As the U.S. government's leading international development agency, USAID is dedicated to saving lives; reducing poverty, hunger, and malnutrition; strengthening democratic governance; defending human rights, and building resilience. Critical to achieving these goals is fully prioritizing, embodying, and advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) among our people, partners, and programs–at home and abroad.
Office of the Chief DEIA Officer
USAID established the Office of the Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Officer (A/DEIA) in early 2022 to advance, coordinate, and provide technical expertise in support of DEIA programming and implementation across the Agency. A/DEIA is led by the Chief Diversity Officer (CDO), who oversees three divisions: (1) People, Workplace, and Culture; (2) Training, Events, and Outreach; and (3) Development Programming. The creation of A/DEIA fulfills the Agency’s mandate to establish a CDO, as identified in Executive Order 14035, and is essential for advancing USAID’s efforts to foster more respectful, inclusive, and safe environments across USAID’s workplaces and programs by investing in people, updating policies and practices, and strengthening programs and partnerships. According to A/DEIA’s vision statement, the Office's efforts are dedicated to helping USAID become:
An Agency that moves beyond mandates to meet people where they are and expand our collective space for ownership, innovation, and leadership to help USAID achieve its transformative mission around the world.