Last week, Lt. Cmdr. Karen Stokes, NNMC’s diversity officer and staff dental officer in the Dental Readiness Department, presented her plan of action for the first-ever Diversity Team to NNMC’s Board of Directors.

The general concept of diversity encompasses acceptance, respect and understanding that individual differences are unique and should be recognized and utilized.

These differences include, but are not limited to, ethnicity, gender, religious beliefs and physical abilities. Diversity is about moving beyond mere tolerance to celebrating and embracing the rich dimensions that exist in every individual.

Since she was appointed as the NNMC diversity officer in August, Stokes said she has conducted a number of preliminary meetings.

‘‘We’ve met with the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) diversity officer, the NNMC deputy commander, the command managed equal opportunity (CMEO) officer, the multicultural committee and the medical inspector general evaluators,” Stokes said. ‘‘We’ve also established a diverse team of both civilians and military members from within the command.”

Stokes explained the team’s objectives during her presentation to the board. First, the team will help staff understand the difference between equal opportunity and diversity, she said.

‘‘Equal opportunity is a fair and equal guarantee, whereas diversity is an organizational philosophy,” Stokes said.

She added that equal opportunity is the ‘‘letter” of the law and diversity is the ‘‘spirit” of the law.

The team will also comply with the Chief of Naval Operation’s (CNO) five pillars of diversity, she said, which are outreach, training, strategic communication, accountability and mentorship.

The team will also ensure alignment with BUMED’s diversity imperatives, she said.

‘‘We will align with the Surgeon General’s diversity policy and BUMED’s instruction,” Stokes said. ‘‘Diversity is a strategic imperative for Navy Medicine and critical to our mission accomplishment. The goal is to remain as the culturally competent healthcare organization of choice.”

Finally, the team will forward the diversity vision of NNMC from the leadership position.

Stokes said diversity is a leadership issue and a strong commitment from leadership is fundamental to its success.

‘‘Leadership must ensure that we foster environments that promote inclusion and facilitate a culturally competent work environment,” Stokes said. ‘‘They must enhance potential for personal and professional growth and develop, retain and recruit tomorrow’s leaders.”

‘‘The diversity program will allow us to enhance our existing efforts, and bring an appropriate spotlight on the richness of our various backgrounds as we work together toward the common goal of providing outstanding healthcare,” said Capt. Daniel Zinder, NNMC’s deputy commander.

Stokes said she is thrilled to have the opportunity to build a diversity program for NNMC. She said they have a strong connection with the BUMED Diversity and ‘‘Big Navy” Diversity shops, which keep them informed of upcoming events.

‘‘A large part of the diversity program is outreach,” Stokes said. ‘‘We’d like to ‘adopt’ several local schools with students who may not be aware of future career opportunities in Navy Medicine.”

‘‘In addition, the diversity program hopes to help revitalize the NNMC mentoring program, she said.

‘‘By doing so, we aspire to cultivate hidden talents already within the command.”

Chief Religious Program Specialist Jason Arsenault, lead chief petty officer in Pastoral Care and assistant diversity officer, said the more diverse an organization is, the more inherently strong it will be. No other organization in the country is as diverse as the military and its diversity helps attract and retain the most qualified candidates.

‘‘We all bring different life experiences that help others view things from a different perspective, a view perhaps not seen before,” Arsenault said. ‘‘In the final analysis, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”