SHRM announces Center for Inclusion & Diversity, as companies transform diversity practice

On June 16, SHRM announced the Center for Inclusion and Diversity, a new “operating model” and resource center to help employers navigate the evolution of DEI, which SHRM has internally rebranded as inclusion and diversity (I&D).

The center was born out of CEO Action, an organization SHRM acquired from PwC in 2024 that encourages CEOs to develop more inclusive workplaces, to provide insights and help companies as they ensure I&D programs are legal and pass the muster of government agencies.

“The next iteration of this work does not necessarily need to focus on just the most senior levels of an organization,” Carolynn Johnson, president of the SHRM Center for I&D told HR Brew. “We needed to make sure that it was more inclusive of the folks that may not have ever had any formal responsibility for I&D, but now, given all the executive orders…now have responsibility.”

Johnson indicated that SHRM has several components for the center, but at its core, it will bring diversity to the forefront, so “different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds that are all fusing into the workplace” are all considered, while ensuring workers are “respected, heard, and [can] be curious,” and ultimately build inclusive workplaces for all.

SHRM has launched the resource center in the wake of criticism from many HR leaders and diversity practitioners over its approach for I&D over the last several years. Most recently, SHMR lost an $11.5 million discrimination lawsuit and is currently battling a suit alleging it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In 2025, some HR leaders questioned SHRM’s decision to rebrand its decades-old diversity conference (from Workplace Diversity Conference to Blueprint) and invite anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck to speak, HR Brew reported previously. In 2024, SHRM removed “equality” language from I&D, angering many professionals, and was criticized for how it handled the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

Johnson, who joined SHRM earlier this year, said she’s been meeting and listening to various I&D and HR leaders. “I started with the folks who were the most vocal about their concerns,” she said. “What I found in that time of listening to people and talking about their own experiences is they too had to make some changes in order to protect the impact of the work, and to be able to continue to do it regardless of administration.”

Language across the profession has changed as companies try to navigate an aggressive backlash against DEI under the Trump 2.0 administration. Many companies have publicly rebranded to inclusion, belonging, or even culture and engagement, to avoid unnecessary attention.

Johnson said SHRM is looking at the “triad of enforcement”—the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Department of Justice, and Department of Labor—to properly advise employers on I&D language and programs.

“Oftentimes we see that there is a breakdown with what we say a program is, who it is open to, versus what it’s actually doing organizationally,” Johnson said, noting that employers need to make sure that the language for I&D programs is treated like any other business function.

“If SHRM is going to own [I&D], we also have to standardize the language. We have to remove the risk that puts unnecessary focus on programs that are really structured to benefit everyone in the workforce,” Johnson said.

SHRM will unveil its first research and standards during its Blueprint for I&D conference this November.