This invitation-only conference brought together representatives of scientific societies and professional organizations that support the Earth and space sciences community in order to identify new strategies for increasing the participation of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in these disciplines. The conference allowed the exchange of information among participating organizations about the need for promoting diversity within the geosciences community and identifying the key underpinning issues that surround this topic.

One focus of this conference was consideration of the unique resources that non-government, non-academic organizations can contribute toward efforts to increase diversity and the merits of working together as a coalition on this issue. New and innovative strategies that can only be implemented through a collaborative approach were explored.