To create and retain a diverse talent pipeline in the intelligence community (IC), Federal agencies must create inclusive work cultures, fair systems, and opportunities for professional growth, several national security officials said during an INSA online seminar on Feb. 21.
Dr. Theresa R. Horne, director of the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity at the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, explained that microaggressions and workplace discrimination – particularly towards people of color – need to be addressed.
“You can hire people all day. You can have a cadre of diverse pools of candidates, right? But if you bring those people on into a toxic culture, you can lose them in the first three years, and now you’ve wasted time and money. And people also know that we’re not really trying to bring on diverse professionals,” Horne said.
Shawn Coates, the chief of staff for Human Resource Management at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, agreed and added that the IC must create a culture of inclusivity and belonging.
“Some of the high-level failures that I’ve seen in terms of retaining a diverse population of people of color, the lack of cross-community mentoring programs, the lack of effective advocacy, or the absence of exit interviews or an ineffective exit interview process, and really a lack of sponsorship,” he said.
Kathy Suber, the former Democratic budget director at the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, echoed her fellow panelist’s comments by adding that IC needs diversity and inclusion practices to address pitfalls in the system and culture.
In addition to creating an inclusive workplace environment, panelists explained that creating roadmaps for career advancements in the IC, especially for people of color in the IC, would help with keeping a diverse workforce and talent pipeline.
