates to leading the charge in equity, anti-racism, cultural collaboration, and accountability through measurement. It reflects in the organization’s ten-year strategic plan, which aligns with the HEART Force recommendations and aims to eliminate harmful bias and racism from healthcare structures and systems.
Under the dynamic leadership of the organization’s key executives, Luminis Health has made significant strides in promoting diverse representation among its leaders, clinicians, and team members. Luminis Health has become a leading force in addressing the impact of bias in healthcare through a culture of shared accountability for equity in all operations and encounters and by fostering a work environment that encourages innovation and inclusion.
Through implementing cultural programs, such as monthly celebratory honor and learning opportunities that explore various diversity themes, and hosting ‘Coming To The Table’ (CTTT) sessions to facilitate open and safe discussions on sensitive topics related to inequity and racism, Luminis Health is actively working towards creating a more equitable and inclusive healthcare system.
Luminis Health’s Innovative Impact: Thriving Amidst Healthcare Competition:
Luminis Health is committed to fostering partnerships and collaboration, viewing all contributors to the healthcare ecosystem as colleagues and partners. Due to Mrs. Stanley’s work, Luminis Health acknowledges that actual change in healthcare requires a collective effort, with all stakeholders working together as partners rather than competitors.
Luminis Health actively defines the concepts of Safety and Quality through an equity lens, necessitating all contributions.
As a result of Tamiko’s efforts, Luminis Health takes pride in inspiring and influencing the industry in Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The company shares Mrs. Stanley’s works of creative models for bias mitigation in care delivery by sharing the example of her Inclusion Series program and by demonstrating effective performance improvement with her Equity Scorecard. These strategies have been successfully adopted and replicated in other hospitals and health systems. Furthermore, Luminis Health actively advocates for legislative and policy changes to make mitigating bias in healthcare a regulatory requirement for the industry.
Culture of Integrity and Innovation
Tamiko, as an executive leader of Luminis Health, believes that culture begins with leadership and the behaviors and values exemplified by the leadership team. Therefore, it is Tamiko’s responsibility to “walk the talk” and embody the change she seeks. Tamiko is committed to living the organization’s values and being the driving force behind its vision, creating an inclusive environment where team members subscribe to the behaviors modeled by leaders and feel empowered to contribute.
Mrs. Stanley steers the organization to draw a clear line against behaviors inconsistent with the core RISE values and commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Tamiko not only models these values but also designs and directs monthly programs and cultural campaigns that promote Respect, foster Inclusion, are rooted in Service, and define Excellence in line with the RISE values. These programs aim to fuel innovation and are part of Luminis Health’s Inclusion Includes Y.O.U. Strategy, where Y.O.U. represents each team member’s uniqueness (Your Own Uniqueness). This strategy encourages everyone to bring their whole selves to work and allows team members to share their voices, unique perspectives, and individual points of view. As a result, Luminis Health celebrates creativity and ingenuity by nurturing spaces that inspire innovation.
Tamiko’s Visionary Leadership: Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Luminis Health
Tamiko has achieved remarkable feats in today’s competitive business world with her unwavering commitment to innovation, strategic expansion, effective leadership, and patient-centric approach.
- Increasing Diverse Representation: Tamiko’s efforts have been focused on increasing diverse representation at all levels of leadership within Luminis Health. Through targeted recruitment and development programs, she has ensured that leaders, clinicians, and team members from diverse backgrounds are considered for advancement. As a result, the leadership team of Luminis Health now reflects the diversity of the communities it serves, and the organization has become a model for promoting diversity in the healthcare industry. Luminis Health’s workforce is 55% diverse with more than half of its team members being individuals of racially or ethnically diverse background.
- Shared Accountability for Equity: To ensure that equity is embedded in all aspects of operations, Tamiko has implemented a shared accountability model. It includes setting clear expectations for leaders to prioritize equity in decision-making processes, providing resources and training to support equitable practices, and establishing monitoring and progress measuring mechanisms. By fostering a culture of shared accountability, Tamiko has created an environment where equity is not just a buzzword but a common value that guides every aspect of organizational operations.
- Expanding Culture of Inclusion: Tamiko and her staff and team of inclusion network members have helped to develop Luminis Health’s culture of inclusion. She has created a safe and inclusive environment where every team member feels empowered to bring their whole self to work to provide better outcomes and solutions. In addition, she has fostered a culture where everyone feels valued, respected, and included.
