by Chris Marquette, CQ Roll Call
Pelosi appoints Kemba Hendrix to lead House diversity office
Kemba Hendrix will lead the House Office of Diversity and Inclusion, a new office established this Congress and charged with improving diversity among the chamber’s workforce.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the appointment in a statement Tuesday.
“As Speaker, I am proud to appoint Kemba Hendrix to lead the House’s new Office of Diversity and Inclusion, which will accelerate Democrats’ work to ensure that that halls of Congress reflect the diversity and dynamism of the American people whom we are honored to represent,” Pelosi said.
The office Hendrix will lead is an independent, nonpartisan entity that works as a resource for House employing offices and by increasing awareness of diversity issues among staff in Congress.
Hendrix will transition to the new role from her position as the director of the House Democratic Diversity Initiative, where she focused on increasing workforce diversity among the Democratic offices. She previously worked as an adviser on equal employment opportunity law, diversity, inclusion and harassment for the Office of Personnel Management. Hendrix also served as a legal adviser to the Chief Diversity Office and Office of Civil Rights at the State Department.
Hendrix earned a bachelor’s degree from Xavier University and a law degree from Howard University.
“Diversity is one of our nation’s greatest strengths. Helping the House reflect the diversity of our nation is an important endeavor,” House Administration Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said in a statement.
“The House of Representatives will be made stronger by the depth of experience and knowledge Kemba Hendrix brings to this new role. I look forward to working with the new Office of Diversity and Inclusion, along with Speaker Pelosi and leaders in the House of Representatives to build the most productive tools to aid in this effort,” she added.
