Our nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Educational Institutions are often untapped resources abounding in talent, ingenuity and expertise but often lacking in the material resources necessary for scientific research. Tapping into HBCU talent resources is why ORAU and the Ecological Society of America officially began a working relationship with the signing of a memorandum of understanding during the ESA’s 108^th annual meeting in Portland, Oregon, on Monday, August 7, 2023. In this episode, host Michael Holtz talks to Catherine O'Riordan, executive director of ESA, Jeff Miller, ORAU senior vice president, Teresa Mourad, director of education and diversity programs for ESA, and Desmond Stubbs, director of diversity initiatives for ORAU. They discuss the importance of the MOU and what the future holds for our working relationship.