April Buford, director, diversity, equity, and inclusion at Sun Communities, Inc. (NYSE: SUI), sat down for a video interview at Nareit’s REITworks: 2024 Sustainability & Social Responsibility Conference, held in McLean, Virginia from Sept. 10-12. Sun Communities won Nareit’s 2024 Diversity Impact Honorable Mention award.
Buford said that Sun Communities has woven diversity, equity, and inclusion into its core culture by shifting its approach to ensure DEI is a strategic, ongoing commitment, not a mere one-off initiative.
Buford highlighted Sun’s innovative change in perspective on cultural values: “Once we can flip that DEI lens onto those culture statements, it makes a whole lot of sense, and we were able to do a lot of initiatives from that flip.” Sun’s values—including “we before me,” “do the right thing,” and “mindset is everything”—were central to this shift, she added.
Sun's recent efforts included cultural celebrations, employee resource groups, and initiatives like Voices of Sun, which shares employees’ lived experiences. ERGs supporting women, veterans, and the LGBTQ+ community were given a renewed focus this year. Sun also instituted IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) training for senior leaders, covering topics like microaggressions and privilege. This, Buford explained, was essential in “equipping leaders to cascade that message throughout the organization and really empower the team members.”
Looking forward, Buford emphasized Sun’s goal to expand IDEA initiatives externally to residents and guests, enhancing its industry-wide commitment to DEI.