We’ve made a commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion at TechCongress from day one of the organization. Thanks to these efforts, our 2019 class had the most diverse pool of applicants and achieved gender parity for the first time.
Heading into the 2020 recruitment cycle, we were determined to maintain and increase our efforts. We continued outreach to priority communities, such women, people of color, LGBTQ+, and veterans, who are typically underrepresented in politics. We paid for ads on jobs and message boards. We built relationships with influencers. We continued to offer the diversity referral award, the first organization in Washington or politics to do so, and awarded it to Laura Bate, Sara Egozi, Caleb Gardner, and Nate Wilkins.
Our 2020 fellows reflect gender balance, racial diversity, and include members from all of our priority communities.
We don’t want to stop there.
We’ll be working hard to make sure that this success continues in 2021 so that we can build a truly equitable and diverse organization. If you have any thoughts, feedback, or suggestions please reach out and let us know.
Here are the diversity metrics at each key stage of our 2020 recruitment:
Total Eligible Applicants
Women: 45.95%
People of Color: 47.25%
LGBTQ+: 16.18%
Veterans: 10.36%
Applicants in Round 2
Women: 49.18%
People of Color: 44.26%
LGBTQ+: 14.75%
Veterans: 13.11%
Applicants in Round 3
Women: 53.66%
People of Color: 51.22%
LGBTQ+: 14.63%
Veterans: 19.51%
Applicants in Round 4
Women: 65%
People of Color: 35%
LGBTQ+: 20%
Veterans: 20%
2020 Fellows
Women: 50%
People of Color: 50%
LGBTQ+: 33.33%
Veterans: 33.33%