DEIA Champions Sponsorship Program

Applications are now open for the 2023-2024 DEIA Champions Program. Applications must be submitted online via deiachampions.org and close on September 18, 2023.

• (1) Summary: The DEIA Champions Program brings together Senior Foreign Service and mid-level leaders to form a cohort of change agents who have a strong commitment to and demonstrated track record of advancing DEIA. Participants receive specialized leadership training in how to more effectively advance the Department’s DEIA goals, become more inclusive managers, improve accountability while making Department culture more inclusive, and recruit and lead high-performing and diverse teams.

• The program also pairs mid-level mentees with senior-level sponsors/mentors. Both sponsors and mentees receive professional development aimed at preparing them for roles of greater responsibility in the Department.

• Foreign Service generalists and specialists may apply. Applicants must be in the Senior Foreign Service to be sponsors. FS-02 and FS-01 generalists and specialists may apply to be mentees.

• This is the second year of the program’s two-year pilot. We have expanded eligibility requirements to allow employees posted overseas to apply and participate. In its second year, the program will include two in-person sessions and two virtual sessions. In-person sessions will take place November 28 – 30, 2023 and May 14-16, 2024. Virtual sessions will take place on January 10, 2024 and March 20, 2024. Participants posted overseas or outside of Washington will need to travel to Washington for all in-person sessions. Per agreement with regional bureaus, travel expenses will be covered by the post or bureau.

• Employees of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply to be sponsors/mentors or mentees. Selection criteria for mentees and sponsors will be based on applicants’ demonstrated track record of advancing DEIA.

• (2) Program Goals: This program – which includes up to 30 participants per cohort – is a partnership between the Una Chapman Cox Foundation, the Secretary’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Bureau of Global Talent Management, the Foreign Service Institute, and Howard University. The initiative seeks to:

• Identify current Department leaders who want to become more effective DEIA champions, give them the tools needed to be successful advocates, diversify their networks, and provide them with specialized workshops on data-informed best practices for advancing DEIA;

• Pair strong mid-level employees and senior leaders who have a demonstrated track record of advancing DEIA and provide both with the tools they need to strengthen their competitiveness for and succeed in positions of greater responsibility;

• Close generational gaps in understanding today’s workforce and its expectations with respect to advancing DEIA and creating a culture of inclusion within the Department;

• Create brave spaces for candid and courageous conversations between Department leaders and program participants to discuss and develop solutions for the Department’s DEIA challenges.

• (3) Defining Sponsors’ Role: Compared to traditional mentorship models, which primarily involve mentors providing advice to mentees, sponsors in this program take a more active role in helping their mentees work step-by-step through specific DEIA issues or professional goals. In the context of this program, the role of sponsors will be to work with mentees one-on-one to think through their bidding and career strategies, help them strengthen their competitiveness to cross the Senior Foreign Service threshold, and work with them on professional advancement areas such as candidate packages for DCM/PO positions. Sponsors will also advise and strategize with mentees on how to navigate and address specific DEIA or leadership challenges they may face. Sponsors may also serve as references for mentees, in line with the processes outlined in the Department’s formal bidding guidance.

• (4) Benefit to Sponsors: Senior sponsors receive training on becoming more inclusive leaders and improving DEIA outcomes within their missions/bureaus. Sponsors will be able to point to a concrete way that they are advancing the Department’s DEIA goals (a criterion for obtaining senior leadership positions). Through their participation in this program, sponsors will be connected to a network of strong mid-level officers and DEIA champions from a wide array of backgrounds from which to expand their recruitment pool as they build teams in the future. Senior sponsors participating in the first year of this program said they grew to have a fuller appreciation for the DEIA challenges faced by colleagues in the mid- and junior ranks and the role they can play as senior leaders in resolving them. One participant from the program’s first year stated, “Participating in this program significantly broadened my abilities to not only better understand DEIA principles and the Department’s current policies and perspectives on the issues, but also address these issues in my day-to-day job in a meaningful and impactful way. It was a safe space to really have difficult conversations and had some of the best programming I’ve ever experienced in the Department.”

• (5) Expectations: If selected, participants must commit to 100% participation in all workshops as well as meeting with their sponsor/mentee once per month during the six-month program. The program includes separate in-person and virtual workshops between November 2023 and May 2024. In-person sessions will take place November 28 – 30, 2023 and May 14-16, 2024. Virtual sessions will take place on January 10, 2024 and March 20, 2024. Participants posted overseas or outside of Washington will need to travel to Washington for all in-person sessions. Per agreement with regional bureaus, travel expenses will be covered by the post or bureau. Those selected whose posts do not have sufficient funding should contact their bureau’s senior DEIA advisor.

• (6) Eligibility Criteria: Mentees must be FS-01 or FS-02 generalists or specialists (with the exception of OMSes who may be FS-04s, and Security Technicians or DS specialists and agents who may be FS-03s). Sponsors must be Senior Foreign Service generalists or specialists (with the exception of OMSes who may be FS-03s or higher, and Security Technicians and DS specialists/agents who may apply to be sponsors as FS-02s or higher). Selection will be based on applicants’ statement of interest and demonstrated track record of advancing DEIA. Civil Service colleagues are ineligible to participate due to the terms of funding stipulated by the Una Chapman Cox Foundation. 

   

• (7) Application Requirements: A completed application is required of both sponsors and mentees. The applications request information about the individuals to help with making match and also ask about their activities to promote DEIA issues. The applications are not time-consuming and do not require letters of recommendation. A selection panel composed of multiple Department bureaus and offices – including S/ODI, FSI, GTM, among others – will first select a cohort of mentees based on their demonstrated leadership potential and commitment to advancing DEIA. Sponsors will then be selected to complement mentee needs and professional interests (experience, cone, regional background, functional expertise, etc.). Applicants will be informed regarding the status of their selection by October 15.

• (8) Application Instructions: Applications for mentees and sponsors should be submitted through this application portal: deiachampions.org from My Dashboard. The deadline for applications is September 18. General questions about the program or application should be directed to DEIAChampions@howard.edu.