Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Dei Consultant topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
CalPERS board authorizes three‑year DEI consultant work plan after staff briefing
Summary
After a presentation on a four‑phase DEI consultant engagement, the CalPERS Board authorized a three‑year work plan (leadership interviews, program review/assessment, action plan and implementation support) and agreed on reporting cadence and oversight steps.
Shannon Kelly Ray, CEO of Shannon Kelly Ray Consulting LLC, and Dr. Miriam Hawkins presented a four‑phase DEI consultant services work plan for board authorization. The plan covers leadership interviews, program review and assessment, development of a multiyear DEI strategic action plan, and implementation support with embedded compliance and auditability checks.
Shannon Kelly Ray framed the work as proactive, performance‑oriented and compliance‑aware: "To improve inclusion so that you improve systems... is what you've always been doing," she said, adding the work is "to protect the mission and its members through an equitable, consistent process that supports how CalPERS serves a large and diverse membership." The consultants explained deliverables would include interview summaries, a gap analysis/SWOT, a board‑ready assessment report, a multi‑year strategic action plan and dashboards/scorecards for monitoring.
Board members asked about cadence and transparency. Consultants proposed semiannual full‑board reporting with more frequent "2x2" briefings (smaller group deep dives) and a publicly accessible project page to share status. Trustee Deborah Gallegos moved to approve the work plan (option A, with direction to provide interim briefings); the motion was seconded by Mr. Palke. The board approved the engagement by voice vote.
Presenters stressed legal review and auditability built into each phase; staff and consultants said deliverables would be vetted with CalPERS legal counsel and aligned with existing DEIA efforts led internally by the chief diversity officer. The consultants estimated an initial leadership‑interview phase deliverable by Q3 2026 and a program‑review deliverable by Q1 2027, with action‑plan recommendations timed to the strategic‑planning window in Q2 2027.
