DEIA Goals

DEIA Goals

ORNL developed and is implementing a comprehensive DEIA Plan that captures our DEIA vision and is built around a series of five goals highlighted below. We invite you to review these goals along with some of the key actions associated with each that are under way at this time.

Cohesive Structures

Enhance DEIA structures important for prioritizing, connecting, implementing, and tracking DEIA progress. 

Key near-term actions: Enhance resources to enable full development of DEIA initiatives (including a full-time DEIA leader); initiate a phased, multi-year DEIA framework that links goals with associated short-term and long-term actions; and explore a “hub and spoke” model across various Lab-wide DEIA working groups for advancing pilots, sharing successes, and enhancing uniform implementation of DEIA strategies.

Shared Understanding

Enhance Lab-wide understanding of the imperative and value proposition of DEIA for the ORNL mission and vision, as well as understanding of ORNL’s DEIA plan. 

Key near-term actions: Update our DEIA website and demographics dashboard to enhance understanding of our current status relative to our vision; enhance DEIA training for staff, beginning with the Lab Leadership.

Balanced Representation

Develop and deploy recruiting, onboarding, and career development strategies to close gaps in representation. 

Key near-term actions: Grow programs to attract and recruit staff from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs); pilot workforce development, professional development, and mentoring programs; examine job postings; enhance recruiter/hiring manager training; broaden recruiting engagements; and incorporate DEIA principles and plan into key training modules.

Exceptional Experiences

Create an inclusive environment that inspires diverse talent to contribute their unique perspectives and talents to the mission and that fosters uniform employee experience across the Laboratory. 

Key near-term actions: Continue to weave Core Values into everyday practice and decisions; promote accountability through Laboratory planning and performance tools; include DEIA in onboarding and new employee orientation; ensure diverse representation in Lab committees and events; ensure managers are equipped with the information and skills to cultivate an inclusive, equitable, and accessible workplace environment.

Enriched Partnerships

Enhance strategies to develop and sustain diversity-oriented local, regional and science community partnerships that enhance accessibility of ORNL resources to underrepresented entities as well as broader impacts. 

Key near-term actions: Continue to assess diversity among facility user applications and proactively engage with HBCUs and MSIs through targeted workshops and seminars to increase use and strengthen relationships with these institutions; enhance partnering with national and local programs focused enhancing DEIA; and pilot topic-specific workforce pipeline development.