The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is seeking up to two new employees who will serve as DEI consultants. The hirings come at a time when the federal government is working to bring an end to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Last week, an Alpha News reader submitted a copy of a state government job posting which shows MDH seeking to hire DEI consultants to work in the Bureau of Health Equity’s Office of Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Equity Strategy.
According to the job summary, individuals hired for the role would “support internal organizational culture transformation through embedding Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) principles in policies, practices, and culture through technical assistance including consultation, facilitation, and coaching, as well as training and systems change.”
State government asked applicants to have three years of experience working “within equity, inclusion, and belonging for communities most impacted by inequities.”
Those hired for the positions will receive annual salaries between $71,367 and $105,840 and be able to work a hybrid in-person/remote schedule. The job posting closed on Sept. 22 and is no longer available on the state government job board.
State Rep. Jeff Backer, the GOP co-chair of the Health Committee in the Minnesota House of Representatives, slammed the job openings after Alpha News reporter Liz Collin posted about them on social media.
“Minnesota is facing a $6 billion budget deficit, while state programs continue to bleed hundreds of millions of dollars to waste, fraud, and abuse,” said Backer. “Instead of focusing on fixing these problems and protecting taxpayer dollars, [MDH] is spending more than $200,000 on two new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultants.”
While a looming state budget deficit was significantly reduced earlier this year, Minnesota is still expected to face a deficit in the next few years.
Alpha News reached out to MDH regarding the DEI consultant positions. However, the state agency did not immediately respond to a media inquiry.
“Minnesotans expect accountability and common sense from their leaders, not more bureaucracy and politically driven DEI positions that ignore the real crises facing our state,” added Backer. “The Department should be focused on cleaning up fraud and delivering real value for taxpayers, not growing bureaucracy with positions Minnesotans don’t want.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
