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MEMORANDUM
DATE: December 21, 2023
FROM: Martin Brown, Chief Diversity, Opportunity & Inclusion Officer
Janet Lawson, Director, Department of Human Resource Management
TO: State Agency Heads
RE: Commonwealth of Virginia Diversity, Opportunity & Inclusion
Guidance for Agencies
Diversity, Opportunity & Inclusion (DOI) have been key areas of focus for this Administration since day one. In addition to designating a Chief DOI Officer, Governor Youngkin issued Executive Order 10 on January 19, 2022, to further strengthen and focus the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to include the promotion and expansion of opportunity for all Virginians. Since then, important programs and policies that meet this goal within the Commonwealth’s agencies and authorities have significantly expanded.
As you know, each agency is required by Code of Virginia § 2.2-602(B) to submit an annual report to the Governor assessing the impact of DOI efforts among your workforce and budget as well as the Virginians we serve. In meeting this reporting obligation, please focus your report on cataloging the opportunities created by your agency as well as your diversity and inclusion successes—again, for both your workforce as well as for the populations you serve. Please complete your 2023 annual report by March 31, 2024, and send completed reports to deidirector@governor.virginia.gov.
Helpful examples include:
- DHRM
- Reduction of educational requirements for state workers
- Governor’s Leadership Training program
- DBHDS
- Right Help, Right Now initiative and the increase of mental health delivery to minority communities
- Improved language access and streamlined applications for persons with disabilities
- VDOE
- ALL IN effort to combat pandemic learning loss
- Increased grant opportunities and pathways to become a teacher
- DOLI
- Universal licensing success as well as reduction of training mandates and hours for certification in certain occupations
- Governor’s Summer Internship Program
In addition to outlining these successes and key accomplishments in creating opportunities for Virginia’s workforce and the broader population, if you believe any systemic inequities persist in your agency, please identify them in conjunction with your report.
As a follow-up to the report due by March 31, agencies will have until May 1, 2024, to update your Agency’s plan and tailor it to the updated goals and objectives linked here and available on the DHRM website. This plan and associated materials replace any previous plans that were formerly in place.
Our Administration has significantly, and creatively, expanded opportunities for Virginians—both within the Commonwealth’s own workforce and in communities across the state—and we have an exciting story to tell. As we enter the halfway point of the Administration, we thank you for the impact your leadership has had in making Virginia the best place to live, work, and raise a family. Now is the time to increase, expand, and intensify our efforts to increase opportunities for all. We look forward to continuing to work with you all to achieve these goals.
Thank you!
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