SENATE DEMOCRATIC DIVERSITY INITIATIVE

The Senate Democratic Diversity Initiative is a component of the Leadership Office of Senate Democratic Leader Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), which assists Senate Democratic offices in building a diverse workforce. In 2007, the Initiative was created by then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to develop a Senate staff who reflect the diversity of our nation and are demographically representative of the constituents they serve.

As Leader, Senator Schumer is expanding that legacy, championing a definition of diversity and inclusion that is emblematic of our party and country; one that embraces diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds and celebrates differences in gender, sexual-orientation, ability, and the military service of our veterans.

In order to accomplish the goal of a more diverse and inclusive workforce, the Diversity Initiative:

• Maintains and manages a resume bank of candidates for positions at all levels.
• Conducts informational interviews, resume reviews, and recommends candidates to Caucus offices to aid them in selecting a diverse workforce.
• Educates external job seekers on Hill culture and aids them in navigating the hiring process.
• Tracks candidate progress to discern and highlight his, her, or hir strengths and address any weaknesses. The Initiative works with candidates on strategies and timelines to realize their professional goals.
• Works with Caucus offices to develop and implement customized office diversity plans.
• Organizes seminars and other professional development forums for Hill staff.
• Creates networking opportunities for aspiring Hill staffers, current staff, and Hill alumni.
• Constructs talent pipelines, in partnership with national diversity organizations, institutions, internship and fellowship partners, in identifying Senate interns and fellows.
• Helps Caucus offices implement the Rooney Rule, which calls on offices to interview one or more diverse candidates for all office vacancies.
• Collects and analyzes data to identify trends, detect patterns, regulate office methods, spark innovation, and better match talent with Senate offices. This also includes collecting, for the first time, staff demographic information from every Democratic Caucus office.

 

CONTACT:

Telephone: (202) 228-1029
Email: Diversity_Initiative@schumer.senate.gov
 

The Senate Democratic Diversity Initiative has completed its second Democratic staff survey. This survey is a snapshot of the racial, ethnic and gender diversity among U.S. Senate Democratic staff on June 30th, 2020. The Diversity Initiative plans to update this survey annually. Click HERE to view the results.

To view the 2019 survey results, click HERE

To view the 2018 survey results, click HERE

To view the 2017 survey results, click HERE