Mayor announces formation of Diversity and Inclusion team

Mayor announces formation of Diversity and Inclusion team

BOSTON - Today Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, in conjunction with the Greater Boston Latino Network (GBLN) and leaders representing communities of color in Boston, announced the formation of a Diversity and Inclusion Team. The announcement took place today at City Hall, where Mayor Walsh joined GBLN to release a report analyzing the Latino presence in decision-making positions at the municipal level.

“From day one of this administration, we have been very clear about our commitment to diversifying leadership, staff and members of boards and commissions,” said Mayor Walsh. “We are thrilled to be partnering with groups like the Greater Boston Latino Network to evaluate the current state of diversity within this city and identifying best practices in reaching our common goal of increased diversity and our shared values of inclusion and equity.”


The Diversity & Inclusion Team will be charged with the following:

• Evaluating the current and newly created systems in hiring and appointments to boards & commissions and determining their effectiveness for communities of color;

• Establishing clear and realistic benchmarks to measure progress. 

• Identifying talent across diverse communities to fill positions within the City and on boards and commissions;

• Identifying key positions outside of department heads and cabinet chiefs that can serve as pipelines for people of color to advance into those positions;

• And, in partnership with area colleges and universities, developing a pipeline program to train people of color to enter into positions in public service.

The Team, currently in formation, will be led by Shaun Blugh, the City’s first Chief Diversity Officer, and will include city leaders from Human Resources and relevant City departments, and members of key constituency leadership groups including the Greater Boston Latino Network. The working group will be finalized in the coming weeks, and have their first meeting in early February.

The administration is partnering in this endeavor with Greater Boston Latino Network, a collective effort of Latino-led community based organizations in Boston, Chelsea and Somerville with the mission to promote Latino/a leadership in decision-making positions from city halls and local boards and commissions to state agencies.

In December 2013, GBLN commissioned a study with university-affiliated researchers: Miren Uriarte, Ph.D. (UMass Boston); James Jennings, Ph.D. (Tufts University); and Jen Douglas, Ph.D. (UMass Boston). GBLN and the researchers compiled a report of the findings, called The Silent Crisis: Including Latinos and Why it Matters, released today with Mayor Walsh. The study and recommendations have been shared with the City of Boston, and GBLN is planning to meet with the Cities of Chelsea and Somerville.

The report includes a measure of the economic, social and political inclusion of Latinos at mid-decade in three cities of the Commonwealth where about one fourth of the state’s Latino population lives. The report also makes recommendations for the City, fully embraced by the Walsh administration:

• Pursue the inclusion of Latinos at the leadership level;

• Support city employees in adopting an advocacy role and actively representing Latinos;

• And leverage efforts at the leadership level to pursue a more inclusive bureaucracy at all staffing levels.

"We found that the representation of Latinos in Boston’s executive positions and boards and commissions had not kept pace with the growth of the Latino population in the city.  This was the case even in agencies in which Latinos hold great stakes such as the Boston Public Schools, the Boston Housing Authority, services for families and children and economic development,” said researcher, Dr. Miren Uriarte. "It is clear that government works best when it understands and can effectively act upon the needs of all constituencies.  Lack of representation leads to lack of knowledge of needs and resources in under-represented groups and ineffective actions to address their concerns.”

“There is no doubt our community has a very high stake in a well-functioning city government. Latinos are the largest constituents in the Boston Public Schools and the largest block of tenants in the Boston Housing Authority,” said Executive Director of Sociedad Latina and member of GBLN, Alexandra Oliver- Dávila. “Reflective representation alone is not enough to have broad positive effects on the experience of government of under-represented groups. It also requires a broad commitment to changing policies and practice. Still, the beauty of it is that the benefits of representation (like improved student performance) are broadly shared with other minority groups.”

“We recognize Boston's history and celebrate how far we have come, but we are acutely aware of the disparities that we continue to see today. We see them in outcomes in the foundations for success, from education and public health, to housing and jobs. Our city is committed to being more inclusive and, with that, more relevant to the needs of communities of color,” said Chief of Health and Human Services, Félix G. Arroyo. “Great progress has definitely been made and should be celebrated. Also, there are definite pipeline positions that have been filled and fully anticipate people in those positions to advance to department heads and cabinet chiefs during the Walsh administration.”

“We are thrilled to work with the city of Boston on this very important initiative,” adds Vanessa Calderon-Rosado, Executive Director of Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA) and GBLN member. “The City of Boston and the administration of Mayor Martin J. Walsh has demonstrated their commitment to increased diversity and now the Team will have to roll up their sleeves to be able to do their part.”

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About the Greater Boston Latino Network:

The Greater Boston Latino Network is a collective effort of Latino-led community based organizations in Boston, Chelsea and Somerville. Their mission is to promote Latino/a leadership in decision-making positions from city halls and local boards and commissions to state agencies— and to increase funding and resources to build the capacity for Latino-led organizations in Massachusetts. We advocate for policies and initiatives that will advance and benefit the Latino community in Massachusetts.

Mayor Walsh creates Mayor’s Office of Diversity

Appoints City’s first-ever Chief Diversity Officer and Deputy Chief Diversity Officer

BOSTON -- Today, Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced the creation of his Mayor’s Office of Diversity, dedicated to providing strategic leadership to Mayor Walsh’s diversity agenda. With this effort, Mayor Walsh will be appointing the City’s first-ever Chief Diversity Officer, Shaun Blugh, and Deputy Chief Diversity Officer, Freda Brasfield.

