Federal Housing Finance Agency Print
Home / About FHFA / Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

 

Div​ersity, Equity, and Inclusion—Our Foundation

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) form the foundation on which FHFA's core values (Fairness, Accountability, Integrity, and Respect) rest. We promote DEI in our Agency’s employment and business practices and those of the 15 financial institutions we regulate​: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Common Securitization Solutions, the 11 Federal Home Loan Banks, and the Banks’ Office of Finance. DEI is an essential component of our work to enhance and implement fair, equitable, sound, and effective housing finance policies for the American people.

At FHFA, we also work to increase hiring, promotion, and procurement opportunities for women, minorities, and people with disabilities. If you’re interested in doi​ng business with us, please visit our “Doing Business” page. If you’re interested in working with us, please visit our “Careers” page.

How We S​ee DEI—Theory and Practice

At FHFA, we think of DEI as three connected elements:

  • Diversity is the “presence” — the mix of demographics and viewpoints across our workforce, management, and contracting partners.

  • Equity is the “access”— the initiatives that help provide equitable opportunities and knock down barriers to participation.

  • Inclusion is the “performance”— the behaviors that encourage a values-based culture of belonging and actions taken to build an integrated, dynamic, and sustainable FHFA DEI Program designed to achieve the Agency’s strategic goals and objectives with specific outcomes that demonstrate Inclusion.

More than just a moral imperative, DEI drives important cultural and business advantages:

  • Diversity allows for a wider range of views and fosters innovation. It enables organizations to solve problems more creatively and effectively, which increases the likelihood of and succeeding in their mission.

  • Equity expands access to products, services, and opportunities across organizations and communities.

  • A culture of inclusion contributes to the ease of hiring, greater satisfaction at work, and reduced turnover.

Steady Progress

In recent years, FHFA has made steady progress in building a more diverse workforce and community of vendors. At year-end 2022, minority representation accounted for 48.7 percent of FHFA’s permanent employees, and female representation made up 43.7 percent.

FHFA’s commitment to DEI at all levels of the Agency extends to its procurement efforts. In 2022, 48.0 percent of FHFA’s contracting actions and 42.8 percent of the Agency’s obligations were with minority- and women-owned businesses (MWOBs).

  • 2022 was the first year in FHFA’s history that obligations with MWOBs accounted for over 40 percent of the total obligated amount.

For more information, please refer to the 2022 Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI) Annual Report to Congress issued by Agency’s OMWI. Additionally, OMWI launched a set of dashboards that provide some of the tables and figures included the 2022 OMWI Annual Report to Congress. These user-friendly dashboards enable stakeholders to easily view FHFA highlights.

OMWI—Our Dedicated DEI Office

Core Responsibilities

FHFA’s Office of Minority and Women Inclusion, established under section 342 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Dodd-Frank Act), leads FHFA’s efforts to advance DEI and is responsible for all Agency matters relating to DEI in management, employment, and business activities. This includes overseeing and directing examinations of the regulated entities’ DEI programs and related activities by assessing the diversity policies and practices, as well as monitoring and assessing the entities’ compliance with DEI laws and regulations.

OMWI also develops and implements standards (DEI Standards) for:

  • Equal employment opportunity and the racial, ethnic, and gender diversity of the Agency’s workforce and senior management.

  • Participation of minority- and women-owned businesses in Agency programs and contracts and coordinating technical assistance to such businesses.

  • Evaluating the good faith efforts of FHFA contractors and subcontractors to promote diversity in their workforce.

Get in Touch

OMWI works under the leadership of Director Sharron P. A. Levine and Associate Director Paul Priest, delivering on its mission through five integrated teams. For general questions about OMWI’s work, please email OMWIinfo@fhfa.gov or call (202) 649-3806.

OMWI’s five integrated teams include:

  • D&I Examinations, led by Supervisory Examination Specialist Felicia Bland

  • DEI Data Management, led by Supervisory Data Analytics Specialist Catherine Chiang

  • DEI Policy, led by Principal Policy Analyst Soquel Harding

  • DEI Agency Practice, led by Supervisory D&I Program Manager Takisha Koonce

  • OMWI Operations, led by Supervisory D&I Program Manager Takisha Koonce

​Page last updated: March 30, 2023​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

© 2024 Federal Housing Finance Agency