Here in the Mayor’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion (ODI), we are committed to building a talented, diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the diverse population of our city. Philadelphia is a majority minority city, and our office is dedicated to ensuring that our City government is as diverse as the residents that we serve. Because our office was newly established at the beginning of the Kenney administration, here are a few things that you may not know about us:

1. We provide Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Trainings to City employees

ODI conducts training sessions with City departments and offices on a regular and on-going basis. The trainings cover topics such as implicit/explicit bias and how to be an inclusive leader. Over the past two years, we’ve trained more than 500 employees. ODI plans to train executives, senior managers and supervisors during the coming fiscal year.

2. We track how diverse the City’s Exempt Workforce is and consult on ways to increase diversity

We’ve all heard the saying, “what gets measured gets done.” For this reason, ODI strongly focuses on tracking the racial, ethnic, and gender metrics of the City’s exempt workforce. Our office meets quarterly with department and office heads to review their current diversity metrics and identify where there may be opportunities to increase the number of diverse workers. At the end of each year, we produce a Workforce Profile Report that examines the City’s workforce diversity and includes recommendations on how to increase our diversity.

3. We promote racial equity within City government

ODI has trained more than 150 City leaders in racial equity. During these trainings, City leaders learn to apply a racial equity lens to all management decisions that they make. The racial equity team currently reviews racial and gender disparities in several City positions to determine if there are any discrepancies across racial and ethnic groups.

4. We work with the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) to help support minority, women, and disabled-owned businesses.

ODI, along with the Commerce Department, oversees the initiatives of OEO and works on developing long range strategic priorities. One area that we collaborate with OEO on is an analysis of how we can speed up payments to contractors and subcontractors hired by the City. Another priority project with OEO is working to increase the percentage of City dollars that go to minority and women owned businesses.

5. We oversee the Office of LGBT Affairs and the Mayor’s Office on People with Disabilities (MOPD)

Both the Office of LGBT Affairs and MOPD are overseen by ODI. These offices are strong advocates for the rights of the people that they represent, teachers in a variety of forums, and most of all, problem solvers on many issues that arise daily. Be sure to look out for future posts about the amazing work done in these offices!