“Today, Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen announced the appointment of Janis Bowdler to serve as the Department’s first Counselor for Racial Equity,” the Treasury Department said in a press release. “Ms. Bowdler will be charged with coordinating Treasury’s efforts to advance racial equity.”
Bowdler will engage with diverse communities throughout the United States to identify and mitigate barriers to accessing benefits and opportunities with the Treasury Department, the release said.
“The American economy has historically not worked fairly for communities of color. …Treasury must play a central role in ensuring that as our economy recovers from the pandemic, it recovers in a way that addresses the inequalities that existed long before anyone was infected with COVID-19,” the release added
Also on Monday, the Treasury Department published a blog post by Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo on pursuing a coordinated strategy to advance racial equity, where he noted the creation of a Racial Equity Advisory Committee and other efforts to promote diversity among the workforce, according to the release.