The Office of Personnel Management is encouraging agencies to establish chief diversity officers, according to a Jan. 5 letter.
The effort stems from a Biden White House executive order and resulting strategic plan on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the federal workforce. Agencies are under a March 23 deadline to finalize plans for agency-specific DEIA efforts sparked by the executive order.
“The federal government must be a model employer for workforce diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), to perform optimally and to attract, hire, develop retain, and promote individuals who possess the skills and commitment to serve our nation,” OPM Director Kiran Ahuja wrote in the letter.
