Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has announced the appointment of Janis Bowdler to serve as Treasury’s very first counselor for racial equity, a role that involves coordinating the department’s attempts to promote racial equity, according to a news release.
“Ms. Bowdler will be charged with coordinating Treasury’s efforts to advance racial equity including engaging with diverse communities throughout the country and to identify and mitigate barriers to accessing benefits and opportunities with the Department,” the release noted.
“I have spent my entire career working in solidarity with Black, Latinx, AAPI, Native communities, and other communities of color to dismantle the structural and institutional racism that perpetuates the racial wealth divide,” Bowdler said in a statement.
“Addressing racial and gender disparities and giving underserved communities greater access to opportunities creates more broadly shared prosperity for all. Thank you to Secretary Yellen for entrusting me with this position to help contribute to the Biden Administration’s commitment to centering racial equity in its work,” she said.
Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo wrote in a blog post that in her new role, Bowdler “will coordinate and lead efforts across the department to inform our decisions with a focus on racial equity and work to ensure our programs create opportunity in communities of color.”
One of Bowdler’s first objectives will be the establishment of a Racial Equity Advisory Committee at the department, according to Adeyemo.
“The creation of this committee will provide the Department’s leadership with advice and expert counsel focused on advancing equity for communities that have historically been left behind. Through the membership of the Committee, the Department will benefit from the perspectives and input from a range of individuals, including academics, researchers, industry leaders, community-based leaders and advocates, philanthropists, and others,” Adeyemo wrote.