GFOA's DEI Journey: Using Values and Ethics as a Guide.

• Author: Morrill, Christopher P.
• Position: FROM THE CEO - Government Finance Officers Association

Approximately one year ago, I stood on stage at GFOA's annual conference and signed the CEO's Pledge, joining more than 2,000 other chief executive officers who committed their organizations to supporting complex and sometimes challenging conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion [DEI]; implementing and expanding unconscious bias training; sharing DEI programs; and engaging the board in the development of DEI strategies. I'm proud of the work we've accomplished over the last year, but GFOA's DEI journey didn't start in Austin, Texas. GFOA has recognized the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion for years, and we believe that the work we do to advance excellence in government finance is interconnected with our commitment to those values. Our members shape the policies, programs, and resource allocations in their communities, and their differences make us all stronger.

GFOA's DEI Initiative outlines the actions being taken to uphold the principles of DEI, as stated in GFOA's Code of Ethics. The code defines how finance officers can value diversity and foster inclusion.

* "Provide people with opportunities to be part of decisions that impact them. Public finance decisions often have big implications for people outside the finance office. If these people are part of the decision-making process, they are more likely to feel fairly treated and thereby regard the people who work in the finance office as trustworthy."

* "Support equity in service provision. Local government services are critical to the lives of our citizens. Finance officers, because of their resource allocation role, can impact the quality of services and how and where services are provided. I commit to valuing diversity within my organization and within my community, recognizing my own biases, and calling out unfair discrimination of any kind."

Last year, GFOA members voted to amend the bylaws of the association to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the government finance profession and within GFOA. We created a DEI committee of the executive board and have also been integrating the values identified in the code of ethics into resources for our members.

Our Rethinking Revenue and Rethinking Budgeting projects, in partnership with several other organizations, have provided leadership on reforming unfair financial policies related to imposed fees, fines, and asset forfeitures, and we reviewed the potential for segmented pricing for fees and fines.

GFOA...