On September 18, 2023, the SEC announced the agency’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2023 through 2026. The SEC stated that a commitment to DEIA is critical to accomplishing its three-part mission: to protect investors; to maintain fair, orderly and efficient capital markets; and to facilitate capital formation. The SEC’s stated DEIA vision includes the integration of DEIA as an agency priority to support an inclusive culture in which people from diverse backgrounds can share ideas that impact both the SEC’s workplace and the communities the agency serves. The plan lays out various DEIA goals, priorities and actions built around three main pillars—people, culture and mission.

For example, under the plan’s goals regarding people and with respect to diversity, the SEC established a priority to recruit staff with the right mix of skills and expertise, including from under-recognized groups, in its mission-critical occupations. Among the actions the plan identified to achieve that priority are the use of outreach and recruitment strategies to draw from all segments of society and the development and maintenance of strategic partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, women’s colleges and colleges that typically serve majority-minority populations, as well as professional organizations serving under-recognized groups. The plan will be reviewed annually to assess progress, with a full update to the plan to be initiated every four years.

The SEC’s DEIA strategic plan is available here, and a related press release is available here.