YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County Children Services has selected Mahoning County resident Nancy Walker-McCain as the agency’s first diversity, equity and inclusion officer.

More than 100 people applied for the position, which was created in June. A selection committee comprised of Mahoning County Children Services board members and staff supervised the process.

“The agency has been planning for this position for more than two years,” said Randall Muth, CSB director. It will pay $53,040 annually.

The position is key to implementing the agency’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan, Muth said.

The plan guides “how we view, assess, promote, measure and advance diversity, equity and inclusion into virtually every aspect of our work,” he said.

Among the goals of the strategic plan are to develop and maintain a diverse workforce aligned with the racial and cultural composition of the county and to ensure that nondiscriminatory practices are followed in hiring, promotion, labor relations and employee evaluations.

Other goals are to improve outcomes for all Mahoning County families by improving the agency’s ability to serve communities of color and to monitor to ensure compliance with the Civil Rights Act, Equal Employment Opportunity programs and Multi-Ethnic Placement Act.

The position was created especially to further demonstrate the Children Services board’s “deep-rooted commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice issues,” it stated in a news release.

“This position will serve as a catalyst that ensures advancements in diversity, equity and inclusion are made, as well as quantifiable and visible outcomes,” stated Dr. Joseph L. Mosca, chairman of the Children Services board.

“As the diversity, equity and inclusion officer, it will be important to create a climate of inclusion,” Walker-McCann said. “My ultimate goal for this position is to have CSB represent and mitigate marginalized individuals who are within our agency, as well as those we serve.”

Walker-McCain is pursuing a doctorate degree and has a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from John Carroll University in Cleveland and master’s degrees in business administration from Point Park University in Pittsburgh and community counseling from Malone University in Canton.

She has extensive experience teaching cultural diversity, gender diversity, women’s studies, human development, case management and crisis management. She has counseling experience and specializations with LGBTIQA+, military veterans, State of Ohio offenders and Pennsylvania offenders, developmentally challenged individuals, children and adolescents, community mental health, trauma victims, substance abuse, marriage and family.

She is a former Youngstown park and recreation commissioner and also has been involved with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She was one of the founding members of the Ohio Multiethnic Advocates for Cultural Competence board and served two years with Ohio’s National Alliance on Mental Illness.

She has been a lecturer and adjunct professor since 2005, instructing future case managers, case workers and social workers attending Eastern Gateway Community College, Youngstown State University, Kent State University and Penn State University.

Children Services also has added a new social justice information and resources page on its website (www.mahoningkids.com/social-justice/) to help families address, explain and foster social justice discussions with children.