Wilmington, DE – Today, Governor Jack Markell announced the latest step in his administration’s support to improve upon the working climate in State government and toward ensuring that, as Delaware’s largest employer, the state becomes a model for addressing any form of workplace discrimination.

“Delaware’s government must reflect the rich diversity of the community we serve,” Governor Markell said. “I remain committed to ensuring that we foster a healthy, supportive, and responsive work environment for all employees, and as part of that work we have hired Ivy Planning Group, a leading management consulting firm, to conduct an independent, comprehensive review of State policies, procedures, and organizational structure. They will support our effort to create a more diverse and inclusive environment where employees are confident they will be treated fairly.”

This summer, the State announced that as part of its ongoing efforts to create an inclusive work environment for public employees, it would retain an outside firm to conduct an independent review of state human resources policies and provide recommendations to state leaders. Last week, the Governor met with senior leaders and staff of Ivy Planning Group to commit the State’s full support to the firm and to emphasize the importance of its work for state employees and the citizens they serve. That meeting kicked off Ivy’s work, and the firm anticipates completing its mission as well as presenting a final report and recommendations to the Governor by the end of the year.

In addition to its review of State policies, procedures, and organizational structure, the State seeks recommendations from Ivy regarding the organizational structure of state Human Resources functions and the roles and responsibilities of other State groups related to Equal Employment Opportunity, Anti-Discrimination, and Affirmative Action matters. Its specific scope of work related to hiring, retention, promotion, and discipline matters includes, but is not limited to:

• Extensive document review;
• Evaluation of State government workforce data;
• Site visits across state agencies;
• Interviews with agency directors, executive teams, and human resources staff;
• Survey, focus groups and interviews, as appropriate, with a diverse cross-section of State employees who will remain anonymous across every department and agency;
• Engagement with community members and other stakeholders; and
• Best practice research.

“Ivy Planning Group believes that diversity and inclusion represent a significant workforce, workplace, and community opportunity for the State of Delaware,” said Janet Crenshaw Smith, President of Ivy Planning Group. “We look forward to helping the state identify and remove any barriers, and leverage any internal or external best practices to realize its vision for diversity and inclusion.”

Today’s announcement follows sustained work by the Markell administration to make Delaware the best possible place to work. Those efforts have included:

• An e-mail sent by the Governor to all state employees encouraging them to attend public hearings convened by Delaware faith leaders and others;
• Thorough investigations of specific personnel matters reported to state officials;
• Development of an online Diversity and Inclusion toolkit, which provides agencies with additional resources regarding policies, strategies, and best practices;
• Funding secured to retain a third-party to conduct a statewide climate assessment; and
• A significant increase in state employee participation in diversity-related courses and unconscious bias training.

“We celebrate our state government’s diverse workforce but are mindful that we can and must do more,” the Governor said. “I have been concerned by reports I have received that state employees at times feel as though their advancement options may be limited or that their recourse for grievance must too often be made through the manager that they believe is the source of the problem. We’re committed to leading the way to being a fully inclusive employer through strong policies and consistent practice, as well as a welcoming culture, and I look forward to receiving and implementing the recommendations presented to us at the conclusion of this review.”

Photos from the dinner

Becomes first Delaware Governor to celebrate Muslim holiday by hosting an Iftar

Dover, DE – Last night, Governor Jack Markell was joined by Dover Mayor Robin Christiansen and Delaware State Housing Authority Director Anas Ben Addi, along with more than two dozen guests representing mosques from across Delaware, for a Ramadan Iftar dinner at Woodburn.

The Iftar is the evening meal after sunset that concludes the daily fasting during the month of Ramadan. For observers, the Iftar dinner and Ramadan are a time to reflect on humanity and to reaffirm commitments to helping the less fortunate.

“The diversity of Delawareans has always been a source of great pride and strength,” said Governor Markell. “This Iftar dinner celebrates that diversity while recognizing the Muslim community in Delaware, which has given so much to the state and the region through a spirit of kindness and compassion as well as through a commitment to serving all of those in need.”

Governor Markell is the first Governor of Delaware to host such an event, which he hopes becomes an annual event at Woodburn following his term in office – a sentiment shared by those in attendance last night.

“We were excited to take part in the first Governor’s hosted Ramadan Iftar, this initiative shows the continued efforts by Governor Markell to be inclusive and supportive,” added Usman Sandhu, President of the Islamic Society Of Central Delaware. “We hope that this initiative will set a trend that will continue beyond the Markell administration.”

Governor Markell has long celebrated diversity in the first state. In 2012, he created the Governor’s Delaware Council of Faith-Based Partnerships. The council fosters the opportunity for leaders of different faiths to meet and work together in order to ensure community needs.

“We admire Governor Markell’s initiative to sponsor this Ramadan Iftar,” said Qamar Ahmad, Board President of Masjid Ibrahim, who attended the Iftar dinner. “We are blessed in Delaware for having accessible elected officials.
Actions like this one will enhance feelings of equality, fairness, and inclusiveness in Muslims and will boost their integration into the general population for a stronger unified Delaware.”

