Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has signed an executive order directing the establishment of the Connecticut Office of Equity and Opportunity – a new state office that will be responsible for leading Connecticut’s efforts to ensure that state government is a leader in equity and inclusion with the goals of eliminating institutional and systemic barriers and creating opportunity and access for all those it serves and employs.
Administratively held within the Office of the Governor and funded through existing appropriations, the Office of Equity and Opportunity will be led by a chief equity and opportunity officer who will be appointed by the governor and responsible for coordinating a number of activities prescribed in the executive order related to ensuring that state government offices are representative of the people they serve and that people from different racial, ethnic, gender, geographic, and socioeconomic backgrounds have a voice in the decision-making processes concerning the policies and practices of state government.
“I firmly believe that government should actively seek out and engage with individuals and opinions beyond those who typically have access and opportunity because doing so will create a stronger workforce within government while also crafting more effective and representative public policies,” Governor Lamont said. “State government is accountable to the public and we have a responsibility to maintain trust and confidence by demonstrating our commitment to fairness, inclusivity, and social progress. By doing everything we can to create a fair, equitable, and inclusive environment representative of the people who live in our state, we can address historical and ongoing disparities and promote social justice.”
The executive order directs the chief equity and opportunity officer to:
- Serve as the coordinator of the state’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy;
- Support equity-oriented efforts throughout the state to ensure services and resources are available and accessible to all in Connecticut;
- Conduct comprehensive assessments of current and proposed policies and practices of state agencies to identify areas where disparities exist, and where underserved communities may face barriers to accessing services;
- Develop a formal process for the development and implementation of agency equity plans;
- Coordinate the publication of agency equity plans on a centralized and easily accessible website;
- Develop equity-oriented systems, policies, and procedures that operationalize diversity, equity, inclusion and support sustainable practices within state agencies;
- Identify diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings opportunities for all state employees;
- Develop statewide diversity, equity, and inclusion benchmarks and measures of progress;
- Oversee and provide guidance to state agencies on how to engage and incorporate the perspectives of underserved communities;
- Partner with state agencies to ensure communications with residents are culturally and linguistically appropriate and accessible;
- Integrate equity considerations into the budget process and assess the impact of budget decisions; and
- Provide strategies to promote equitable contracting and purchasing practices.
Additionally, the executive order directs all state employees to participate in trainings focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion as coordinated by the chief equity and opportunity officer. It also directs all state agencies to develop an agency equity plan with the assistance of the chief equity and opportunity officer.
“State government has a responsibility to approach our work through an equity lens,” Connecticut Department of Administrative Services Commissioner Michelle Gilman said. “This executive order is an important step forward as we work to ensure that every person who seeks state services or employment is greeted with equal opportunity. I look forward to working with the chief equity and opportunity officer on these critical efforts.”
“We thank Governor Lamont for underscoring his commitment to equitable government,” Pareesa Charmchi Goodwin, executive director of the Connecticut Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health, said. “Leadership buy-in from the very top is imperative to ensuring that equity initiatives are prioritized and implemented. We are proud to see our recommendations and the work of many leaders across the state reflected in today’s executive order.”
In the coming weeks, the Office of the Governor will post a job listing on the State of Connecticut Executive Branch online job portal seeking candidates to apply for the position of chief equity and opportunity officer. Governor Lamont stressed that he does not yet have a candidate for the position and encourages interested candidates of all backgrounds to apply.
