Native American Portfolio Overview
The Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) strives to advance diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and ensure that the civil rights of all employees are protected. The Native American Employment Portfolio is directed at ensuring this community remains a successful part of a broader DEIA strategy for NIH. This portfolio is federally mandated, having its authority grounded in Presidential Executive Orders.
Programs are designed by the Special Emphasis Program Strategists to provide cultural awareness to our customers 365 days a year. The goals of the Native American Employment Portfolio are to:
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Provide advancement opportunities and improve employment for Native American employees in the federal service;
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Seek ways to empower career advancement for Native American employees;
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Identify systemic causes of discrimination against Native American employees;
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Monitor agency progress in eliminating barriers and reducing the adverse impact on Native American employees in employment and agency programs;
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Educate federal employees and managers about the extent of various forms of discrimination within federal service;
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Build pipelines with tribal colleges and universities;
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Maintain an active presence in Native American communities; and
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Improve the retention rate for Native American employees.
EDI works in partnership with the Office of Human Resources, the Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity, and NIH leadership to support the Native American Employment Portfolio. Together, we develop collaborations to advance the representation of our Native American employees in all occupations of the NIH workforce and support this community in achieving their fullest potential.
At NIH we understand that our responsibility to diverse groups extends well beyond federal mandates. We define diversity broadly to include all elements of our human identities and encompass every aspect of difference. Within EDI, we are interested in leveraging the ideas of each NIH employee to fuel innovation and drive health discovery. The Native American community is a critical piece of our overall diversity strategy.
