Since Janice Glover-Jones became chief of equality, diversity and inclusivity in 2019, she has worked to eliminate barriers at the Defense Intelligence Agency. She is the first to suggest conducting year-round, in-depth barrier analysis that will focus on uncovering, examining and removing the obstacles that hinder equal participation at all levels of the workforce.
One of her key achievements in the past year has been the rebranding and redirecting of inclusive diversity from a “compliance-based” entity to an invested mission imperative. Previously considered an adjunct to the mission foundation, diversity inclusion at DIA has moved to the forefront of agency dialogues.
On an increasingly regular basis, Glover-Jones has either led or organized enterprise-level town halls, forums and conversations focused on diversity, equality and inclusion. DIA has also formed partnerships with other intelligence agencies and combatant commands’ equal opportunity offices and other industry EO leaders.
Glover-Jones is also committed to the growth of her staff. She has charged them, collectively, to develop the reintegration plan by examining data and understand the importance of project management, data analysis and teamwork across the office. Doing so has given the team new skill sets that enhance all of the equal opportunity efforts.
Why Watch:
Glover-Jones’ primary focus for 2020 is to get closer to working herself out of a job. While there may always be a need to have an office focused on EO matters, a shift from transactional to informational as would be a major indicator of success.
By institutionalizing the principles of inclusive diversity across the entire workforce, Glover-Jones is creating an environment of self-regulation and a culture of equality. And as the country navigates the post-COVID workplace, she plans on continuing to understand the environment through quantitative data and qualitative descriptions so resources are properly ascribed.