Hill Diversity
The Joint Center’s Hill diversity work analyzes racial diversity of congressional staff. See below for our research, analysis, and activities.
How Well Do Democratic Senators Who Represent Large Populations of Black Citizens Fare in Hiring Black Top Staff?
The overall number of staff of color in Democratic personal offices has increased by 3.4 percentage points from 2020, according to a recent survey released by the Senate Democratic Diversity Initiative. Among the Senate Democrats’ personal offices, the average percentage of Black staff increased from 13.4 percent in 2020 to 13.6 percent this year. (To…
New Joint Center Report Finds People of Color Are Significantly Underrepresented in U.S. Senate Committee Top-Level Positions
Most U.S. Senate Committee Chairs and Ranking Members Fail to Hire Top Staff That Reflects U.S. Diversity Today, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies released Racial Diversity Among Senate Committee Top Staff, a report revealing a lack of racial diversity among top staff in Senate committee offices. The report found that while people of color account…
Racial Diversity Among Senate Committee Top Staff
Today, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies released Racial Diversity Among Senate Committee Top Staff. This report provides evidence regarding the lack of racial diversity among U.S. Senate committee office top staff positions. This report defines committee office top staff as all staff director, deputy staff director, chief counsel, general counsel, and policy…
Senators Hirono, Luján & Warnock Have Most Diverse Staff; Over 27 Percent of Senate Democratic Committee Offices Have No Black Staff
Joint Center Ranks Senators Based on 2021 Senate Democratic Diversity Data WASHINGTON — The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies commends Senate Democrats for releasing their fifth annual survey on racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual orientation/gender identity diversity of their staff. To date, Senate Republican offices have not released staff demographic data. Our analysis includes over 20 graphics detailing…
Digging Deeper: 2021 Senate Democratic Caucus Diversity Numbers
On July 13, 2021, the Senate Democratic Caucus released an update of its demographic data on Democratic staff (find 2021 numbers here and 2020 numbers here). The analysis below ranks the offices on their total diversity in the following categories: Overall Senate Personal Office Chart Most & Least Diverse Staff in Senate Personal Offices (by…
Joint Center Signs Letter Urging the Chief Administrator Officer to Conduct a Study on Current Benefits for Staffers
The Joint Center signed a letter to U.S. House of Representatives Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor urging the office to conduct a study on the current benefits for staffers. The letter especially asks the office to analyze staffers’ pay as lesser compensation, unpaid internships, and underpaid entry-level positions damages Congress’s ability to attract a diverse…
The Joint Center Commends Senator Scott for Hiring Dominique McKay as Communications Director
McKay is One of Only Three Black Senate Communications Directors WASHINGTON — Today, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies commends U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) for hiring Dominique McKay (pictured right) as communications director in his personal office. McKay is one of three current Black communications directors in the U.S. Senate. Michael Brewer…
The Joint Center Commends Senator Booker for Hiring Leah Hill as Legislative Director
Hill is One of Only Six Black Senate Legislative Directors WASHINGTON — Today, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies commends U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) for hiring Leah Hill (pictured right) as legislative director in his personal office. Hill is one of six current Black legislative directors in the U.S. Senate. Jasmine Dimitriou (Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)), Josh…
Joint Center Presents on Using Congressional Staff Diversity as a Measure on Congress’s Performance
At a Bipartisan Policy Center event, Joint Center Senior Fellow of Diversity and Inclusion Dr. LaShonda Brenson discussed how congressional staff diversity is a key measure in understanding Congress’s performance. Watch the conversation below.
Politico Covers Joint Center Report Card on the Racial Diversity of Top Staff in Senate Committee Offices
Only 30 percent of Senate committee chairs and ranking members currently employ at least one person of color among their top committee staff. WASHINGTON – The Joint Center launched its interactive report card (exclusively covered in Politico) allowing users to learn how U.S. Senate full committee chairs and ranking members are faring when it comes to hiring diverse top…