“Even before being sworn in as Mayor, I made some very ambitious and serious promises about increasing diversity across our workforce and ensuring that City government reflects the people we represent,” said Mayor Walsh. “I’m proud of the steps we’ve taken and the progress we’ve made, and I know that the addition of Shaun in this Chief Diversity Officer role will serve to strengthen and grow the foundation we’ve built.”

Shaun Blugh currently serves as the Director of Due Diligence for IMB Development Corporation. In this role, Blugh assists in the recruitment and vetting of minority candidates for employment in IMB’s portfolio companies. Blugh worked closely with large corporations looking to increase their diversity spend, and engaged the national landscape for small diverse businesses to facilitate procurement for state and city contracts. He previously served as a paralegal for Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, based in New York City. Blugh is a graduate of Georgetown University.

Since April 2011, Freda Brasfield has served as the Administration and Finance Manager for the Mayor’s Office. In this role, Brasfield worked closely with the Budget Office and Human Resources Department, serving as a liaison to oversee all personnel transactions within the Mayor’s Office, develop HR policies and procedures, and ensure compliance with the City’s residency policy. Brasfield previously served the City as Regional Neighborhood Coordinator for Mattapan within the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, and as Construction Monitor for the City’s Residents Jobs Policy Office. Brasfield is an active member of the community, serving as the former Board Chair for the Blue Hills Boys and Girls Club, the current Treasurer for the Mattapan Patriots Pop Warner Football Team, and Chair of the Fundraising Committee for the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts Young Professional Network. She is a graduate of Northeastern University.

The Mayor’s Office of Diversity will lead Mayor Walsh’s diversity agenda, including the ongoing development and delivery of the City’s diversity goals and objectives in areas of hiring, leadership and career development, diversity training, strategic planning, recruitment and retention. The Mayor’s Office of Diversity will also be tasked with analyzing and improving the City’s procurement strategies, to support and increase opportunities for minority- and women-owned businesses to engage directly with the City of Boston. The Chief Diversity Officer and Deputy Chief Diversity Officer will perform outreach to community, academic, and business organizations in order to increase diversity of employee candidate pools, and assist in the development of hiring processes to ensure maximum opportunities for employment and career advancement for candidates from underrepresented demographic groups. To that end, the Office will be responsible for collecting, analyzing and reporting the City’s employee diversity data, working closely with the City’s Human Resources Department.

Appoints City’s first-ever Chief Diversity Officer and Deputy Chief Diversity Officer

BOSTON -- Today, Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced the creation of his Mayor’s Office of Diversity, dedicated to providing strategic leadership to Mayor Walsh’s diversity agenda. With this effort, Mayor Walsh will be appointing the City’s first-ever Chief Diversity Officer, Shaun Blugh, and Deputy Chief Diversity Officer, Freda Brasfield.

“Even before being sworn in as Mayor, I made some very ambitious and serious promises about increasing diversity across our workforce and ensuring that City government reflects the people we represent,” said Mayor Walsh. “I’m proud of the steps we’ve taken and the progress we’ve made, and I know that the addition of Shaun in this Chief Diversity Officer role will serve to strengthen and grow the foundation we’ve built.”

Shaun Blugh currently serves as the Director of Due Diligence for IMB Development Corporation. In this role, Blugh assists in the recruitment and vetting of minority candidates for employment in IMB’s portfolio companies. Blugh worked closely with large corporations looking to increase their diversity spend, and engaged the national landscape for small diverse businesses to facilitate procurement for state and city contracts. He previously served as a paralegal for Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, based in New York City. Blugh is a graduate of Georgetown University.

Since April 2011, Freda Brasfield has served as the Administration and Finance Manager for the Mayor’s Office. In this role, Brasfield worked closely with the Budget Office and Human Resources Department, serving as a liaison to oversee all personnel transactions within the Mayor’s Office, develop HR policies and procedures, and ensure compliance with the City’s residency policy. Brasfield previously served the City as Regional Neighborhood Coordinator for Mattapan within the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, and as Construction Monitor for the City’s Residents Jobs Policy Office. Brasfield is an active member of the community, serving as the former Board Chair for the Blue Hills Boys and Girls Club, the current Treasurer for the Mattapan Patriots Pop Warner Football Team, and Chair of the Fundraising Committee for the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts Young Professional Network. She is a graduate of Northeastern University.

The Mayor’s Office of Diversity will lead Mayor Walsh’s diversity agenda, including the ongoing development and delivery of the City’s diversity goals and objectives in areas of hiring, leadership and career development, diversity training, strategic planning, recruitment and retention. The Mayor’s Office of Diversity will also be tasked with analyzing and improving the City’s procurement strategies, to support and increase opportunities for minority- and women-owned businesses to engage directly with the City of Boston. The Chief Diversity Officer and Deputy Chief Diversity Officer will perform outreach to community, academic, and business organizations in order to increase diversity of employee candidate pools, and assist in the development of hiring processes to ensure maximum opportunities for employment and career advancement for candidates from underrepresented demographic groups. To that end, the Office will be responsible for collecting, analyzing and reporting the City’s employee diversity data, working closely with the City’s Human Resources Department.