IDEA Committee

IDEA sparks collaboration - Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action

At BeachFleischman, we intentionally cultivate a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment where each person feels welcomed, accepted, empowered, valued, respected, and safe. This not only allows each one of us to achieve personal and professional success, but also allows us to better know and serve our clients and communities.

  • Diversity: Diversity encompasses all the ways in which people differ. This includes race, ethnicity, and gender, but also age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, and physical appearance.
  • Equity: Equity is the development and practice of policies, procedures, systems, attitudes, and actions that produce equitable power, access, opportunities, and treatments for all.
  • Inclusion: Inclusion is the value that people of all backgrounds, identities, abilities, perspectives, and beliefs should have an equal opportunity to belong, achieve, and contribute. Inclusion requires people to value, respect, and accept diversity.

Our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Action (IDEA) Committee is comprised of over twenty employees, spanning all of our departments and locations. Through our IDEA Committee, we pursue inclusion, diversity, and equity by: 

  • Promoting greater diversity in the firm by recommending strategic initiatives to recruit, support, and advance professionals and staff from diverse backgrounds
  • Educating ourselves on institutional inequities and marginalized groups, and working to dismantle those disparities within our industry
  • Providing activities for employees to participate in that are related to topics involving diversity, equity & inclusion
  • Fostering a firm community that welcomes, elevates, respects, and is inclusive of all individuals

Thoughts from some of our IDEA Committee Members

Inclusion is the meaningful acceptance of a diverse group of people in your community.
Ashley Byma

Ashley Byma
Tax Senior Manager

Inclusion is a culture where everyone feels a sense of belonging and support.
Julia Miessner

Julia Miessner
Principal

Diversity is being able to look at a group of people and seeing different ethnicities, religions, cultures, languages being spoken, etc. and acknowledging and celebrating that those differences exist.
Gina Khawam

Gina Khawam
Tax Manager

Diversity means creating a path and opportunities for success for all people, especially for those who are not given enough of those opportunities in today’s world.
Erna Dubravic

Erna Dubravic
Accounting & Assurance Senior Manager

Everyone—again, everyone—should be free to achieve their own greatness on their own merits and not be suppressed by the thoughts, opinions, or actions of others.
I believe in: compassion, justice, openness, respect, feeling valued, and making others feel valued.
Karen Mattull

Karen Mattull
COO, Internal Operations/Principal

The IDEA committee is important, because it keeps our firm accountable to change, to become more diverse, to make that a goal.
Caryn Metcalf

Caryn Metcalf
Graphic Designer

We all have a story, and I welcome the opportunity to be a part of the solution by bringing my voice to the IDEA committee.
Travis Jones

Travis Jones
Accounting & Assurance Senior Manager

Our IDEA committee is critical to not only creating a diverse workplace, but nurturing an environment where people are heard, feel respected, have a sense of belonging, and can be contributors to the success of our firm. We believe that embracing the full potential of people within our firm and community is the right thing to do.
If we acknowledge and embrace the different perspectives and backgrounds of our team members, we can develop pathways to ensure they all have an opportunity to excel in their jobs.
Marc Fleischman

Marc Fleischman
Senior Advisor

The IDEA committee pursues intentional change in diversity, equity, and inclusion at BeachFleischman. Better communities are not built by happenstance. Instead of waiting for gradual improvement, we come together to cultivate progress in our firm, in our community, and in the accounting industry at large.
Cheryl Hutchins

Cheryl Hutchins
Learning & Organizational Development