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 our employees are protected. The Hispanic Employment Portfolio is directed at ensuring that 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.
THE PORTFOLIO
Hispanic and Latino employees are an integral part of building a diverse and high-performing community. We are Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central and South American, and an array of other persons of Spanish culture and origin, regardless of race. The Hispanic Employment Portfolio creates strategies to ensure an inclusive environment in which our ideas are valued and that we experience equal opportunities in recruitment, hiring, training, and advancement in federal employment. EDI works in partnership with the Office of Human Resources, the Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity, and NIH leadership to support the Hispanic Employment Portfolio. Together, we develop collaborations to advance the representation of our Hispanic 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 to 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 Hispanic community is a critical piece of our overall diversity strategy.
MEET THE STRATEGIST
Patricia Sauceda Kramer
Patricia Sauceda Kramer was born in Sinaloa, Mexico. She immigrated to the United States as a child and grew up in Arizona. In 2005, she joined the United States Army and served in Iraq. In 2010 she left the Army to pursue her education. In 2018, Patricia graduated from St. Andrews University Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. She went on to graduate from Adler University in 2020 with a master's degree in Psychology and is currently a Doctoral student at Adler in Industrial Organizational Psychology, focusing on equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice. Patricia is a proud member of the Psi Chi National Honor Society, Society for Human Resource Management, the American Psychological Association, and the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology.
As the Principle Hispanic Portfolio Employment Strategist, Patricia aims to ensure that Latinx talent has opportunities and fair employment practices at NIH. When Patricia first came to the Hispanic Portfolio, she was immediately intrigued because it enabled her to work with people of Latinx backgrounds. The role also aligned well with her educational background and the kind of work she was hoping to do for the rest of her career.
ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE
The NIH Hispanic and Latino Engagement Committee (HLEC) is composed of members of the NIH community who are willing to help promote the efforts of the Hispanic Employment Portfolio. The committee works closely with the Hispanic Strategist to identify opportunities and challenges associated with creating an inclusive work environment. Strategists assist in educational and cultural competency awareness efforts. Strategists also liaise with various internal and external stakeholders and collaborators on matters that encompass all aspects of equal opportunity and nondiscrimination in NIH programs. Strategists catalyze achieving NIH EDI objectives through effective culture transformation, interventions, and strategies. NIH members interested in becoming part of the HLEC may contact the EDI Hispanic Strategist for information and the nomination process.
MORE ABOUT THE PORTFOLIO
History and Presidential Orders
At nearly 23 million, people of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity represented fifteen percent of the U.S. labor force in 2011. U.S. labor force projections show that by 2018 Hispanic and/or Latino employees will comprise eighteen percent of the labor force.
- In 1970, President Nixon issued a comprehensive Sixteen-Point Federal Employment Plan aimed at increasing Hispanic representation in the Federal workforce.
- In 1973, the Sixteen-Point Plan was renamed “Spanish-Speaking Program” to emphasize bilingual skills; and in 1978, the program was again renamed to what it is known as today, the “Hispanic Employment Program.”
- In 2000, President Clinton issued Executive Order 13171, which requires Executive departments and agencies to establish and maintain a program for the recruitment and career development of Hispanic employees in federal employment.
- In 2010, President Obama issued Executive Order 13555, an order that called for expanding educational opportunities and improving educational outcomes for Hispanics and Latinos of all ages, and to help ensure that all Hispanics receive an education that properly prepares them for college and productive careers.
- In 2011, President Obama issued Executive Order 13583, which contains comprehensive strategies for the identification and removal of barriers to equal employment opportunity that might exist in recruitment, hiring, promotion, retention, professional development and training, policies, and practices.
FEDERAL REPORTS
The Office of Personnel Management’s Hispanic Employment Statistical Report is a yearly report that contains information on the representation of Hispanic employees within the federal government and the best practices of federal agencies.
The U.S. Census Bureau Hispanic Origin Data is a site that provides the latest Hispanic origin news releases and statistics published by the U.S. Census Bureau.
PROGRAM REPORTS
The 2008 U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Report on the Hispanic Employment Challenge in the federal government contains both assessments of the problems and issues concerning Hispanic employment, and recommendations on how to resolve them.
The PEW Hispanic Center Hispanic Origin Profiles provide a comprehensive collection of reports based on social science research, including economic, demographic, and public opinion studies.