Chief diversity officer

Historical background

The chief diversity officer serves in an executive level leadership role. According to Billy E. Vaughn, a history of cultural diversity pioneer work conducted by university professors, cultural diversity consultants, and human resource officers precedes the chief diversity officer. Less than 20 percent of Fortune 500 companies employed diversity officers in 2005, but that number had grown to 53 percent in 2022. Only recently has there been a discussion about the appropriate background education and credentials the diversity officer needs. In the business sector, the role remains tied to human resource management functions. Higher education chief diversity officers tend to have doctoral degrees.

Credentialing

Diversity Certification refers to credential training that provides professionals with knowledge and skills for maintaining non-discriminatory and inclusive business practices.

References

Citations

Sources

• Williams, D. & Wade-Golden, K. (2006). What is a Chief Diversity Officer? Inside Higher Education (original publication). http://www.insidehighered.com/workplace/2006/04/18/williams
• Vaughn, B. (2008). Letters from the Editor. Diversity Officer Magazine. http://diversityofficermagazine.com/
• Martin, M. & Vaughn, B. E. (2007). Cultural Competence: The Nuts & Bolts of Diversity & Inclusion. In Billy E. Vaughn (Ed.), Strategic Diversity & Inclusion Management (Now Diversity Officer magazine), pp. 31–38, Vol. 1, No. 1. Diversity Training University: San Francisco.
• Vaughn, B. E. (2007). The history of diversity training and its pioneers. In Billy E. Vaughn (Ed.), Strategic Diversity & Inclusion Management (Now Diversity Officer magazine), pp. 11–16, Vol. 1, No. 1. Diversity Training University: San Francisco.

References

1. Tina Shah Paikeday. (June 1, 2021). "Positioning Your Chief Diversity Officer For Top Performance". Russell Reynold.
2. [https://diversityofficermagazine.com/magazine/?page_id=65 The History of Diversity Training & Its Pioneers]
3. "How to set your chief diversity officer up for success {{!}} McKinsey".
4. "Blog Archives".
5. (2017-10-03). "What is Cultural Diversity Certification? – CDP CDT CDE -".