Black History Month spotlight: Meet Jason Clark

Growing up in Southwest Missouri, what surprised you most when you first started at Schreiber?

The warm welcome I received. So many partners reached out via LinkedIn, email and other platforms welcoming me to the Schreiber family. This made a great impression during my first week.

Turnover and retention are problems for many organizations right now. How is Schreiber trying to recruit and retain African American talent?

Schreiber offers competitive wages, equal growth opportunities, great benefits, good work environments and participates in community outreach. These are all ways to attract and retain African American talent. It's misleading to think African Americans desire more or less than what all employees desire. At the end of the day, the goal is for our opportunities and compensation to match our talents and work ethic.

What can Schreiber do to continue to help support Black partners?

Continue to communicate the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) to all partners and truly live out being an organization that is a DEI leader. Ensure not only that diversity is being discussed, but also that tasks are being executed to create work environments that are equitable and inclusive of all individuals. There are times this comes by way of having uncomfortable conversations regarding race relations until they become comfortable. Environments that allow us to be ourselves and welcome cultural differences are desired.

Moving forward, what excites you most about what Schreiber is doing to embrace DEI?

Growing up in an area lacking diversity, having this conversation alone is exciting for me. But I'm not delusional to the amount of work that still needs to be done and the long journey ahead.

It's knowing the company I now represent is embracing cultural diversity to achieve a healthy work environment for people of all races and ethnicities.

In elementary school, I was the only Black kid in an all-white environment, not understanding why I faced such prejudice. During my career, it's been normal for me to be the only Black employee or one of two or three. These situations can cause you to hide your true identity and build resentment over time.

It's unequivocally important for all individuals to be comfortable with whom they are in their work environments, no matter their race, culture, sexuality and religious beliefs.