On Our Minds
By Michelle Kedem (she/her)
Over the past few months, we’ve seen renewed attention—and new resistance—to equity work in hiring. At On-Ramps, we’ve always believed that this work is central to finding the most qualified candidate, but we also know it can be challenging to articulate its value. That’s why I reached out to Jonathan McLean, Chief Executive Officer of CASES and someone whose leadership I deeply admire, to help me think more critically about what equity really requires from organizations, leaders, and each of us individually.
What followed was a candid and generous conversation. Jonathan shared personal reflections, organizational learnings, and a whole lot of honesty. Below are excerpts from that conversation, lightly edited for clarity and length.
“Equity isn’t about giving anyone anything for free—it’s about making sure everyone who’s qualified has a real chance to compete.”
Equity is about fair competition.
When Jonathan and I first spoke about this topic, he said something that’s stayed with me ever since: equity isn’t about giving anyone anything for free—it’s about making sure everyone who’s qualified has a real chance to compete. As someone who’s been trying to articulate this point for years, it was such a clear and powerful way to frame the conversation. I asked him to elaborate.
Jonathan:
“In order to understand equity, you have to confront the history. There are entire swaths of this country’s story where Black and Brown people weren’t even allowed to enter the arena—let alone compete. And yet in spite of that, they’ve continued to find ways to contribute to the foundations of economic and political success in our society.
“I spent 16 years in prison. I went in at 16 years old and came out a 32-year-old man. And when I finally decided I wanted something different, all I wanted was a blueprint. When formerly incarcerated people would come back into the facility to speak, I’d sit in the front row every time. I wasn’t looking for a handout—I was desperate to know how they did it. And I think it’s the same for a lot of people. All they want is an opportunity to show the world what they can do.
“That’s what equity means to me. It’s about opportunity. And I refuse to let anyone reframe it as anything less than that—because doing so erases the sacrifices of everyone who fought for people like me to have a shot.”
Jonathan’s perspective clarified something that I think gets lost in so many hiring conversations: equity is a precondition for true merit-based selection. Without it, hiring managers aren’t choosing the most qualified candidates—they’re just choosing the most familiar ones.
Drive, ambition, and capability aren’t reserved for specific groups of people. But too often, those qualities are only perceived in those who remind us of ourselves, or who follow paths we already understand. Jonathan’s story is a powerful reminder that unfamiliar doesn’t mean without merit. And equity is what enables us to give everyone a chance to be seen, and to show what they’re capable of.
What people get wrong—and why.
“A lot of people want to believe they’re good. That they’ve earned everything they have. And so it’s easier to reject the idea of equity—because if you accepted it, you’d have to admit the system wasn’t built for everyone to succeed.
Equity is often characterized as more of a problem than a solution. Over time, I’ve come to recognize that reaction for what it really is: a misunderstanding of what equity actually means—and, sometimes, resistance to what it asks of us. When I raised this with Jonathan, he didn’t hesitate to go deeper.
Jonathan:
“A lot of people want to believe they’re good. That they’ve earned everything they have. And so it’s easier to reject the idea of equity—because if you accepted it, you’d have to admit the system wasn’t built for everyone to succeed.
“But let’s be clear: most hiring decisions—most decisions in general—aren’t objective. They’re subjective. They’re shaped by how we were raised, what we value, and who we see as ‘deserving.’ And too often, Black and Brown candidates are dismissed because they don’t look the part, or they don’t act like who we’re used to seeing in a given role.”
Michelle:
“There’s also a comfort, I think, in blaming equity for your own setbacks. When candidates don’t get an offer, I’ve heard some assume the job must’ve gone to a person of color, or someone who checked a diversity box. It’s a way to preserve ego in a competitive world—and it reinforces the false idea that equity means giving unqualified people an advantage.”
Jonathan:
“And sometimes the pushback comes from people who may not occupy certain marginalized identities, but still feel like they’ve been left behind. When they hear about ‘equity,’ it sounds like someone else is getting a shortcut they didn’t get. But that’s not the reality. The truth is: people are still competing. It’s just that more people are finally being allowed to enter the arena.”
You can’t improve what you won’t confront.
One of the most meaningful parts of this conversation, for me, was hearing how Jonathan approaches the complexity of the work—not with fear, but with honesty. He talked about the importance of naming inequities out loud, even when you can’t fix them perfectly. And he shared an example that stuck with me.
Jonathan:
“When I joined CASES in 2022, the organization didn’t have a clear work-from-home policy. That wasn’t unusual—plenty of orgs were still figuring it out. But I didn’t want to avoid the conversation just because it was messy.
“So we looked at it through an equity lens. We realized some people can’t work from home because of their role—usually the same folks earning the least and, more often than not, Black and Brown employees. We didn’t have unlimited resources, but we found a way to offer that group a small bonus as acknowledgment. Is it perfect? No. But it’s honest. It’s something.”
What stood out to me in this example was the clarity of intention. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was honest, collaborative, and responsive to a real imbalance. That’s what made it meaningful. In this work, perfection is rare—but the willingness to act anyway, to refuse to allow the pursuit of perfection to become an excuse for inaction, is what moves us forward.
Jonathan:
“You take a ton of pressure off yourself when you just own your humanity in the process. We’re not trying to be the most equitable organization in New York. We’re trying to be the best version of ourselves. That means we’ll get it wrong sometimes, but we never run from the work.”
When DEIB is real, it shows.
“For me, one of the clearest signs is when people feel comfortable speaking up. Whether it’s at a town hall or pulling me aside during a site visit, staff aren’t afraid to tell the truth, even when it’s messy.”
I asked Jonathan what it looks like when equity work is actually working—not just in theory, but in the day-to-day life of an organization. His answer wasn’t a checklist or a set of metrics. It was something more human.
Jonathan:
“For me, one of the clearest signs is when people feel comfortable speaking up. Whether it’s at a town hall or pulling me aside during a site visit, staff aren’t afraid to tell the truth, even when it’s messy. That doesn’t mean everything’s perfect, or every comment will be an actionable one. But if people trust that they can raise concerns without retribution, that’s a sign we’re doing something right.”
He also emphasized that equity isn’t a side project. It’s woven into how CASES operates which includes creating space for ideas to come from anywhere, not just the top.
Jonathan:
“Some of our most powerful values-oriented work came from two staff members who created PURPOSE, an acronym that captures the values we strive to live by: People, Unity, Respect, Progress, Optimization, Strategy, and Empathy.
“This wasn’t something we handed down. It came from them. And now it’s part of our branding, orientation, and how we evaluate ourselves. That’s the kind of progress you can make when people feel trusted—and when leaders know when to get out of the way.”
Conclusion
I’m deeply grateful to Jonathan—not only for the clarity and conviction he brought to this conversation, but for the way he models what values-based leadership really looks like. Honest. Reflective. Practical. And grounded in lived experience and a clear sense of purpose.
This conversation reaffirmed something we believe deeply at On-Ramps: equity is the core of the work we do. It’s how you build trust. How you lead with consistency, even when things are complicated. And maybe most of all, it’s how people feel seen, heard, and supported enough to show up fully.
There’s no single right way to do it. But talking about it—naming the hard parts, sharing what’s working, and staying accountable to the kind of workplaces we want to build—moves us all forward.
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On-Ramps is a search and consulting firm that serves mission-driven organizations in the social sector. We are deeply committed to helping create diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces. Together with our clients, we thoughtfully consider and address these topics throughout every step in our process.
Want to talk about your hiring needs? Reach out to Michelle Kedem at info@on-ramps.com or 212-924-3434.
