PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — SEPTA’s first-ever chief equity and inclusion officer admits that her new role may make some uneasy.
“When we say words like equity, diversity, inclusion, people get uncomfortable,” said Emmanuella Myrthil, who has taken on the new role. “I think one of the first things is to get people comfortable around the language.
“One of the things that I would like to work on very quickly is breaking down the stigma that we’ve put on this type of work.”
Minorities comprise 69% of SEPTA’s workforce. Last summer, the transit agency settled a civil case that alleged a supervisor harassed transit police officers because of their race and religion.
Myrthil, who has been on the job only three weeks, said it’s too soon for her to assess SEPTA’s current atmosphere. “I don’t know that I really have a true temperature yet of what the culture is,” she added.
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Myrthil said she plans to foster an inclusive environment among SEPTA employees as well as riders and vendors.
“I will be focusing on people,” she said. “It’s focusing on, what kind of culture are we creating and cultivating here so that people feel that they belong here and they can thrive here?
“How do we create the type of business relationships that create access and remove barriers for our disadvantaged business enterprises and our small business enterprises?” she continued. “How do we collaborate and communicate with community members so that we are serving in not only just underserved communities, but how are we just collectively working together to find solutions around the different problems that we have socially?”
Myrthil, 45, reports to SEPTA General Manager Leslie Richards, who said she is “extremely proud of SEPTA’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.”
“I am excited that Emmanuella Myrthil will continue to build on that foundation to further strengthen SEPTA as an organization that is diverse, inclusive, and enables all people to get equal opportunities,” Richards said in a statement.
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Myrthil last held similar positions with the engineering firm HNTB and the Georgia Department of Transportation.
“There’s a reason why I’m here,” Myrthil said. “There’s a vision attached to why I’m here.”