The role of the DEI Council has always sat outside the organizational structures used by the SCA. We aren’t part of any of the greater or lesser offices, and we don’t have the normal kinds of responsibilities that officers do. With this in mind, I was tasked with rethinking how to incorporate our council into more traditional deputy roles under the Kingdom Seneschal. The format I created was approved by the Crown in October and will take effect at the end of January, AS 56 (2022).
The current structure of the DEI Council is depicted below. There is one Chair, and 9 general members. In addition, there is a DEI Deputy Seneschal that participates on the council and acts as a bridge between the office of the Seneschal and the council. In the new format, the DEI Deputy Seneschal becomes the leader, with ‘sub-deputies’ reporting to them (see the second figure).
Figure 1: Current structure of the DEI Council Figure 2: New structure of the DEI Office
The council previously did not assign ownership of specific efforts to individuals, and instead people volunteered for initiatives they had qualifications for and interest in. In the new structure, some of the deputies are assigned specific initiatives that they will lead. The deputy will act as a coordinator for those initiatives, to meet kingdom needs and requests. For example, the education deputy doesn’t have to teach every DEI class. There are many different topics within DEI, and to be qualified in all of them is not a realistic expectation. Instead, the education deputy will coordinate for resources and subject-matter experts to teach classes.
There are four such initiative leaders. The first is the event support coordination deputy. This person will be responsible for the materials associated with making events and sites more accessible and equitable. They will coordinate with subject-matter experts for updating guidance materials, answer questions from event staff, and connect event staff with experts who can provide additional guidance.
The second is the training and education coordination deputy. They are responsible for ensuring all DEI materials are available and easily accessible on the kingdom website, facebook group, and YouTube channel. They will plan and facilitate trainings, including coordinating trainers for classes, and working with subject-matter experts to create materials.
The policy & handbook coordination deputy will act as a contact for greater and lesser kingdom officers needing DEI support for updating materials, and coordinate support from subject-matter experts.
The DEI community deputy is a little different. There are many changes that happen in DEI across the Society – both at the Society and kingdom levels. This deputy will keep in touch with Kingdom and Society contacts to ensure resources, trainings, and information are shared and communicated.
There are also four general advising deputy positions. These deputies will not have dedicated focus areas, and instead will provide subject-matter expertise and support for the DEI Deputy Seneschal and other DEI deputies.
In this new structure, the role of the DEI Council Chair is dissolved, and the DEI Deputy Seneschal will be the leader of DEI efforts for the kingdom, reporting to the Kingdom Seneschal. People of An Tir, please know it has been my great honor to serve as your Chair for the last year and a half. This change is what is best for our great kingdom, and our DEI Deputy Seneschals are incredible leaders who will continue to do this important work. I know they will shine!
Also know that the members of the council have done amazing work with updating handbooks, trainings, informative Crier articles, and more. Thank you to all of you who have served, and who will continue to serve in this new format.
Honorable Lady Aenor de Pessac
Final Chair of the An Tir DEI Council
