Christy H. Smith, ScM, CGC (she/her); Andrew Alfonso, MS, CGC (he/him)
We both joined the NSGC J.E.D.I. Stewardship Committee as energized members and believers that everyone deserves to feel valued and supported. Our own backgrounds and identities, both visible and invisible, have invariably shaped our dedication to this cause. We wanted to help create spaces where different voices are heard and respected, and where barriers to opportunity are removed. As leaders, we hope to have made a positive impact, contributing to lasting change within our organization.
We have observed first-hand NSGC’s commitment to building a more inclusive and diverse organization for genetic counselors as it applies to professionalism, patient care and research. Moreover, we feel confident that NSGC is committed to elevating the voices of those with diverse identities, perspectives and backgrounds. In 2020, NSGC contracted with The Exeter Group to help advance diversity, equity and inclusion within the organization. An organizational assessment was performed, informing NSGC's current J.E.D.I. Action Plan, as developed by the NSGC J.E.D.I. Action Plan Task Force and approved by the NSGC Board of Directors. Implementation began in August 2022, with the current version wrapping up in August 2025. The Action Plan was designed to support NSGC in achieving goals across six operational impact areas, further explored below. The resulting actions of these policies, practices, and programs are ongoing as there is still work to be done!
In partnership with the NSGC Board of Directors and NSGC’s J.E.D.I. Senior Coordinator Madalyn Frigo, the J.E.D.I. Stewardship Committee is charged with evaluating progress on the recommendations within the Action Plan. We are excited to highlight some of the progress that has been made towards achieving these goals in alignment with NSGC’s Strategic Plan.
Communications and Transparency
In 2024 and 2025, the J.E.D.I. Stewardship Committee disseminated pulse surveys throughout the year. Learnings from the 2024 pulse surveys were outlined in a previous Perspectives article. Additionally, in March 2024, NSGC readministered the J.E.D.I. organizational assessment survey through the Exeter Group. Details from this reassessment are discussed in the 2024 Executive Summary as well as a recorded presentation.
The J.E.D.I. Stewardship Committee also updated the website with J.E.D.I.-related resources and toolkits created by NSGC members, committees, subcommittees and special interest groups (SIGs). These resources were also presented via a CEU-eligible J.E.D.I. webinar in March 2024.
In 2024 and 2025, the survey to lapsed members, intended to gather information about the value of NSGC membership, included a question asking if members felt like they belonged within the organization. The percentage of respondents who indicated they did not feel like they belonged decreased from 35% in 2024 to 17% in 2025. We also found a 51% reduction in citing inclusion and belonging as a reason for nonrenewal. NSGC will continue to track these metrics for lapsed members moving forward.
Annual Conference
Multiple processes and recommendations have been established for the Annual Conference using a J.E.D.I. lens, including:
- Offering essentially all conference sessions in virtual formats.
- Prioritizing accessibility when selecting conference venues and providing necessary accommodations, including closed captioning, shuttles, scooters, ASL interpreters, gender neutral restrooms, breast/chest feeding rooms and prayer/meditation/quiet rooms.
- Utilizing the 2022 NSGC Education Committee’s inclusivity and accessibility Speaker Guide to create a webinar for 2025 Annual Conference presenters in collaboration with the Annual Conference Program Committee.
- Continuing to promote scholarships for genetic counselors who require support to attend the Annual Conference.
Education and Training
In partnership with the Education Committee, the J.E.D.I. Stewardship Committee compiled J.E.D.I.-related, CEU-eligible education bundles at discounted or no cost to NSGC members. In 2023 and 2024, NSGC released two CEU-eligible J.E.D.I. education bundles from the 40th and 41st Annual Conferences. NSGC continues to offer a variety of other free J.E.D.I. resources via the J.E.D.I. Resources page, including the free Community Conversations Series offered to NSGC members.
The NSGConnect Mentorship Program helps NSGC members to network with other members across the organization. After administering a J.E.D.I. pulse survey on mentorship in 2024, the J.E.D.I. Stewardship Committee partnered with the Membership Committee to implement updates to NSGConnect, including creating a new public-facing webpage and adding new mentor/mentee search fields, including opportunities to connect with others interested in advancing inclusion and belonging within the profession.
