Following the adoption of the Minority, Diversity and Inclusion (MDI) Committee charter in late 2013, NFFE has spent months soliciting NFFE-IAM membership to apply to the committee. The committee is charged with researching issues and develop policy/position recommendations to the National Executive Council of NFFE on issues related to diversity in federal employment and NFFE membership. Today, NFFE National President William R. Dougan announced the appointment of eight NFFE-IAM members to the MDI committee.
The appointed members include: Beverly Tobin (FL 1855), Sandra Inman (FL 2195), LaTannya Bell (FL 1800), Michael Goolsby (FL 178), Bardomina Lopez (FL 1690), Toulee Thao (FL 1450), and Al Beverly (Local CE-1). The committee will be chaired by Rakaia Jackson (FL 1525). Jackson says that the committee has a clear vision and will hit the ground running in its first meeting.
“My vision is simple: to start the dialogue regarding diversity,” Jackson said. “[The Committee] will ensure that [NFFE] is recruiting and supporting diversity among our leadership and members. Diversity is not just a racial or gender issue, and I want to expand the boundaries of how we have defined diversity in the past.”
While officially chartered in October 2013, the desire for the MDI committee arose from a vote at NFFE’s 49th National Convention. NFFE National Vice President, Elizabeth McDargh, recounts the issue arising on the convention floor.
“NFFE responded to the delegates at the October convention who brought to the floor a motion to create the committee,” McDargh said. “The convention delegates had a lively discussion about the motion and ultimately voted to create the new committee.”
With the committee set to have its first meeting in Q1 2014, the scope of the committee’s work will be focused on four primary goals: Developing and supporting networking opportunities for NFFE-IAM membership to engage and discuss issues pertaining to increasing diversity, assisting NFFE to recruit and retain minority workers to its membership, assist the Councils and Locals of NFFE to work with agencies to establish Labor-Management Partnership forums to promote workplace inclusion, and to achieve these goals without discriminating for or against any employee based on their race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation or any other prohibited basis.
“With the announcement of MDI Committee member appointments, NFFE continues its tradition of advocating for inclusivity in the federal workplace and NFFE-IAM membership,” said National President, William R. Dougan. “Applicants for Committee membership were received from many of NFFE’s most active diversity advocates. This committee brings together a vast array of experiences in its membership, and I look forward to the recommendations resulting from the work of the MDI Committee.”
To read the full MDI Committee Charter, click here.