Black History Month: Information analyst appreciates Beacon’s focus on diversity, equity, inclusion

Ron Bass, information systems analyst at Beacon Health System, credits organizational leaders for trying to improve diversity, equity and inclusion since 2020.

Anger over George Floyd’s murder by a white Minneapolis police officer sparked protests across the nation in the summer of 2020, but Ron Bass also remembers feeling some hope then, too, from an email he received as a Beacon Health System associate.

In the July 16 message, Beacon CEO Kreg Gruber, while reporting that progress already had been made since he took his job in 2017, vowed to continue making racial and gender diversity, equity and inclusion a top priority for the organization.

Gruber wrote that the health system’s board members and he had agreed “that a more diverse board creates a dynamic of better discussion and ultimately better decision making.”

He added that he would be seeking 14 associates to serve on a group to help Beacon improve in diversity and inclusion efforts, which would ultimately become the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council. About a year later, Gruber would announce the creation of a full-time position, “Director, Diversity and Provider Well-Being,” accepted by Kimberlie Warren, PhD, as well as the formation of “associate resource groups” for associates to network and share resources with others having common characteristics or backgrounds.

“When I saw his email, I said, well, that to me is a leader,” said Bass, a systems analyst in Beacon’s Information Systems division. “The fact that he was standing up a DE&I structure in Beacon is what excited me. We were in the throes of the biggest pandemic in 100 years, but at the same time he had the thoughtfulness to say hey, how do I see this company five years from now, 10 years from now with diversity, and making sure that we are really living up to the Beacon values.”

Bass has joined Beacon’s associate resource groups for African Americans and military veterans. He said Beacon’s DE&I efforts and associates’ celebration of Black History Month in February “complement each other.”

“The fact that Beacon celebrates it reinforces that notion of inclusiveness, whether it’s Black History Month or the other celebrations like Pride Month,” Bass said. “They serve to reinforce Beacon’s commitment and goodwill, and promote diversity awareness. Beacon not only talks the talk but walks the walk.”

After serving in the U.S. Army Finance Corps for 20 years, Bass hired on in Elkhart General Hospital’s payroll department in 1999. In 2013 he became an analyst in Beacon’s Information Systems department, where he supports Active Staffer, the platform that associates use for payroll and scheduling.

Bass said he is given just the right mix of freedom and accountability in his job.

“I like the fact that the leadership here is very supportive of employees in a lot of different aspects, allowing the analyst just enough exposure to things and making decisions, running with whatever projects we are tasked with,” he said. “There’s a lot of flexibility to get the job done, as long as the job gets done.”