Hill Diversity
The Joint Center’s Hill diversity work analyzes racial diversity of congressional staff. See below for our research, analysis, and activities.
Report Card of Racial Diversity Among Senate Committee Top Staff
This report card examines racial diversity among top staff in U.S. Senate full committee offices in the 117th Congress. We define “top staff” as the following job titles: staff director, deputy staff director, chief counsel, general counsel, and policy director (121 top staff positions). For details on our grading system, see the methodology and background…
Joint Center Signs Letter Urging the House of Representatives to Restore Funding
The Joint Center signed onto a letter to House Committee on Appropriations leadership urging “the House of Representatives to restore funding levels for Members Representational Allowances (MRA) and House committees to their FY 2010 levels, as adjusted for inflation” to “help address high turnover among congressional staff by addressing the twin issues of low pay…
Joint Center Discusses Diversity Among Biden-Harris Political Appointments at American Constitution Webinar
Joint Center President Spencer Overton joined the American Constitution Society’s webinar providing advice for lawyers interested in being politically appointed by the Biden-Harris administration. During the discussion, Spencer shared the state of diversity among political appointments so far compared to previous administrations and in comparison to the promise of the Biden-Harris Administration to have a…
Joint Center Presents Congressional Staff Diversity Data at FiscalNote Webinar
Joint Center Senior Fellow of Diversity and Inclusion Dr. LaShonda Brenson presented recent Joint Center data on congressional staff diversity at FiscalNote’s webinar entitled How to Create a Diverse Capitol Hill and K Street. Other panelists included former Deputy Secretary of Labor for President Obama Chris Lu, Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies President…
Joint Center Commends Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) for Hiring Donni Turner as Legislative Director
Turner is One of Only Five Black Senate Legislative Directors Sen. Ossoff’s Recent Hire Increased Black Senate Democratic Top Staff by 11.1 PercentWASHINGTON — Today, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies commends U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) for hiring Donni Turner (pictured right) as legislative director in his personal office. Turner is one of five current…
Strong Black Support for Shalanda Young for OMB Director
WASHINGTON — Today, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies submitted a letter signed by nearly 30 Black organizations calling for President Joe Biden to nominate Shalanda Young for Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. “As organizations that serve Black communities, we take great pride in strongly encouraging you to nominate…
Joint Center Signs Letter Calling on the Senate to Be More Transparent, Representative, Efficient, and Effective
The Joint Center signed on to a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Committee on Rules & Administration Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar, and Senate Committee on Rules & Administration Ranking Member Roy Blunt calling for the Senate to commit resources and administrative power toward an effort to improve…
Joint Center Joins Congressional Black Associates Panel on the Importance of Congressional Staff Diversity
Joint Center Senior Fellow of Diversity and Inclusion Dr. LaShonda Brenson was a panelist in the Congressional Black Associates’ discussion on the importance of congressional staff diversity and the challenges and solutions of diverse hiring. During the discussion, LaShonda presented data from Joint Center research showing the lack of racial diversity among top staff in…
New LegiStorm Report Shows New House Members Hire More Diverse Staff
New LegiStorm Data Finds Freshmen House Members Hire More Diverse Staff Than Their Senior Colleagues Joint Center Data Confirms Top Staff Hiring Also More Diverse Last week, LegiStorm, a web-based platform that identifies congressional staff and monitors activity on Capitol Hill, published a blog comparing staff hiring by new Members of Congress and their longer-serving…
Joint Center Organizes Letter With Over 35 Civil Rights Groups Urging Majority Leader Schumer to Establish a Bipartisan Senate Diversity and Inclusion Office
The Joint Center organized a letter signed by over 35 civil rights groups addressed to Majority Leader Schumer (D-NY) urging his office to establish a bipartisan Senate Diversity and Inclusion Office. In the letter, we recommend the new bipartisan Senate Diversity and Inclusion Office be staffed by professionals with expertise in diversity who support both…