Did the U.S. Coast Guard Mislead Congressman Elijah Cummings on Civil Rights Progress
Five months have passed since the release the Booz Allen Hamilton report that concluded Coast Guard Civil Rights has failed at its mission. It was back on 19 February that the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Adm. Thad Allen said in a memo on his review of the Booz Allen Hamilton report:
The Director of Civil Rights will post the report on its website and provide periodic progress updates for the benefit of the workforce.
CGR Public Service Announcement
Five months later, and two congressional hearings the the only update the workforce has had came from watching the hearings on Webcast. The reality is that the vast majority of the workforce (save for loyal readers of CGR) didn’t even know the hearings occurred. Allen’s silence on the Booz Allen Hamilton report has been deafening to the workforce, they get it, “EO and Diversity are not priorities.”
A search again today of the Coast Guard domain for the Ambassador’s program turned up four hits, none related to the program announced in ALCOAST 381/09 this month. On 19 June 2009, Vadm. Cliff Pearson included mention of the Ambassadors program in his opening statement, but didn’t mention that the officer that presumably created the program was likely in the House Chamber during the hearing. Lcdr. Wilborne Watson is assigned to the Congressional Liaison Office. A search of the Coast Guard domain for Watson’s name turned up 5 hits, and again none of them on his Ambassador’s program.
So is the program real, fabricated or just creatively embellished to placate congress. We believe its probably a little of each.
So to recap,
- Adm. Allen has been silent on the Booz Allen Hamilton report since 19 February 2009
- The Office of Civil Rights hasn’t published progress updates
- Vadm. Pearson announces the “Ambassador’s” program, yet no-one in Coast Guards Diversity Office can point to any specific information on the program.
- Coast Guard has not released even one document that supports the Ambassador’s program even exists.
Federal agencies are required to have EEO expert staff managing programs and initiatives in support of Title VII, Title VI, Equal Pay, Rehab Act, ADEA, executive orders, etc. Wondering whether responsibility for these programs has been given to Personnel because most of the program billets have been eliminated from the program side. Might explain the lack of website reporting.
Anon, (11:14am)
That might explain much, but that does not negate the responsibility to report. The Commandant has the resources to support posting current info to his Civil Rights and Diversity sites. It not, then he should stop playing with Social Media and creating new Blogs such as COMPASS and devote those resources to the Office of Civil Rights (and the Diversity Office). There is no excuse for the Commandant, MCPOCG and other leaders to devote so much time to Social Media while allowing Civil Rights, EO and Diversity to take a back seat.
Staff, agree. It’s just strange that there are no EEO specialists other than Mr. Patterson working his program in HQ. You can’t possibly meet all program mandates with one staffer. In terms of the OCR website, the old organizational structure is still on line, not the new one briefed to Congress. Could be they haven’t posted the new structure because this new organizational structure isn’t “official” yet, meaning staff p.d.’s haven’t been re-written and classified.
Anon 12:50,
You’re likely right, but I would suggest that union notification has something to do with it too.
EEO and HR jobs are all “exempt” … puzzling what the union would have to do with any plan to restructure EEO.