- Promoting Innovation Through Creativity: Tamiko’s leadership has created an environment where innovation can thrive. By fostering a culture of creativity, she has encouraged team members to think outside the box and develop innovative solutions to complex business challenges. She recognizes diverse perspectives and experiences lead to better problem-solving and innovation. It has resulted in a more creative and agile organization that can adapt to changing healthcare needs and deliver high-quality patient care to people of all backgrounds.
- Understanding the Impact on Healthcare: Tamiko recognized the importance of understanding the organization’s impact on healthcare. She identified the need to manage and mitigate the effects of bias and took steps to address this issue. One of her key strategies was requiring leaders to assess their unconscious bias. By integrating Harvard University’s Implicit Association Test into the framework for leadership development, Tamiko ensured that leaders were equipped with the tools to identify and address their personal biases, promote awareness and help foster a culture of inclusion and accountability.
- Cultivating Inclusive Leaders: Tamiko’s efforts in mitigating bias and promoting inclusion extended beyond leadership development. She recognized that inclusive leaders are essential for creating a diverse and equitable workforce. Through her leadership, she cultivated an inclusion network of councils, committees, and business resource groups (B.R.G.s) within Luminis Health. These B.R.G.s, including the African-American B.R.G., the Hispanic Heritage (now Unidos!) B.R.G., the LGBTQIA B.R.G., the GenerationNOW B.R.G., and the Veterans/Military (now V.A.L.O.R.) B.R.G., provided a platform for diverse demographics to have a voice within the organization. In addition, Tamiko ensured that these B.R.G.s were integrated into the health system’s strategic plans and overarching strategy, allowing for their needs, values, and perspectives to help influence operational decision-making.
- Driving Strategic Initiatives: Tamiko’s leadership in developing the inclusion network of councils, committees, and B.R.G.s also resulted in identifying strategic goals and initiatives. These strategic initiatives supported the health system’s JEDI journey.
- Embedding Diversity Goals in Performance Structure: By integrating diversity goals into the performance structure of the organization Tamiko helped to redefine performance through the lens of equity. By measuring progress and performance based on diversity goals she has infused shared accountability across the system’s leadership. Tamiko’s work ensures that diversity goals, including workforce diversity, promotion and leadership diversity, mentoring and coaching diversity, health equity, and community engagement goals, were embedded into the organization’s performance metrics; many of which determine variable and incentive compensation for leaders. She also introduced a JEDI Scorecard to monitor progress towards these goals quarterly at the most senior level of the organization, ensuring that diversity, equity, and inclusion were critical metrics of success.
- Creating a Culture of Growth and Development: Tamiko’s leadership in fostering a culture of growth and development has been instrumental in the expansion and advancement of Luminis Health. She recognized that traditional training models might not be effective in driving behavior modification and creating lasting change. As part of her growth strategies, Tamiko implemented the Inclusion Series program, a non-traditional approach to diversity training that utilizes interactive diversity theatre. This program creates a space for personal reflection and individual enlightenment, allowing participants to engage in open dialogue and share perspectives. Through scenes based on identified opportunities, actors perform written scenes, sparking insights and understanding among participants. This innovative approach to diversity training helped shape attitudes and modify behavior, creating a culture that values inclusion and diversity as core principles.
- The Impact of the Inclusion Series: Under Tamiko’s leadership, implementing the Inclusion Series program has resulted in significant positive changes at Luminis Health. The workforce culture has become more inclusive and culturally humble, leading to increased productivity, higher levels of performance, greater engagement, and enhanced innovation. In a recent Great Place to Work survey, employees reported experiencing a more inspiring and just culture, reflecting the success of the Inclusion Series in promoting diversity and inclusion within the organization.
- Creating the Health Equity and Anti-Racism Task (HEART) Force: As part of her growth strategies, Tamiko helped create the Health Equity and Anti- Racism Task (HEART) Force at Luminis Health. The HEART Force brought together community influencers, regional subject matter experts, board members, leaders, and staff to collaboratively design a roadmap for the organization’s journey towards justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. As a result, the HEART Force developed ten solid recommendations that the Board of Trustees unanimously approved and adopted, becoming part of the organization’s ten-year strategic plan (Vision 2030). These recommendations continue to guide Luminis Health’s growth and advancement as a health system.
