(Center of the American Experiment) — Those wishing to cut state government spending could begin with the 173 employees in the Walz administration working on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
American Experiment intern Nathan Fish recently emailed state agencies in the Walz administration asking them to identify all employees working in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. All but four kindly complied. The result is a labyrinth of DEI positions with dubious titles like Equity and Inclusion Officer, Inclusion and Engagement Supervisor, Chief Inclusion Officer, and our favorite, Culturally Responsive Arts Education Art and Equity Systems Specialist. How does that even fit on a business card?
Overall, we identified 173 state employees in the Walz administration working in DEI. (full list at bottom of post)
These 173 employees are a real-life example of the growth in state government under Tim Walz and his predecessor Mark Dayton. I worked in two different state agencies in the Pawlenty administration—I can assure you there were zero DEI staff in any agency in 2011 when he left office.
Gov. Tim Walz’s first official act was to issue an executive order establishing the One Minnesota Council on Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity. It’s worth examining the word choices in the executive order:
“Our State must be a leader in ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to thrive. Disparities in Minnesota, including those based on race, geography, and economic status, keep our entire state from reaching its full potential. As long as inequities impact Minnesotans’ ability to be successful, we have work to do. Our state will recognize its full potential when all Minnesotans are provided the opportunity to lead healthy, fulfilled lives.”
On the one hand, the order aspires to eliminate all inequities among Minnesotans, an impossible task. But in the next sentence, the wording switches to providing the “opportunity” for all Minnesotans to “lead healthy, fulfilled lives,” something that’s hard to argue against.
What’s the point of DEI?
This is the classic problem with DEI initiatives. It’s hard to pin down what the objective is and how government agencies are going to achieve it. The more you read, the more you think, “What do these people do all day?”
The MPCA website does a good job of illustrating the goals of DEI in state agency settings. Their “why” statement spells out two objectives:
“To best serve the needs of all Minnesotans for healthy air, sustainable lands, clean water, and a better climate, the MPCA has committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce that reflects the many people who call the state of Minnesota home.
Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion benefits our workplace by increasing our creativity and innovation. Our employees feel welcome to bring their whole selves to work when they feel included and respected for their ideas.”
First, recruit and retain a diverse workforce. A worthy goal, as long as diversity doesn’t get in the way of hiring the most qualified applicants for state jobs. The second goal is harder to measure: creating an environment where their employees “feel welcome to bring their whole selves to work.”
The recruiting goal is accomplished by DEI employees setting arbitrary goals for hiring and retaining certain groups of people, and then conducting regular counts of staff to see how the agency is meeting or not meeting the goals. Yeah us!
The second goal is met through programming. From the MPCA DEI website:
“In addition to updating our hiring practices, we want our employees to understand why inclusion matters. We believe that encouraging our employees’ personal DEI journeys contributes to the agency’s DEI journey, so with the help and support of the agency’s Equity Committee, we provide equity education events and require all employees to build cultural competency by completing DEI training courses.”
State agencies require employees to “build cultural competence” for their “personal DEI journey” through mandated training courses. Taxpayers pay for state employees to spend part of their week sitting in a circle contemplating their navels. Instead of plowing snow, investigating fraud or delivering health care, state employees are spending valuable (and expensive) time understanding their white privilege.
For example, here are some excerpts form job descriptions of state agency DEI staff:
Minnesota Department of Transportation Diversity and Inclusion Training Coordinator
– Provide, coordinate, and assess diversity and inclusion training and development programs for the agency. This position provides expertise for the administration of diversity & inclusion training modules, arranges individual Intercultural Developmental Inventory (IDI) assessments with follow-up coaching and assists in instruction of Respectful Workplace Training modules.
Minnesota Department of Education Culturally Responsive Arts Education Curriculum Specialist
– The Arts & Equity Specialist works collaboratively to develop, implement, and support professional development, tools, and technical and consultative assistance related to the Culturally Responsive Arts Education (CRAE) Grant and Program implementation with sub-grantees and their site-based participants. This position’s work will focus on building and supporting the knowledge, skills, and abilities of district, school, and teacher leaders to identify, interrupt and transform barriers to equity in arts education, and to support and provide culturally responsive and anti-racist arts curriculum, instruction, policies, and practices.
