Press Releases
CONTACT:
Diversity in Government Relations Coalition /
DGR Coalition
info@dgrcoalition.org
www.dgrcoalition.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 15, 2021
ANNOUNCING A NEW COALITION TO HELP DRIVE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION IN THE GOVERNMENT RELATIONS FIELD
Washington, DC – By the year 2042, people of color will constitute the majority in the United States. To best serve this representative democracy, it is critical the government relations field keep pace. To face this reality, interested professionals and organizations in the field, have launched a new coalition – the Diversity in Government Relations (DGR) Coalition – to actively champion diversity, equity, and inclusion in local, state, and federal policymaking.
The government relations field plays an essential role in the policymaking process. That process can create unintended and less than ideal policy outcomes when key voices from underrepresented communities are not part of, and leading, critical policymaking efforts.
The DGR Coalition exists to ensure all entities influencing local, state, and federal policy increase and maintain diverse representation on their teams, within their leadership ranks, and on their boards, leading to equitable and inclusive practices and policy outcomes on behalf of the American people.
There are ongoing efforts on Capitol Hill to diversify offices, including the Office of Diversity and Inclusion in the House of Representatives, the Senate Democratic Diversity Initiative, and ongoing research conducted by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. The government relations field has a responsibility to work towards the same end, establishing complementary representation goals that ultimately ensure policymaking considerations are inclusive and unintended policy outcomes are mitigated.
With a new administration intent on creating a team that “looks like America” and an increasingly diverse Congress, government relations will be held accountable now more than ever. It’s important for organizations to build their diversity, equity, and inclusion competency and incorporate it as a foundational people and business strategy.
A lack of demographic data disclosing representation for the government relations field substantially limits the ability to identify gaps in representation within the field. With a vision of equitable and inclusive policy outcomes, the DGR Coalition will:
Gather and synthesize demographic data and information regarding representation in the entities influencing advocacy and policymaking off the Hill
Recommend solutions based on findings, and
Put forth evidence-based best practices that govern our actions and further promote diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the field.
The Coalition is led by:
Monica Almond, Ph.D., The Almond Group
Kodiak Hill-Davis, Republican Women for Progress
Liz Lopez, Hispanic Lobbyists Association
Cicely Tomlinson, The Almond Group
Kevin Turpin, National Journal
Jaime Werner, Congressional Management Foundation
Gerald Yao, FiscalNote
About the DGR Coalition: The DGR Coalition is a non-partisan group built on compassion, action, integrity, and transparency. The coalition aims for all entities influencing local, state, and federal policy to increase and maintain diverse representation on their teams, within their leadership ranks, and on their boards leading to equitable and inclusive policy outcomes on behalf of the American people.
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