The J.E.D.I. Awareness Calendar is updated annually by the J.E.D.I. Stewardship Committee. It is meant to be utilized by NSGC and members when scheduling meetings as well as within social media efforts.
The NSGC Position Statement Committee developed two position statements in 2024: one on Distinguishing Sex and Gender to Reduce Harm and another on Disability. These guides are important in helping genetic counselors tailor their clinical and professional services.
Partnership and Outreach
NSGC remains dedicated to increasing awareness of the genetic counseling profession amongst groups underrepresented within the profession. This year, J.E.D.I. Stewardship Committee members and NSGC volunteers attended multiple career fairs and conferences directed toward underrepresented minority students and hosted multiple virtual outreach events for high school and college students. In September 2025, NSGC hosted a Prospective Genetic Counseling Student Fair in collaboration with the Genetic Counselor Educators Association (GCEA), designed for prospective genetic counseling students interested in learning more about the GC training program.
This year, the J.E.D.I. Stewardship Committee was also charged with updating a presentation template members can use to educate middle school, high school and undergraduate audiences of the genetic counseling profession. These two slide decks will be available on the website for NSGC members this fall. These, and other useful resources, can be found within the Diverse Workforce & Student Recruitment Resources.
Policy Changes
Various policies have been implemented as a result of the J.E.D.I. Action Plan. First, to assess our progress on diversifying NSGC membership and leadership, NSGC is collecting data on diversity dimensions more consistently and standardizing the data collected in member surveys, nominations and applications for more accurate reporting.
The J.E.D.I. Stewardship Committee helped to create and will host a Community Connections Reception at the NSGC 44th Annual Conference to further support networking and connection amongst attendees and, importantly, continue to foster inclusion and belonging amongst NSGC members.
Organization-Wide
Additionally, new policies have been implemented to incorporate J.E.D.I. throughout the organization. In September 2022, NSGC approved the organization's DEIB Policy. NSGC also implemented a Disciplinary Procedures process in January 2024 to protect and support NSGC members.
Working Together
As demonstrated by this sample of updates happening across NSGC, J.E.D.I. work is not only supported by the J.E.D.I. Stewardship Committee, but by the Board of Directors, other Committees, SIGs and NSGC staff. Each individual member contributes to building a diverse, equitable, inclusive and just organization. Although all of the recommendations in the J.E.D.I. Action Plan Dashboard are now marked as implemented; they remain ongoing, as are NSGC's strategic goals and vision for advancing J.E.D.I. within NSGC and the profession.
As NSGC members and J.E.D.I. Stewardship Committee Chairs, we feel proud of the progress our organization has made in advancing the recommendations of the J.E.D.I. Action Plan. We have witnessed meaningful changes — both in the way NSGC communicates and in how we create spaces of inclusion and belonging, providing confidence that our efforts are making a lasting impact. Personally, it has been rewarding to see the collaborative commitment of members, leaders and staff to strengthen our community. Looking ahead, we are inspired by the development of a new three-year Action Plan that is being developed by the Board and the opportunity it presents to build upon this foundation, ensuring that diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice remain at the heart of NSGC’s mission and future
Christy H. Smith, ScM, CGC (she/her) Christy Smith is the 2025 Chair of the NSGC J.E.D.I. Stewardship Committee. She is a clinical genetic counselor at the Johns Hopkins Department of Genetic Medicine. She provides genetic counseling in a variety of clinical settings including pediatric and adult general genetics, inherited retinal and other ocular disorders, inherited neuromuscular disease, inherited adult and pediatric cancers, and telomere biology disorders.
Andrew Alfonso, MS, CGC (he/him) Alfonso is the 2025 co-chair of the NSGC J.E.D.I. Stewardship Committee. He has been an industry genetic counselor for over a decade. His professional interests include collaborative efforts with marketing and sales training to put his passion for education to use, and he has historically enjoyed participating in new product launch training and both strategy and metrics development.