A First-of-Its-Kind Bootcamp for Federal DEIA Officers

Many federal agencies have brought on chief diversity officers in recent years, so a duo teamed up on a pilot for a training bootcamp to better equip those in the federal diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility space. 

Accenture Federal Services and the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service worked together to carry out a first-of-its kind in-person and virtual boot camp from January through March. Eighteen people participated, the majority of whom were federal employees, and this was given to the federal government as an in-kind gift. 

“[We] saw the need to help make sure that the people who are being placed in these positions also had the background and experiences as [diversity and inclusion] practitioners,” said Adam Jones, Accenture Federal Services’ human capital and DEI offerings lead.

He and Kevin Johnson, who leads the Partnership’s external DEIA efforts, said that the murder of George Floyd in 2020, which sparked nationwide protests for racial justice and prompted a 2021 executive order on increasing DEIA in the federal workforce, led to an increase in chief diversity officers in the private as well as public sectors.

Separating or combining DEIA from human resources functions is something that is “constantly debated,” Johnson said. “In the federal government oftentimes, you do not see a [chief human capital officer] or someone who is the lead of the HR department who is versed in both HR as well as DEIA. So that’s why it is so important in the federal government for them to have someone who has that knowledge because there [are]…not just nuances, but there’s definitely technical knowledge that you need to have in order to propel the principles and practices within the agency.” 

The learning objectives in the bootcamp included how to serve in a DEIA leadership role or assist such individuals; how to communicate and advocate for an agency’s DEIA goals; and how to use data and analytics to inform DEIA decisions. 

Glorimar Maldonado, diversity officer at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, said in a statement, “after participating, I know I have advocates and colleagues for life, and that makes this journey so much better.” She added that toward the end of the bootcamp she was selected to be “the very first and very first Latina diversity officer for the organization.” She was previously a diversity program manager.

Ar’ Tee Franklin, senior adviser for DEIA at the U.S Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, called the bootcamp a “game changer.” Moreover, “the program was designed with a perfect blend of both theory and practical learning opportunities,” he said. “I am now even more equipped to lead USAID towards creating a more inclusive culture and work environment.” 

Going forward, Accenture and the Partnership are hoping to expand these efforts. 

“D&I practitioners need not just be D&I practitioners; they can’t just be chief diversity officers,” Jones said. “They need to be everybody.” Therefore, “our goal is to move into that phase of the work where this is less about just the people who lead the work and really about those who need to be educated on it.”