Barbara King, ODEO Program Manager
(p) 970-492-7053 - (f) 970-492-7065
Barbara.King@ars.usda.gov

Welcome to the NPA website for Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity. The Northern Plains Area values the diversity of our employees, and encourages men, women and members of historically underrepresented groups to consider the NPA as a viable and exciting organization in which to pursue careers.

Current employees will find this page useful as a resource for diversity and civil rights in the NPA and ARS. 

If you’re a job-seeker, take some time to familiarize yourself with the resources and information available from links on this page.

• ODEO Documents
  • "Voices" - a biannual publication of the NPA Diversity Task Force
  • FY 06: NPA Workforce Participation Data (Adobe Acrobat) 
  • 2008 Civil Rights Policy Statement by USDA Secretary Edward T. Schafer (USDA Website)

  • FY 2008 Diversity/Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement - Dr. Knipling

  • FY 2008 NPA EEO/Civil Rights/Diversity Policy Statement - Dr. Blackburn

• Disability Resources

• FAQ

• On-line Civil Rights Training Modules

• NPA Diversity Task Force

• NPA Careers - Employment/Applicant Information

• NPA Current Employee Resources

• Special Emphasis Observances

  • The following seven months have been designated by the ARS Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity (formerly known as the ARS Civil Rights Staff) as being the Agency’s officially recognized Special Emphasis Observances.  These observances are derived from the Special Emphasis Programs which have been designed to increase workforce participation among these populations.  Many locations choose to celebrate each of these observances, while other locations choose to celebrate the array of diversity by holding an annual or bi-annual diversity awareness event, such as a day-long series of workshops, a pot luck meal featuring cultural foods, or some other event.  Locations may also choose to hold workshops, host presentations, or hold other events that are intended to raise awareness among employees about a wide range of topics relating to diversity, equal opportunity, civil rights, etc.

    • January: Martin Luther King Day

    • February:  Black History Month

      • infoplease© - Information on Black History Month *

    • March:  Women’s History Month

    • May:  Asian/Pacific Americans Heritage Month & Jewish American Heritage Month

    • June:  National Gay and Lesbian Pride Month

    • September:  National Hispanic Heritage Month

    • October:  National Disability Employment Awareness Month

    • November:  American Indian Heritage Month

  • History of Juneteenth (Adobe Acrobat)

Quick Links

• NPA Locations
• ARS Civil Rights Office  (Includes links to resources on diversity observances, disabilities, civil rights, etc.)
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities *
• Hispanic Serving Institutions *
• Tribal Colleges *
• 1890 Schools

* Indicates External Link

The user-friendly URL for this page is:  http://www.ars.usda.gov/npa/eeo