In order to advance equity and integrate the principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) into our agency’s decision-making, I have created two new leadership positions at NARA, the Chief Equity Officer and the Chief Diversity Officer.
The Chief Equity Officer is a newly-created position in the Senior Executive Service that will report directly to me. The Chief Equity Officer will lead continuous engagement with underserved communities to better understand their needs for NARA services; serve as an ombudsperson to receive suggestions and complaints from customers when our services do not meet our ideals for equity; and promote equity in management decision-making and regulatory processes. The Chief Equity Officer will hold a seat on the Executive Leadership Team as well as NARA’s Management Team.
The Chief Diversity Officer is a new responsibility assigned to the Office of Human Capital. The Chief Diversity Officer is responsible for using a data-driven approach to assess and ensure that NARA employment practices are equitable, especially in the areas of: recruitment, hiring, promotion, retention, professional development, performance evaluations, pay and compensation policies, and training policies and practices are equitable. The Chief Diversity Officer will hold a seat on NARA’s Management Team.
We are also embedding the principles of equity and DEIA in NARA’s Strategic Plan. NARA’s Management Team has added two new values and one new transformational outcome to reaffirm our commitment to equity and DEIA. The values are:
- Act with Integrity: Build trust by acting with honesty, fairness, and transparency.
- Advance Diversity: Model diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility throughout the agency and expand participation by staff and customers of all backgrounds in NARA programs and decision-making.
Transformational Outcome:
- A Diverse and Inclusive NARA: We will embrace diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility so that our workforce and our customers of all backgrounds are valued and supported.
These actions are an important step in our goal to embed equity in all of our decision-making processes; to signal our commitment to these principles as a strategic imperative; and to support two important Administration priorities: Executive Order 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government and Executive Order 14035: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce. I appreciate NARA’s senior leaders for their commitment to a diverse and equitable NARA, and look forward to working with these new leaders to create a stronger future together.