Minnesota Department of Health Health Equity Strategist
– In this role, I am a part of a brand-new team of individuals who work directly with Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) divisions to advance equity work within the organization. I support division leadership as they integrate, implement, and track progress on MDH’s strategic health equity goals with a focus on building capacity in the public health system and community organizations, ensuring equitable and inclusive data practices, enhancing authentic community engagement, facilitating system change, change in public and private policies, procedures, and practices to eliminate structural inequities, and advancing equitable resource distribution.
Lots of words, lots of activity, not a lot of measurable results for taxpayers.
Corporate America has figured out that DEI is a waste of time and money, and many companies are now finding the courage to gut their DEI departments and return focus to the bottom line. Chris Rufo, our Fall Briefing guest speaker, is leading the movement on college campuses to get rid of their bloated DEI staff and return focus to their mission of teaching and research.
Unfortunately for Minnesota taxpayers, Gov. Tim Walz will be the last person to join this movement, and his DEI staff will continue to grow unless it is checked by a legislature more interested in accountability and results than navel-gazing.
Intern Nathan Fish contributed to the research and writing of this post.
DEI Staff in Walz State Agencies
Minnesota Department of Administration – 4
Affirmative Action Officer (3)
Workforce Development and Inclusion Coordinator
Minnesota Department of Agriculture – 1
State Program Administrator Intermediate
Minnesota Department of Commerce -1
DEI Director
Minnesota Department of Corrections – 3
Equity, Access, and Inclusion Officer
Tribal Relations Officer
Title II ADA Compliance Officer
Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) -4*
Director of Diversity and Equal Opportunity
Equal Opportunity Specialist
DEI staff at State Services for the Blind (2)
Minnesota Department of Education – 35 (5 vacant)
Office of Equity and Engagement Director
Culturally Responsive Arts Education Curriculum Specialist
Culturally Responsive Arts Education Art and Equity Systems Specialist
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Center Director
EDI Office Administrator Principal
EDI Center Coordinator
EDI Internal and AA Manager/Assistant Director
EDI Equity Specialist
EDI Evaluation Specialist
EDI Safe and Supportive Schools Manager/Assistant Director
EDI Healthy and Supportive Schools Supervisor
EDI Culturally Responsive and Supportive Schools Director
Non-Exclusionary Discipline Specialist (3)
Restorative Practices Specialist (2)
Achievement and Integration Specialist (3) (1 vacant)
LGBTQ Specialist
Bipartisan Grant Specialist (vacant)
STOP the Violence Specialist (2) (both vacant)
SEL Specialist
Crisis Management Specialist
Safe and Supportive Specialist
School Nurse Consultant
School Health Specialist
Mental Health Lead Specialist
Mental Health Pipeline Specialist
Pipeline Aid and Public Engagement Admin (vacant)
Project AWARE Coordinator
Project AWARE Training Specialist
SHAPE Specialist
Minnesota Department of Health – 52 (2 vacant)
Director of the Health Equity Division
Assistant Director of the Health Equity Division
Administrative Coordinator of the Health Equity Division
Budget and Fiscal Management Supervisor of the Health Equity Division
Health Equity Fiscal Analyst
COVID-19 Grants Specialist
Communications Supervisor of the Health Equity Division
American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreter Specialist/Lead
Community Collaboration and Capacity Building Supervisor
Grant Manager (4)
Community Engagement Supervisor
Contract Coordinator (4)
Community Engagement Planner (6)
Community Engagement Systems Coordinator
Health Equity Strategists Supervisor/Policy and Systems Change Supervisor
Health Equity Strategist (10)
Community Engagement Systems Planner (2)
Disability Systems Planner
Affirmative Action Compliance Officer
Health Equity Bureau Commissioner
Health Equity Bureau Commissioner Supporter
Bureau Strategic Administrative Manager
Equity Grant Specialist
Budget and Compliance Coordinator
Health Equity Performance and Research Manager
Tribal Liaison
Community Engagement and Collaboration Manager (vacant)
