My Award Plaque during my Retirement Party ( October, 2002) from the Asian Pacific Network in appreciation of my service and promotion of work diversity and outstanding leadership during my 12 years with FDA.  The idea of Diversity in the work place specifically in the Federal government is not new. Actually, workplace diversity training first emerged in the mid-1960s following the introduction of equal employment laws and affirmative action. Prior to this, many companies had known histories of racial discrimination. Today, the Biden-Harris administration is known to be the most diverse ever. It is also the first year anniversary of his presidency. For his accomplishments see the video on the bottom of this page.

Promoting diversity and inclusion with a government that looks like America is a priority for the Biden-Harris administration — and new data from the White House shows it’s the most diverse government in America’s history.

In their first 100 days in office, President Biden and Vice President Harris have assembled a group of nearly 1,500 diverse and highly qualified individuals to serve in the Cabinet and other positions in the executive branch. These public servants represent minority groups across America that have been previously underrepresented at the highest levels of government.

The most senior officials require Senate confirmation by majority vote in order to serve in the president’s Cabinet.

Janet Yellen raising one hand and placing other on book held by man as Vice President Harris speaks (© Patrick Semansky/AP Images)
Vice President Harris participates in a swearing-in ceremony for Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in Washington on January 26. (© Patrick Semansky/AP Images)
  • Lloyd Austin is the first Black secretary of defense.
  • Janet Yellen is the first woman to be secretary of the treasury.
  • Alejandro Mayorkas is the first Latino and immigrant to serve as secretary of homeland security.
  • Xavier Becerra is the first Latino to serve as secretary of health and human services.
  • Deb Haaland, the secretary of the interior, is the first Native American to ever serve as a Cabinet secretary.
  • Pete Buttigieg is the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve as secretary of transportation.
  • Cecilia Rouse is the first woman of color to chair the Council of Economic Advisers.
  • Katherine Tai is the first woman of color to serve as U.S. trade representative.
  • Avril Haines is the first woman to lead the U.S. intelligence community.
  • Rachel Levine, serving in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the first openly transgender person to be confirmed by the Senate.

Beyond the Cabinet, presidential appointees serve in key agency positions that do not require Senate confirmation. In line with Biden’s commitment to leveraging the talent, creativity and expertise of the American people and to build an administration that looks like America, more than half of the 1,500 presidential appointees hired to date are women, and half identify as non-white. In this group of appointees:

  • 58% are women.
  • 18% identify as Black or African American.
  • 15% identify as Latino or Hispanic.
  • 15% identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander.
  • 3% identify as Middle Eastern or North African.
  • 2% identify as American Indian or Alaska Native.
  • 14% identify as LGBTQ+.
  • 4% are veterans.
  • 3% identify as disabled or having a disability.
  • 15% were the first in their families to go to college.
  • 32% are naturalized citizens or the children of immigrants.

Today, as far as I know there are only eight Biden's appointees that claimed to have Filipino ancestry. https://www.google.com/search?channel=fs&client=ubuntu&q=filipino+american+in+the+biden+administration If you know of any other Fil-American appointees not listed in the link listed, let me know.

I am hoping that in the near future, another Filipino-American close to my heart will have the privilege to serve the Biden-Harris Administration.

The idea of diversity in the work place is not new specifically in the Federal government specifically in FDA. Way back in the late 1990's, when I was the Chemistry Team Leader in the Division of Anti-Infective Drug Products, Office of New Drug Chemistry, Center of New Drugs Evaluation and Research, my team of five Review Chemists ( GS-13 and 14) was known as the most diverse team in the Office of New Drugs. I had one Irish-American, one Black American, two Indian-Americans, and one Chinese-American Review Chemists. This is one of the reasons why I received the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) award in 1998. Later on, a year before my retirement, I assisted in hiring two female Chemists in our Division. All members of my team except for the Irish-American Chemist had Ph.D degrees from prestigious US universities. The white Caucasian Chemist had only an M.S. degree.  

At the State Department, Secretary Antony Blinken has emphasized that “diversity and inclusion make our diplomatic team stronger, smarter, more creative, more innovative.”

Speaking to the press after announcing former Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley as the department’s first chief diversity and inclusion officer, Blinken added: “As President Biden has made clear, prioritizing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility is also a national security imperative.”