One-on-One
by Lango Deen
DIVERSIFYING THE NATION’S SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE
William A. rise only another three tenths. If so, he says, “91.1 percent
Brown, Sr has an of these vacancies at the current trend will not be fi lled with
idea. The retired highly-qualifi ed African Americans.”
professional engi-
Brown emphasizes a fair selection process across all federal
neer, who worked
agencies. “The SES Diversity Act, as written, will correct this
in the federal
situation by requiring the use of a selection panel consisting of
government for 38
three individuals of which one must be female and one must be
years, believes that
a minority,” he says.
one of the highest
merit-based ech-
Although the House passed the law requiring federal
elons of the federal
agencies to formalize plans to improve the diversity of their top
workforce should
career ranks, the three-person panel requirement was changed.
more closely refl ect
Instead agencies were encouraged to include women, minori-
the demography
ties, and people with disabilities on executive resource boards as
of the nation’s
well as on qualifi cations review boards.
citizenry. For Brown, that was a setback. “Despite the under-rep-
He refers to
resentation of minorities in the SES, some are calling for
the Senior Execu-
voluntary implementation that diverse selection panels be used
tive Service (SES). It is a pay grade in the US civil service,
to recommend candidates for selection. Federal agencies have
whose members correspond to the rank of general or admiral.
had years to voluntarily diversify and failed to do so, as the
These skilled workers and overseers, whose average age is 55,
government’s own statistics point out,” he told the hearing.
work at a level just below that of top Presidential appointees
in almost every activity at about 75 Federal agencies, They are
a major link between the appointees and other government
If the senior executive service hiring
personnel. (To learn more about SES positions, go to America’s
Top Black Generals and Admirals & SES Defense, p. 37, in this
trend continues, very few vacancies
issue.)
Brown is president of the African American Federal Execu-
will be fi lled by highly-qualifi ed
tive Association, founded in 2002 to promote black professional
development and advancement into and within the senior ranks
African Americans.
of government. On behalf of the AAFEA, Brown has testi-
fi ed on Capitol Hill on the Senior Executive Service Diversity
Assurance Act, which was introduced into both the House and
Senate. The bill would establish the Senior Executive Service
Meanwhile recent federal data shows that the Hispanic
Resource Offi ce within the Offi ce of Personnel Management to
SES representation has actually fl atlined. A situation that
improve the management of the SES and to increase diversity in
brought blunt words from Gilbert Sandate, the senior policy
the service.
associate of the National Association of Hispanic Federal
Executives, when he testifi ed before the same subcommittee
Brown’s impetus is a looming personnel shift in the ranks
that heard Brown. “NAHFE believes that many fi ne Hispanic
of federal leadership. By 2018, an estimated seventy to ninety
candidates have been unable to reach senior level ranks due to
percent of career-SES leadership will retire. That could signal a
favoritism and discrimination by selecting offi cials,” Sandate
big opportunity, but Brown says there are obstacles. Presently,
said.
African Americans, at more than 8 percent, comprise the largest
minority membership of the SES, while the total percentage of
To its advocates, the SES Diversity Act, as written, may
Hispanics, Native American, and Asian or Pacifi c Islanders is
ameliorate this situation as it requires a three-member selec-
7.1 percent.
tion panel where one person must be female and one must be
a minority. Despite strong opposition to that approach, Brown
In last April’s testimony before the House Subcommittee
says AAFEA will pitch the Act to the 111th Congress “and we
on the Federal Workforce, Brown said that since 2000 the black
hope a revised bill will pass.”
percentage in the SES had only grown two tenths of a percent.
If that trend continues for 10 years, black representation may
68 USBE & Information Technology I WINTER 2008
http://www.blackengineer.com
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