Equity Capacity Building Manager (vacant)
Office of African American Health Director
Office of American Indian Health
Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Director
Minnesota Department of Human Rights – 8
Equity and Inclusion Supervisor
Lead Equity and Inclusion Officer (2)
Equity and Inclusion Officer (2)
Equity and Inclusion Administration Specialist (2)
Equity and Inclusion Support Specialist
Minnesota Department of Human Services – 15
Chief Equity Officer
Director of Equity and Inclusion
Data Analyst for the Office of Equity and Inclusion
Inclusion and Engagement Supervisor
Communications Specialist for the Office of Equity and Inclusion
Engagement Coordinator
IDI Coordinator
Policy and Legislative Analyst
Office of Equity and Inclusion Supervisor
Project Coordinator
Trainer (4)
Office of Indian Policy Director
Minnesota Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation – 0
Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry – 1
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources – 5
Director of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
DEI Program Manager
Affirmative Action Officer and Civil Rights Coordinator
Career Pathways Program Coordinator
DEI Staff Liaison
Minnesota Department of Public Safety – 1
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Director
Minnesota Department of Revenue – 1*
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager
Minnesota Department of Transportation – 10
Office of Equity and Diversity Director
Discrimination Case Manager
Monitoring the Hiring Process/Language and Interpretive Services
Discrimination Investigator (2)
Diversity and Inclusion Manager
Diversity and Inclusion Training and Development Coordinator
Diversity and Inclusion InReach Coordinator
Diversity and Inclusion Training Coordinator
Diversity and Inclusion Organizational Development Specialist
Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) – 3
Director of Equal Opportunity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Equal Opportunity Specialist
ADA Coordinator
Minnesota Management and Budget – 6
Equity Director
Chief Inclusion Officer
Director of Strategic Inclusion
Office of Inclusion Project Coordinator
Office of Inclusion Policy and Data Analyst
Office of Inclusion Strategic Excellence Manager
Minnesota Metropolitan Council – 18
Equity and Equal Opportunity EO Consultant I (2)
Equity and Equal Opportunity EO Consultant II (6)
Equity and Equal Opportunity EO Consultant III (2)
Equity and Equal Opportunity Director, OEEO
Equity and Equal Opportunity Assistant Director, OEEO (2)
Equity and Equal Opportunity Manager, OEO (3)
Equity and Equal Opportunity Senior Manager, OEEO
Equity and Equal Opportunity Business Analyst 3-AFS
Minnesota Office of Higher Education – 1
DEI Consultant Sr.
Office of the Minnesota Governor – 2
Chief Equity Officer/Director of Equity and Inclusion
Special Projects Advisor/Director of Community Outreach and Equity Projects
Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State – 1
Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion Coordinator
Office of the Attorney General – 1*
Affirmative Action Officer
Office of the Minnesota State Auditor – 0
*The following agencies did not reply to our request, so it was difficult to get an accurate count.
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has an Office of Economic Opportunity headed by a Director of Diversity and Equal Opportunity. Her LinkedIn page notes the hiring of an Equal Opportunity Specialist. We also identified two DEI employees at the State Services for the Blind, a subsidiary of DEED.
The Minnesota Department of Revenue has a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager listed on their website, but it is unclear if there are other DEI employees.
The Attorney General’s office has an Affirmative Action Officer. We could not identify other DEI staff through their public website.
As of this writing, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has not sent their list of DEI employees, writing, “We have staff devoted to some of this work, and our total staff numbers have changed during the past year. I’ll seek that info and get back to you.” They do have extensive information about DEI efforts on their website here.
This article was originally published at the Center of the American Experiment.
Bill Walsh
Bill Walsh is the Communications Director at Center of the American Experiment.
