About US

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), provides direct support and assistance to accomplish NSF’s strategic goal of performing as a model agency that provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all employees and applicants in all personnel/employment programs and management practices and decisions.

Its mission is to ensure the agency is in compliance with the laws and regulations that govern Federal-sector EEO and civil rights and to foster a diverse and inclusive work environment that ensures equal opportunity through policy development, workforce analyses, outreach, and education to best serve NSF’s employees and its stakeholders.

Its vision is to perform as an office that is at the forefront of providing a high-performance workforce by leveraging diversity to our employees and stakeholders to achieve superior results.

ODI’s organization chart

A brief synopsis of ODI’s specific functions is below:

• Complaints Processing—ODI processes complaints of discrimination under various federal laws and regulations. The complaints process includes facilitation, counseling, investigations, and decision drafting. A complaint filed through ODI must be based on the following protected bases:  race, color, national origin, sex, religion, retaliation, age, or disability.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)—ADR is a method that resolves conflict at the lowest level. ODI uses two methods of ADR: Conciliation and Mediation. Both methods give parties an opportunity to define issues and seek solutions.
• Reasonable Accommodation—ODI processes all requests for reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities who are able to perform the essential functions of the job. The process is initiated through contact with ODI’s Disability Program Manager.
• Workforce Training and Development—ODI provides workforce training and development in the areas of EEO and diversity.
• Diversity/Special Emphasis Initiatives—ODI sponsors a number of programs that highlight NSF’s diversity. In addition to those initiatives that were developed via executive orders, ODI also has devised a comprehensive diversity strategy to assist in accomplishing ODI’s vision of performing as an office that is at the forefront of providing a high-performance workforce by leveraging diversity to our employees and stakeholders to achieve superior results.
• Workforce Analysis—ODI conducts an analysis of NSF’s workforce on a quaterly and annual basis in which it reviews various processes and the impact on women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities.
• Guidance and Advice to Managers and Employees—ODI serves as a resource to the NSF workforce, providing guidance and advice to managers and employees regarding EEO and related issues.