Champions for Accountability

2022 Champions for Accountability

An Initiative to Highlight the Importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Northern Virginia's Workplaces

In 2020, an estimated 17 percent of the region's workers identified as Asian-Pacific Islander, 16 percent as Hispanic, 12 percent as Black, and 51 percent as White. About 11 percent of NOVA workers who completed the Census' household pulse survey in 2021 identified as LGBTQ+. Despite this wealth of diversity, economic power has not been distributed evenly across the region. While about half of workers in the region identify as White, 67 percent of businesses are under White ownership, 2/3 of managers in the region are White, and 69 percent of workers who earn more than $150,000 a year are White.

This report highlights more than 50 employers in Northern Virginia that have taken a crucial first step towards corporate diversity: they are willing to collect, share, and act on data about the demographic composition of their owners, senior staff, and boards. The report summarizes preliminary findings from the first cohort of badge recipients- "Champions-" who submitted a complete application in the spring-summer of 2022. While just the first step, this puts the region on an important pathway to diversifying our leadership and acknowledging where we are, as a region, and as employers.
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