I am appointing Zakiya Carr Johnson as the Department of State’s next Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer (CDIO). Zakiya will lead our Office of Diversity and Inclusion and advance our deep commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in the Department. I would like to thank Conny Mayer for her leadership as Acting CDIO.
American diplomacy can only succeed if it fully harnesses all of the talent that our nation has to offer. That is why I created the position of CDIO to elevate DEIA within our organization and give it the dedicated senior-level attention that it deserves. Over the past three years, the Department of State has made significant progress on this front but there remains work to be done. We will continue to pursue this mission aggressively, because recruiting, nurturing, and promoting the most capable workforce possible is critical to our national security.
As our new CDIO, Zakiya returns to the Department with international expertise and a fresh perspective on how we build a workforce that reflects America. Her previous work promoting entrepreneurship and access to opportunity for underrepresented populations, as well as her commitment to inclusive leadership make us stronger, smarter, and more innovative.
All of us at the Department must work to advance DEIA if we are to create the inclusive workplace environment we need to continue to attract and retain the nation’s top talent. When the people making decisions on behalf of the American people don’t reflect the full diversity of our nation, we all lose, and our national security is weaker. Together, we will ensure the United States is best positioned to meet the challenges and opportunities of an increasingly complex world.
