The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workforce, providing business opportunities for minority- and women-owned firms, and reporting on these efforts.
In 2011, following the passage of the Dodd-Frank regulatory reform legislation, each of the 12 Reserve Bank Districts established an Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI). Together, these offices are leading a coordinated approach across the Federal Reserve System in expanding opportunities available to women and minorities with respect to employment, doing business with the Reserve Banks, and accessing financial literacy and educational programs. The act also requires each bank's OMWI to provide an annual report to Congress describing actions taken in this regard.
The Reserve Banks have initiated several early actions to advance their OMWI efforts.
- Each bank has named an OMWI director. The OMWI directors are officers of their respective Reserve Banks and work closely with their bank presidents. The 12 OMWI directors meet regularly to coordinate activities and share best practices.
Information is now available online from each Reserve Bank about its OMWI director and office, along with information about employment and procurement. - The Federal Reserve System, including the Atlanta Fed, is working vigorously to make extensive economic education curriculum and programs available to teachers nationwide, including those at an increasing number of majority-minority schools.
- Each Reserve Bank is voluntarily making publicly available the workforce data (EEO1 Data) that it provides annually to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to provide a general snapshot of employee composition. The EEOC creates the race and gender categories, as well as job categories, to measure employee populations throughout the nation.
At the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, we believe that the best ideas, decision making, and, ultimately, service to the public are born from diverse perspectives. Diversity brings different points of view to the table, fostering an environment where innovation and excellence thrive. We continue to make progress in this area. (See our Reports to Congress.)