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Businesses owned by individuals with disabilities and certain small businesses will now be included in the state’s supplier diversity efforts thanks to an executive order signed by Governor Jack Markell on March 26.

Present to celebrate the new Executive Order and the good work that will follow from it were members of the Governor’s Supplier Diversity Council; two Cabinet Secretaries, Housing and Management and Budget, with their staff; supplier diversity liaisons from various state agencies; and iNovo Applications Inc., which is a start-up business that is eligible for both new programs created under the order.

Executive Order 44 expands the scope of the Governor’s Supplier Diversity Council to include the study and consideration of how the State of Delaware does business with enterprises owned by individuals with disabilities as well as certain small businesses. The order also creates the new Small Business Focus (SBF) Program. Businesses are eligible for the SBF Program based upon their size, which is measured by the number of employees (between 25 and 250 FTEs) and gross sales averaged over a three year period (up to $7 million). Any business in the SBF program must operate free from the control of a business larger than the eligibility size caps.

“We are committed to ensuring business owners with disabilities and small businesses are afforded the same opportunities as others,” said Governor Markell. “This executive order goes a step further in assisting these businesses in procurement with the State.”

The goal of the Supplier Diversity Council is to advocate for supplier diversity initiatives, and because of the contribution business owners with disabilities and small businesses of varying sizes make to the economic strength of the state, members of the council felt it was time to recognize and assist them.

“Our mission is to assist the entire supplier diversity community in competing for the provision of public works, goods and services to state government. With the signing of this executive order by Governor Markell, we can now make a difference by including businesses owned by individuals with disabilities and small businesses eligible for the program,” said Michelle Morin, Executive Director of the Office of Supplier Diversity in the Office of Management and Budget.

The SBF Program will increase opportunity for small businesses to participate in state procurement by:

• Creating a registry of small businesses eligible for the program;
• Measuring and analyzing spend on current and future procurement with the businesses eligible for the program; and
• Revising agency Supplier Diversity Plans to direct state agencies to access the SBF Program Registry when making under-threshold procurements.

“The new Small Business Focus Program will increase the opportunities for the smaller small businesses to compete for under-threshold opportunities in state procurements,” said Ken Anderson, Chair of the Governor’s Supplier Diversity Council.

As part of Executive Order 44, all state executive agencies will be asked in the coming months to modify their supplier diversity plans to include SBF Program companies in their under-threshold purchase outreach. Currently, for purchases under the threshold, procurement officers need to seek three quotes, and one of the three quotes must be from a business listed in the Directory of Diverse Suppliers, which will now include businesses owned by individuals with disabilities. Agencies are also being asked to add that the second of three quotes is sought from a business listed in the SBF Program.

For more information on the efforts of the Office of Supplier Diversity visit http://gss.omb.delaware.gov/osd/index.shtml.

(DOVER, Del.) – Governor Jack Markell opened a training event on Tuesday at Delaware State University which provided a venue for open discussion and learning about ways to better incorporate diversity into the State’s strategic workforce planning. Over 300 State leaders, including Cabinet secretaries, state agency heads, division directors and human resources professionals participated in the Equal Employment Opportunity Summit which was hosted by the Governor’s Council on Equal Employment Opportunity (GCEEO).

“There is real strength in diversity,” said Governor Markell. “Varied backgrounds give each the opportunity to bring something unique and valuable to the table to help. This Summit was primarily about promoting the understanding that to serve the people of Delaware the best we can, we must be a thoughtful, intentional and diverse state government.”

Both the morning and afternoon sessions were treated to a thought-provoking interactive presentation by Armers Moncure of Cook Ross, Inc. Mr. Moncure is a nationally-known expert on the topic of unconscious bias and a champion of “conscious change,” a strategy of awareness and skill building that leads to continuous improvement and enhanced performance. Through various individual and group activities, the attendees learned that unconscious bias is an issue when not addressed can effect hiring, promotion and other decisions managers make on a regular basis.

Remarks at the Summit were also given by Lt. Governor Matt Denn and Deputy Secretary of State James Collins, who was appointed GCEEO Chairman in 2009.

“The people of Delaware whom we serve are of diverse cultures and backgrounds. The most effective way for us to deliver services and shape policies is to reflect that diversity in government,” said Mr. Collins. “This ‘I am Aware’ Summit is a great way to raise awareness and ensure we are culturally competent as we interact with a diverse workforce and make decisions on hiring and promotion.”

The GCEEO was established in 2009 under Executive Order Eight by Governor Markell to bolster a continuing commitment to equal opportunity hiring standards and best practices of human resources management in executive branch agencies. One of the directives of the Executive Order was that each State agency must maintain an Affirmative Action Plan putting forth specific, actionable steps to eliminate any unlawful discrimination in employment and to assure equal employment opportunities.

-Caption 1 (Top Right): GCEEO Chairman and Deputy Secretary of State James Collins
-Caption 2 (Middle Left): Keynote speaker Armers Moncure
-Caption 3: (Bottom Right): Summit Attendees