Patrick Milan | Source | Chief Insights Officer at Tunheim Partners

"While DEI as a label may be politically toxic, the ideas behind it remain essential to long-term business success and community trust. In fact, for many organizations, inclusive cultures and diverse teams are not just moral imperatives — they’re strategic advantages."

"Many leaders believe deeply in building inclusive environments. They know their organizations are stronger when more people have a voice. But they also see the risk: Congressional inquiries, bad-faith lawsuits, targeted media campaigns, even the threat of losing public funding. What do you do when your mission and your legal exposure seem to be on a collision course? Organizations need to organize to navigate that risk — not retreat from their values. And they can do that by reframing values in ways that are more resilient, less vulnerable to attack, and still true to who they are."

"The need for strategic clarity is urgent. Too many organizations are either going silent — scrubbing websites, canceling programs, freezing hiring initiatives — or going defiant, daring the administration to come after them. Neither approach is sustainable. We believe there’s a third path: Stay true to your values. Protect your organization. Don’t be naive about the political environment, but don’t surrender to it either."