- Positive Outcomes of Growth Strategies: As previously mentioned, Tamiko’s efforts in implementing growth strategies have resulted in several positive outcomes for Luminis Health. The organization has become a minority-majority organization, with over 55% of the workforce being racially and ethnically diverse. In addition to such a significant achievement, a mentoring and coaching program has also been established, graduating three cohorts of team members that have since advanced in their careers. The organization has also fostered increased collaboration and formal partnerships with diverse communities, improving health outcomes and culturally inclusive experiences for employees and patients. Efforts to improve health equity and eliminate health disparities have shown progress, with achievements such as eliminating the disparity for C-section births for African- Americans, improving joint replacement recovery for African- American men, and achieving controlled A1C rates for people of color. These outcomes demonstrate Mrs. Stanley’s efforts to help Luminis Health advance health equity.
Tamiko remembers her mother, Pamela Renee Stanley (11/23/53-
7/31/08), who always said, “I do not care that you may cry in private, or even if you need to step away to scream, it is okay to have a weary moment but don’t you ever get tired of doing what’s right.”
Luminis Health has been recognized as the first and only healthcare system to establish an official chapter of ‘Coming To The Table’ (CTTT), a national organization addressing the systemic effects of racism in society. Each month, Luminis Health hosts ‘Coming To The Table’ sessions designed to facilitate authentic conversation around sensitive and often controversial topics related to inequity and the impact of racism. These sessions provide a valuable opportunity for perspective sharing and collective enlightenment, establishing an environment of honest dialogue that leads to increased understanding and collaboration.
Tamiko’s Definition of Success
“Success is a journey, not a destination; keep building new goals,” says Tamiko.
Tamiko believes that success results from the collision of talent, preparation, and opportunity. She further defines success as the accomplishment of individual goals. However, for Tamiko, success goes beyond these external markers. She sees it as the contribution to progress in areas that align with her values and purpose and the ability to impact progress in the areas that represent her personal and individual “WHY.”
Tamiko also believes that success largely depends on the relationship between passion and impact. She
observes that there are countless individuals’ that society may deem as highly successful, accomplishing remarkable feats, yet they may harbor deep feelings of failure due to misaligned passion, impact, and outcomes. According to her experience, she believes that having a love for what one does is crucial for feeling successful.
As a Chief Diversity Equity Inclusion Officer, Tamiko aims to proactively change the landscape, eliminating barriers for her children and future generations. She views every accomplishment that further facilitates this reality and aligns with her end goal as a measure of success.
Balancing Personal and Professional Life
Tamiko maintains balance in her personal and professional life by prioritizing her children. She believes that work/life balance needs to be updated to focus on work/life integration. Tamiko has a tremendous amount of love for her children and has great concern and duty to her community. Her professional purpose of creating positive change in the industry carries over into her personal life.
Tamiko finds grounding in her family and inspiration from her children. Her 17-year-old daughter’s brilliance fuels her daily, while her three-year-old’s curiosity and wonder remind her that limits are artificial.
Tamiko works harmoniously with her team toward their shared goals and aspirations for impactful work. They inspire and motivate each other, sharing accountability for the constant production of Excellence.
Message to Aspiring People of Color in Business and Leadership
Tamiko’s inclusive and courageous leadership model inspires more leaders to intentionally include diverse talent in their succession planning, mentorship, and growth opportunities. She hopes that her leadership philosophies will result in the deliberate inclusion of emerging generations and that talented, diverse professionals feel empowered to take up space, speak their minds, be fearlessly innovative, and lead unapologetically with passion.
Tamiko says, “If you want to change the world, always be professional and polite, but be fearless and bold; no real change ever came from being silent and reserved.” She also remembers her daughter Trinity Renee Stanley’s wise words, “Don’t let the haters get you down!”
Tamiko shares four critical points for aspiring business leaders:
- First, work with Passion: Keep the P’s (Purpose, Passion, Patience, Perspective, Presence, and Progress) at the center of your endeavors for priceless results.
- Effective Communication: Confidence, courage, and the ability to engage in dialogue can lead to valuable learning, growth, and understanding.
- Uphold Integrity:
Maintaining a moral compass with dignity and integrity is fundamental in business and leadership.
- Share the Vision:
Vision is paramount. Involve others passionately in your creative plans to make it a shared vision.
