Core principles of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) will be integrated into hiring, training, and career development under the latest strategic plan for the actions issued Wednesday by the federal insurer of bank deposits.
According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC), its plan will “improve these principles in the agency’s contracting opportunities, enhance its ability to assess diversity policies and practices at financial institutions, and provide additional support for Minority Depository Institutions,” the agency said in a release.
In releasing the plan, FDIC Board Chairman Jelena McWilliams said her goal is to build an agency workforce that is talented, diverse, and committed to “fostering a safe, fair, and inclusive workplace and banking system.”
“To be successful, our DEI efforts must be led and managed as an organizational priority. This plan is unlike others we have had in the past,” she said. “I stand behind it with my commitment that we will work toward an inclusive FDIC where all feel that they belong.”
The plan outlines five goals under DEI: culture, career, communication, consistency, and community.
According to Nikita Pearson, director of the FDIC’s Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI), the plan “tackles the very core of who we are as an agency. It takes a deep dive into root causes of our culture, ethics, and history, as a society and as a venerable agency. It is brutally honest in the assessment of our successes and past failures on issues that matter on an intrinsic level to us, as a people, and as colleagues.”