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- 02/06/12: Remarks by Donald Steinberg, Deputy Administrator, US Agency for International Development - Beyond Victimhood: The Crucial Role of Marginalized Groups in Building Peace
- 02/02/12: Statement of Dr. Sarah E. Mendelson, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, before the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights - U.S. Policy toward Post-Election Democratic Republic of the Congo
- 01/20/12: Remarks by USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah at the Environment and Security Conference, Washington, DC
- 01/19/12: Remarks by USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah at the Brookings Institution, Washington, DC - U.S. Aid and Transparency for Global Development
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This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery
by Ambassador Randall L. Tobias
Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance and USAID Administrator
"Leveraging Diversity to Achieve Our Mission"
June 6, 2006
Executive Diversity Council Public Meeting
Ronald Reagan Building
[AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY]
Thank you all for coming.
On my first day as Administrator of USAID, I had the opportunity to address all employees at our first Town Hall meeting. In the question and answer session that afternoon, a number of the concerns raised by employees involved diversity. So I'm particularly pleased to gather with the Executive Diversity Council today to share some thoughts on this important issue.
As I told the team here upon my arrival, the strength of an organization - and ultimately, its ability to achieve - lies in its people. If we are to succeed in helping people around the world, USAID's workforce must reflect the very best our country has to offer, and maximize use of diverse talents. To quote President Bush, "Diversity represents one of our greatest strengths, and we must strive to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to reach their full potential."
Not only does USAID seek the most qualified people to work in the Agency, we also seek to establish a workforce that is representative of the American people. This principle is not only based in law; it is the right thing to do.
Secretary Rice has said, "Our belief in democracy, liberty, the dignity of every life, and the rights of every individual unites Americans of all backgrounds, all faiths, and all colors. And one of our greatest strengths is our diversity. The signal sent to the rest of the world when America is represented abroad by people of all cultures, races, and religions is a clear statement about who we are and what our values mean in practice."
There is a strong business case to be made for Diversity. Especially in this era of limited resources, we don't have an employee to waste. The work of the Diversity Council will enable the Agency to capitalize on the array of ideas, creativity, and potential contributions inherent in a diverse workforce.
It will allow us to communicate better what our diversity and inclusiveness goals are in this area, and be able to measure our achievements; to value and reward good supervisors; to link recruitment and selection efforts to actual hiring; and to develop mentors and provide such support to all employees interested in upward mobility and career enhancement.
The challenge confronting all organizations is in lawfully and fairly encouraging and leveraging differences within the workforce, while at the same time maintaining a united and cohesive whole. When effectively done, creativity, adaptability and productivity will be enhanced, morale will be boosted, and the Agency will be better situated to achieve its mission, serve its constituents, and be the type of organization high caliber candidates of all backgrounds will strive to work for.
Powerful opportunities exist for USAID to capitalize on the array of ideas and potential contributions inherent in a diverse workforce. Recruiting, selecting, developing and retaining a qualified workforce from diverse populations, able to better serve diverse constituents, is critical for the Agency to perform to its potential.
Creating, nurturing and leveraging diversity within USAID demands both actively valuing and managing diversity. By valuing diversity, the Agency must raise employee awareness at all levels through education and positive recognition of the differences among employees.
Building upon this foundation of valuing employees and their inherent diversity, the Agency must then actively manage diversity, strategically capitalizing on these differences, leveraging them to better achieve organizational goals and mission.
The current Diversity Initiative can improve the quality of the Agency's workforce and its ability to serve its constituents. When commitment and productivity are lost because employees don't feel valued, treated with respect nor supported with equity, resources are squandered and human capital is wasted.
We must create an environment where all employees feel included and valued, so that efficiencies can be garnered that will better enable the Agency to achieve its mission and serve its constituents.
To reinforce this business case, the metrics for diversity must be considered on par with the other operational and strategic measures in the organization, and communicated as widely. To ensure this, a Diversity Scorecard has been developed to measure the Agency's progress by creating the visible metrics necessary to measure the Agency's performance in achieving its diversity objectives.
I understand the framework for the Scorecard will be presented today and officially launched July 1. I will personally monitor the Agency's progress on the Scorecard quarterly to ensure that we stay on target to accomplish the goals.
I applaud the work of the Council and encourage you to continue to focus on changes and improvements that can be made. Rest assured that this effort will remain a high priority for me.
Thank you very much.
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