In 2021, during Native American Heritage Month, President Biden signed the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) which provided over $65 billion to bring affordable, high-speed internet to every American. This funding also added an additional $2 billion to the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) for broadband deployment on Tribal lands, as well as for telehealth, education...

America’s diversity has always been our nation’s greatest strength and we must continue to leverage capabilities from all people. People with disabilities have long strengthened our economy and expanded our Nation’s possibilities. The growing popularity of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is opening new doors that are enhancing the work capabilities and performance for persons with disabilities. In...

Dear Business Leaders, As Deputy Secretary of Commerce, I am writing to you and your members to underscore the importance of continuing our collective work toward advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). DEIA initiatives are not just cornerstones of corporate responsibility but are also critical for America's growth, innovation, and economic competitiveness. The Equal...

By Junish Arora, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer One of the roles of the Chief Diversity Officer is to connect Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and the Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM) in an effort to build a more optimal workforce and a thriving workplace culture. However, there are many other partners and...

By Junish Arora, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer As the new DOC Chief Diversity Officer (CDO), I wanted to share my perspective on the first critical year in that role. While it cannot be overstated how important it was for me to navigate the stakeholder universe and perform a comprehensive review of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA), it was also key to go from Z...

The Department of Commerce recently appointed Ines Hernandez as the first-ever Counselor for Equity. In this newly created role, Hernandez will work across the Department’s 13 bureaus to institutionalize equity across all workstreams and advise senior leadership on policy design and implementation strategies that help advance the equity agenda within the Department’s programs and strategic...

First Convening of Department-wide Equity Councils The U.S. Department of Commerce convened today the first Congress of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Councils to accelerate a shared mission to deliver equitable services to underserved communities and create a culture where employees can succeed and thrive. The inaugural meeting of the Councils led by Commerce Deputy...

By Junish A. Arora As the new Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer (CDO) at the Department of Commerce, I wanted to share my diversity story and some recent thoughts on the value proposition for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA). Born in India, my family immigrated to the United States when I was five years old. I grew up in a community in south New Jersey, which at...