NOS Diversity Management Program

Mission Statement:

To be the Nation’s principal advocate for the coastal and ocean stewardship. While adapting to the changing natural environment and economy, and with partners at all levels, NOS will develop the national foundation for coastal and ocean science, management, response, restoration, and navigation.

Coastal stewardship means providing leadership to advance the sustained use of our coastal systems to support the Nation’s environmental well-being and economic prosperity. Such leadership requires NOAA to integrate its own capabilities with those of the extramural community, provide technological and expert assistance to partners and help others to achieve success in their coastal stewardship responsibilities.

In order to accomplish this mission, all of us in NOS must interact with a diverse population and myriad diversity factors both internally and externally. Our work externally brings us in frequent contact with our constituents, customers, the Congress, state and local governments and others. Internally, we work together as co-workers, work teams, in supervisor and employee relationships, and are often customers of each other for products and services. Both internally and externally, we use a variety of systems, policies, and practices which support the cultures in which we operate. To work effectively within these varied cultures, we as a diverse workforce, must share a common understanding and awareness of managing diversity and use all of our resources to maximize our effectiveness. As we work to improve our systems, policies, and practices, we will incorporate and interweave diversity initiatives into this framework.

In the five components of our Diversity Plan, we have had measurable success. Our work force has a basic awareness of the principles of managing diversity and continues to increase that knowledge by attending various MD activities, learning by example, and through literature. Utilization of supportive systems such as flexible schedules provides alternative ways for the workforce to do productive work, enabling them to attend to personal and family matters. Programs and Staff Offices continue to be flexible in allowing staff to participate in programs that promote career development and utilization of staff potential. In addition, Program and Staff Offices are doing an excellent job in outreach activities which ensures visibility of NOS programs as well as promotes career interest for our potential work force for the 21st century.

 

NOS Diversity Plan (pdf, 28kb).
The NOS Diversity plan provides the overall managing diversity framework. It establishes the basic philosophy for managing diversity, overall goals, and pertinent definitions. NOS takes its direction for managing diversity from the NOAA Diversity plan, but will not duplicate the information.

 

For more information:

Michelle Crockett
EEO and Diversity Programs Manager

NOS Employees EEO Program Web Site (requires NOAA email and password to login)