ST. PAUL, MN – The Governor’s Diversity and Inclusion Council recently issued its 2016 report updating policymakers and Minnesotans on the Council’s efforts to improve diversity in the state’s workforce and business supplier chain, and to more equitably engage diverse people, communities, and businesses in the work of state government. 

 

“Ensuring that all Minnesotans have equal opportunities to work for their state government, to do business with the state, and to participate fully in our democracy remains a top priority for my administration,” said Governor Mark Dayton. “The work we have accomplished together over the last year is an important starting point; but we have much more work to do.”

 

Under leadership of the Governor’s Diversity and Inclusion Council, the state has achieved the following important accomplishments over the last year.

 

•        Improving Equity in Procurement – Created the Office of Equity in Procurement at the Department of Administration.

 

•        Recruiting More Diverse State Government Executives – Hired a statewide executive recruiter focused on diversifying executive positions.  That work resulted in the hiring of 50 new executives, of which: 49 percent were women, 25 percent were racial or ethnic minority, 10 percent were veterans, and 4 percent identified as persons with a disability.

 

•        Expanding Workforce Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities – Increased state employment of people with disabilities from 3.7 percent to 5.7 percent.

 

•        Improving the State’s Hiring Practices – Improved the state hiring process with new tools and policies such as an improved online job application system and 21-day recommended (7-day minimum) job posting policy.

 

•        Surveying Best Practices for Civic Engagement – Surveyed 23 state agencies about their civic engagement practices to create a baseline for improving access to state government for all Minnesotans.

 

•        Expanding Opportunity for Workers and Businesses of Color – Created the Office of Career and Business Opportunity at DEED to provide the focus and leadership necessary to help workers and businesses of color and people with disabilities find career paths and business opportunities in Minnesota.

 

Governor Dayton established the Diversity and Inclusion Council by Executive Order 15-02 in January 2015. The Council’s work is divided into three committees: Employment Practices, chaired by MMB Commissioner Myron Frans; Contracting Practices, chaired by Administration Commissioner Matt Massman; and Civic Engagement Practices, chaired by Human Rights Commissioner Kevin Lindsey. Each committee of the Council has strategic goals and milestones for 2016 and beyond. The committees will continue developing diversity and inclusion indicators to measure progress around policy and program improvement in the year ahead. 

 

The Employment Practices Committee spent the second half of 2015 reviewing and monitoring the state’s progress as it substantially upgraded its online job applicant system and continued its broad-based efforts to reengineer its hiring processes. The Committee serves a vital role in offering practical advice to the state’s human resource leaders. In 2016, the Committee will expand on these efforts by overseeing the final changes to the state’s hiring process, advising the state as it seeks additional resources for critical equity needs, encouraging enhanced data collection and analysis, and playing a greater role in coordinating the state’s outreach and messaging efforts.

 

The Contracting Practices Committee made significant progress in the last six months by developing a clear strategic plan, accessing better metrics, creating a realistic outreach strategy, and identifying process improvements. In 2016, the Committee will focus on easier identification of targeted group business, offering assistance with the certification process, streamlining state policies and processes that are restrictive for small businesses, training and outreach to business owners on state purchasing agents. The Committee expects to develop specific goals based on the baseline metrics they established this year and implement strategies to accomplish the state’s goal of equity in contracting for all Minnesotans.

 

The Civic Engagement Committee made progress toward its mission of ensuring all individuals in Minnesota fully participate in the state’s policy process. The Committee, made up of a diverse group of members substantially from the public, accomplished all three milestones identified in the July 1, 2015 report. They continued to refine identified best practices in civic engagement through meetings with varied stakeholders. They engaged with administrative agencies to discuss best practices and the committee’s work. The steering committee adopted a work plan with four goals for 2016.