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As your Chief Equity Officer, I am honored to lead our state’s efforts to ensure Illinois is at the forefront of equity and inclusion.
In 2021, Governor JB Pritzker established the Office of Equity through Executive Order 2021-16, charging our office with providing expertise and guidance on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) to state agencies, leaders, stakeholders, and community partners.
Our mission is to collaborate with agencies to identify and dismantle systemic barriers, foster a culture of fairness and opportunity, and build lasting capacity for equity. We are committed to transformational work that drives real, sustainable change.
We recognize that we are working in a moment of heightened uncertainty and scrutiny. Challenges to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility efforts have created confusion and concern nationwide. Yet Illinois remains steadfast. Governor Pritzker and state leadership continue to affirm their commitment to building a more inclusive and just society.
Equity lives in our policies, practices, and daily interactions. It is about creating spaces where every person feels valued and has the opportunity to thrive. Our efforts are rooted in compliance with state and federal laws, and we are committed to consistent refinement of our approaches to ensure clarity and effectiveness.
Collaboration is central to this mission. By working with state agencies and community partners, we share knowledge, strategies, and resources to strengthen and sustain our initiatives. Together, we are charting a path forward and making meaningful progress.
Illinois is striving to be a national leader in equity by advancing diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible services, systems, policies, and operations across the state. This work is urgent and vital, it will take all of us, at every level, to address centuries of structural and institutional inequities that continue to impact our most vulnerable communities.
As your neighbor and Chief Equity Officer, I am deeply committed to serving the people of Illinois with thoughtfulness and compassion. Thank you for joining me on this journey toward a more equitable future.
Sincerely,
Atiera Coleman, PhD
Chief Equity Officer
Office of Governor JB Pritzker
Our Office
The Office of Equity is building a statewide strategy for advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and access (DEIA) in our services, systems, and operations. This is a collaborative effort between the Office of the Governor’s Equity Office with other state agencies, commissions and boards and all other sectors and partners across our great state. One of the essential roles of the Office of Equity is to provide vision, direction, guidance, and support to DEIA initiatives. We are stiving to make Illinois a state free of social inequity with a healthy and thriving population who have access to high quality services delivered by diverse, inclusive, and equity-oriented state government, systems, and agencies.