Worcester Hires New Chief Diversity Officer

WORCESTER, MA—The city has got a new diversity officer, and it's someone who has served Worcester for some time already.

City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. announced last week that that he chose Suja Chacko as the City of Worcester’s new Chief Diversity Officer.

Most recently, Chacko served in the Office of Human Resources working on the city’s diversity initiatives, goals and objectives. She has led employee trainings on diversity and inclusion topics, and has served as the administrative liaison to the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee.

Chacko, who lives in Worcester, has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business and an MBA in Management and Social Change from Clark University.

The new Chief Diversity Officer reports directly to the City Manager, while also working closely with Human Resources and other City departments. The main duties of the position include developing and monitoring recruiting, hiring, training, promoting and retaining strategies to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups who work and volunteer for the city.

Chacko will also oversee the development and implementation of the City’s Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity and Inclusion Plan and ensuring the City is in compliance with all federal, state and local Equal Employment Opportunity laws.

“The Chief Diversity Officer position is critical to the city’s overarching strategy to create a more diverse and inclusive approach to city government and recruit a workforce that reflects the community we serve,” said Augustus in a statement. “I believe Ms. Chacko has the background and skills necessary to help the city meet those goals.”