The biennial Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM) is the most extensive opportunity for members of the global ocean sciences community to come together to share knowledge, network, build and strengthen collaborations, and grow ideas. In addition to sharing progress in research, technology, and education, these meetings are a valuable opportunity to advance diversity and inclusivity in the ocean sciences community. OSM 2020 featured several successful events and sessions with these themes, and reflection on them since then has been valuable for guiding further diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts at our home institutions and for planning future conferences (Behl et al., 2021, in this issue; Le Bras, 2021).