Book Club 2025

Join the SEAOI Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Women in Structural Engineering (WiSE) Committees for their joint Book Club on Tuesday, June 24^th! We will begin the evening with light snacks and beverages, followed by a discussion of Revolution to Evolution: The Story of the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity at the University of Washington.

Special thanks to Eric Wheeler and Rachel Jackson of Thornton Tomasetti for hosting!

“Revolution to Evolution: The Story of the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity at the University of Washington”

• Author: Emile Pitre
• Pages: 360
• Summary: Emile Pitre was a founding member of the Black Student Union at the University of Washington in the 1960s. This group led to the university becoming the first to ever hire a dedicated DEI practitioner. Pitre, through primary resources including interviews and letters, illustrates how the university’s Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity came to life.
• Recommended by: Paul R. Johnson, CDO and VP of people and culture at Seattle Symphony Orchestra
• Why it’s a must-read: “[Emile Pitre’s] recently released book about the past five decades of equity, diversity, and inclusion at the University of Washington is filled with interesting facts and is incredibly informative,” says Johnson in a LinkedIn post. “It will certainly assist me with my own initiatives and strategies for change, and implementing DEI in my current role. If you’re involved in education, have DEI efforts you’re working on, or are simply interested in University of Washington history, I highly recommend reading Revolution to Evolution!”