News: Chemonics Publishes Its First Biennial Report on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Chemonics International is pleased to release its first-ever biennial report on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). In the report, the company shares its milestones, challenges, lessons learned, and next steps in its efforts to increase diversity, expand inclusivity, deepen equity, and foster a sense of belonging across its workforce, policies, and systems. The purpose of the report is to promote transparency to Chemonics’ global workforce as well as the international community to ensure the firm embodies its values and remains true to its ongoing promise to enhance DEI for its employees and the communities in which it works.

Organized around Chemonics’ DEI pillars from its 2020-2023 DEI Strategy — Leadership, Talent, Culture, Community — the report is available in an interactive digital overview and a more detailed 52-page version. Both include perspectives of Chemonics employees from around the world, highlights of DEI activities and resources, and links to Chemonics blog posts and op-eds.

“Our hope for this report is that it does not just summarize what Chemonics has accomplished,” said Chemonics’ Senior DEI Director Kenya Dugger. “We’re proud of what we’ve done so far, but we want to contribute to thought leadership in international development and beyond, and provide tangible examples, resources, and lessons for other organizations to use on their own DEI journeys. This report is an opportunity for us and our peers and partners to collaborate, learn, and lead in building a more inclusive and equitable sector and world.”

While Chemonics formalized its DEI efforts in 2017 with the creation of a DEI team (then called the D&I team), the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020 led Chemonics’ global workforce—like so many other communities and organizations across the world— to hold challenging, important conversations about racial injustice and systemic inequities within the company and the communities in which it works. The result was a deepened commitment to DEI, which included sweeping policy changes, increased outreach to local communities in Washington, D.C., and London, doubling the number of employee resource groups, and other efforts that have been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign and Disability: IN.

To develop the report, the Chemonics DEI Team partnered with communications colleagues and consulted with external experts and a wide range of Chemonics’ workforce to gather unique perspectives and insight into its company-wide DEI efforts.

“I’m incredibly proud of the work our colleagues have done to build a stronger, more inclusive company, as showcased in this report,” said Chemonics CEO and president Jamey Butcher. “It’s exciting to hear the perspectives of Chemonics staff across the world as they share what DEI means to them and why it’s important for our company and the development community more broadly. Our work is just beginning. Our next steps include working with our colleagues in our project offices across the globe to expand and adapt our DEI strategies so that related activities and goals are appropriate to their distinct cultural and demographic contexts, which may often differ from our experiences and needs in the United States and United Kingdom.”

Learn more about Chemonics’ DEI work here. Learn more about its technical work and projects in gender equity and social inclusion here.