Executive Order Comes in Wake of Historic Nomination of First-Ever Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and Effort to Reform Civil Service Department
Photos of the Event are Available Here
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone today signed an Executive Order to promote a culture of diversity and inclusion in the County workforce. The EO calls for the development of a coordinated County-wide Diversity and Inclusion Initiative and Strategic Plan prepared by the recently announced Suffolk County Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and the County Personnel Officer, in coordination with the Office of the County Executive. Once completed, the County-wide plan will be implemented in all County departments, divisions and agencies.
“Our diversity is our strength and this Executive Order will ensure that we are creating a culture of innovation and inclusion in our workforce that will attract and retain the broad spectrum of talent we need to remain competitive as a region,” said Suffolk County Executive Bellone. “As a result of the County-wide plan, County government will have a roadmap to ensure a more diverse and inclusive workforce that is reflective of the communities it serves.”
This new initiative includes developing and issuing a County-wide plan focused on workforce diversity, workplace inclusion, and county department accountability and leadership. The County-wide plan will also highlight comprehensive strategies for agencies to identify and remove barriers to equal employment opportunities that may exist in the County government’s recruitment, hiring, promotion, retention, professional development, and training policies and practices.
The new plan will provide guidance to County departments, divisions and agencies concerning the formulation of their specific Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plans. The plan will also identify appropriate practices to improve the effectiveness of the County’s efforts to promote a diverse and inclusive workforce, consistent with merit system principles and applicable law. Additionally, the plan will establish a system for departments, divisions and agencies to regularly report their progress in meeting the objectives of the EO. The plan will be updated as appropriate at a minimum of every four years.
Once the plan is completed, all County departments, divisions and agencies will be tasked with designating an appropriate employee within existing department leadership to serve as the Chief Human Capital Officer who will be responsible for the development and implementation of its specific Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan. The Chief Human Capital Officer will work to enhance employment and promotional opportunities within their office and also be tasked with issuing the required reports as laid out in the EO.
Thomas Melito, Suffolk County Personnel Officer Nominee, said: “We are poised, in the wake of our analysis, to update our Civil Service departmental vision to one of diversity, inclusion and employee engagement. A first order of propriety goal is to develop a best practices plan that institutionalizes this historically important initiative.”
Dan Levler, President of the Suffolk County Association of Municipal Employees, said: “AME fully supports the County Executive’s efforts to ensure the future of our workforce represents the diversity of our County.”
Pastor Keith Hayward of Bethel AME Church, said: “The County executive and I talked a few months ago about the importance of diversity in our county and to see this vision come to fruition is such a joy. Everything we do in ecumenical relationships has to do with diversity and I am proud to stand here to witness the signing of this most important Executive Order.”
Priscilla Zarate, Chair of the Suffolk County Hispanic Advisory Board, said:“As an educator, I can tell you that this is going to have a great impact in our school system and the diversity that is represented in our schools, which is much needed. Making our educational system and our communities inclusive, diverse, and representative of people that live here is key to creating a workforce that looks like, speaks like, and understands the background of the people it services.”
In 2011, President Barack Obama signed an executive order directing all executive departments and agencies to develop and implement a more comprehensive, integrated, and strategic focus on diversity and inclusion as a key component of their human resources strategy. This approach included a continuing effort to identify and adopt best practices to promote diversity and inclusion and to identify and remove any barriers to equal opportunity. Since President Obama signed the Executive Order in 2011, the total number of African-Americans in the federal workforce increased by more than 10,000 and the total number of Hispanics increased by approximately 15,000.
Earlier this year, County Executive Bellone released the findings of a comprehensive 10-month review of the Department of Human Resources, Personnel and Civil Service. The report offered an unprecedented examination of the Department following a thorough assessment led by Suffolk County Performance Management and in collaboration with members of the Department and various stakeholders, including County department heads and local jurisdictions served.
Based on the review, the Department had failed to meet its full array of responsibilities called for by the Suffolk County Charter including management of diversity in the Human Resources/Civil Service Department as well as the important role it should play in increasing diversity in local governments.
In response, the County Executive nominated Thomas Melito to serve as Suffolk County Personnel Officer and announced he will be appointed Retha Fernandez to serve as the County’s first-ever Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. Both are pending legislative approval.
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