After much thoughtful deliberation, SMA is adopting a new strategic initiative titled “ Acting On Our Values ” The long-term vision for Acting on Our Values is to dismantle systemic barriers that exist for anyone in our community who has been traditionally underrepresented in academia. The short-term mission of Acting on Our Values includes three broad areas of focus as described below. Although these initiatives are originating from SMA’s leadership, we believe that the engagement of our membership as a whole is critical to influencing, enforcing, and directing these efforts. In keeping with this idea, SMA as an organization will champion these three initiatives:

	Educate –  We leverage our skills as researchers and teachers to inform each other and SMA stakeholders about the implications of policies and actions derived from our values. For example, SMA has sponsored workshops on diversity, equity, and inclusion research and on allyship in the classroom. Future workshops might tackle additional issues such as how specific compensation policies perpetuate poverty, the efficiency of corporate and governmental sustainability efforts, or HR recruiting strategies that effectively minimize bias.
	Empower – SMA will create opportunities for members to engage in meaningful efforts towards change. For instance, SMA has hosted Town Hall discussions with colleagues on diversity, racism, and related topics. Research by SMA members may present evidence that can be used in our teaching, to inform policy makers, or to sway public opinion.
	Equalize – SMA will take steps to act in ways that are consistent with values. As an example, the SMA leadership has actively encouraged members from historically underrepresented groups to become involved in leading SMA and is examining policies that may facilitate the participation of members with young children.

Acting on our Values initiatives may take multiple forms. For instance, we welcome submissions to the annual conference in the form of Professional Development Institutes or research papers. We have also organized virtual workshops offered via zoom on diverse topics. SMA leadership is always willing to consider proposals for directing attention to new topics and new formats for delivering content to our members.

The SMA President will report on the progress made on each area above, while the President-Elect will lay out the agenda for Acting on Our Values in their term at the Business meeting at the Annual meeting of the SMA each year.

On January 8th, 2023, the SMA Board of Directors adopted the following policy statement further clarifying the scope of the Acting on Our Values initiative: Revised “Acting on our Values” Statement.