Tamiko aims to create a more diverse and inclusive workplace where emerging leaders can succeed. She hopes to inspire other leaders to follow suit and intentionally consider and include diverse talent. Tamiko asserts that empowering and equipping diverse professionals to lead with authenticity and passion will lead to fearless innovation and positive change in the industry.
Positive Feedback from Patients and Staff Testimonials: A Compilation of Heartfelt Sentiments about Luminis Health
- I am so proud to work at Luminis Health; our justice work makes me feel like I am making a difference in the world just by working here.
- Thank you for finding ways to keep us still rooted in diversity and inclusion; At the same time, I miss the days of festival games, live music, and being together for live performances; I would like to express appreciation to your team for still providing the same feeling even though we are virtual.
- I have to admit I am new. Upon coming here, I braced myself for much stereotyping and the typical white privilege behavior commonly found in healthcare institutions everywhere, or so I thought, but I was wrong. I have the encouragement to not just survive but to thrive and offer all that I am to causes of this organization.
- Perhaps through something I have heard or community reputation at some point, I did not know AAMC / LH was this amazingly progressive. I feel valued and sometimes even honored to be here. My opinion matters, and I do not have to dumb myself down to seem nonthreatening. The “in your face” honest commitment to equity is so powerful and shocking that it puts a definition to RISE, and sadly, it is refreshing and very unexpected, Tamiko and her team are all around inspiration and make us all feel as anything is possible.
- Because of the JEDI team I am so proud to be of Luminis Health, and I thank the JEDI team for all that you do.
- I still cannot believe that we do this at work! CTTT is so powerful; every time I learn something new, I know it makes me a better colleague and employee. It is bold for us to prioritize a platform like this, and why there are not more than 130 people in this session is beyond me. We all should be flocking to these sessions for the sheer empowerment and enlightenment.
- I thought this diversity stuff was just a hoax, and at LHDCMC, we are already diverse, so I had very little interest, but you all helped me see and understand that diversity is not inclusion. Until I met Tamiko, I did not think it was okay to be my Afro-Latina self or that it was relevant to my work experience. But bringing myself, embracing my culture, and leading authentically in my role has changed my team and work experience. I am always amazed by how we continue to walk our talk, and I have embraced myself fully as a proud leader in this organization that values me and all I have to offer authentically as me.
- Wow! The inclusion series this year was just wow! How do you all do this? How do you teach us,
anger us and entertain us all at the same time? I love that it was required this year because I had a
chance to discuss it with colleagues who do not typically engage in most programming. We work better as a team now because of those discussions.
Tamiko says, “We have witnessed tangible impact in multiple areas, including improved health outcomes, reduced childbirth-related deaths for new moms, lowered blood sugar rates for diabetic and at-risk patients, increased success rates after joint replacement, heightened interest from community organizations seeking partnership, greater representation of diversity among the talented leaders who apply to work with us, and a higher rate of community engagement in health and wellness initiatives.”
Vision for the Future of Luminis Health
The work Tamiko has done at Luminis Health will continue to inspire other systems to lead through anti-racist policies and by defining quality through equity. We will help the healthcare industry lead in innovation, creating lifesaving technologies to eradicate the devastating effects of illness and disease and their disproportionate impact on diverse, vulnerable, and marginalized people.
Every healthcare team member is embraced and empowered to contribute to progress and improvement. Structures of inequity are dismantled and systems of racism will be dissolved providing an equitable and thriving future.
Tamiko envisions a world where everyone has fair access to advancement, access to quality care and no one experiences harm due to care providers, and no disparities in health outcomes exists.
Conclusion
Tamiko Stanley, Diversity Equity and Inclusion expert and Chief Officer of Diversity Equity & Inclusion at Luminis Health, has made significant efforts to increase diversity and promote equity and inclusion at all levels of leadership within Luminis Health. She has implemented a shared accountability model, established a culture of inclusion, promoted creativity and fostered a culture of growth and development.
Tamiko has also taken steps to address the impacts of bias, promote diversity in leadership, drive strategic initiatives, embed diversity goals in the performance structure, and created the Health Equity and Anti-Racism Task (HEART) Force. Tamiko’s leadership in implementing the Inclusion Series program has resulted in significant positive changes, leading to increased productivity, higher levels of performance, greater engagement, and enhanced innovation.
By August 2023 Tamiko Stanley will have moved on from Luminis Health: TamikoS@EliteExecutiveStrategies.com
To work at Luminis Health log on today: https://www.luminishealthcareers.org
