In 2022, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed an ambitious motion asking for a county-wide adoption of Gender Impact Assessments (GIA) to implement the County’s ordinance on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). 

A Gender Impact Assessment is a tool used by the United Nations, governments, and non-profit organizations to understand the needs, experiences, and opportunities of all women and girls, men and boys, and those on the gender spectrum. It is a methodology that teaches us to question the assumption that policies, programs, and services affect or benefit people in the same way and helps staff estimate the impact – positive, negative, or neutral – on different groups. 

With Los Angeles County employing over 100,000 people and serving a population of ten million, the GIA program constitutes one of the largest efforts in the country to mainstream an intersectional gender lens into government operations. Refolda was hired to develop a virtual training on GIAs tailored to Los Angeles County, train all 39 departments in GIAs, and help them define clear goals, strategies, and metrics. 

Awards: 

• 2022 Silver Telly award in the Internal Communications - Non-Broadcast category.

• 2023 award by the National Association of Counties in the Personnel Management, Employment, and Training category.