Bridge Partners Seeking VP, Diversity and Inclusion, Strategy & Impact for Fannie Mae
August 8, 2024 – Tory Clarke and Debbie Tang of Bridge Partners have been retained by Fannie Mae to lead in its search for a vice president of diversity and inclusion, strategy & impact. This role will work collaboratively with stakeholders across Fannie Mae to embed diversity and inclusion (D&I) into all business and activities of the enterprise, while managing related regulatory requirements, driving a culture of inclusion and belonging and measuring progress across various strategic initiatives.
The search firm explains that this executive will play a vital role in positioning Fannie Mae’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. This role is part of the office of minority and women inclusion (OMWI) which has the responsibility to promote diversity and ensure, to the maximum extent possible in balance with financially safe and sound business practices, the inclusion of minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and minority, women, and disabled-owned businesses in all business and activities and at all levels of the regulated entity, including in management, employment, procurement, and all types of financial transactions.
The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of leadership experience, with at least six years leading diversity and inclusion strategic initiative and a proven ability to motivate teams and influence change. ▪ Significant experience driving and managing change and leading inclusion initiatives across a variety of business activities, including procurement, financial transactions, equitable housing, community investment, and talent management is preferred.
Those applying should be comfortable in a highly regulated business environment with a focus on complying with equal employment opportunity and other requirements. Candidates must also have demonstrated success in driving change and leading through change in complex environments, including influencing organizational and behavioral change across levels and audiences and designing systems of accountability.
Related: How DEI is Impacting How We Recruit and Retain Talent
Fannie Mae works to improve access to both homeownership and rental housing for millions of people across America. We enable the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage and drive responsible innovation to make homebuying and renting easier, fairer, and more accessible. In 2024, with over $4.3 trillion in assets, Fannie Mae is the largest company in the United States and the fifth largest company in the world, by assets.
Minority Business Enterprise
Bridge Partners is a certified minority supplier and a minority business enterprise. Based in New York, with offices in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago, and Boston, the firm has completed higher education/academia senior leadership searches for roles such as head of human resources, head of finance, head of audit, and deans. Its non-profit and for-profit clients include the Denver Housing Authority, Women In Need, TIAA-CREF, Freddie Mac, Accion, Colgate-Palmolive, YWCA, Starbucks, and the Federal Reserve System, among many others.
The Uncertain Future of Diversity and Hiring
Diversity has had it rough lately. First, there were cutbacks due to the economy and then came the Supreme Court’s ruling against affirmative action. That was followed by a cohort of Republican attorneys general issuing a letter to Fortune 100 CEOs questioning the legality of some DEI efforts. The main issue for the moment centers on quotas, a topic which was at the heart of the recent Supreme Court ruling banning affirmative action at universities, according to a recent report from Korn Ferry. Though the ruling doesn’t apply to the private sector, the attorneys general are raising questions.
For his part, Korn Ferry chief diversity officer JT Saunders says that no laws exist yet to address issues like this, but some form of legislation is likely down the road. “While quotas may have been useful as a safety net to encourage equitable opportunity, they are not the most effective instrument in the DEI toolkit,” he said. “If you’re only relying on quotas from a compliance-driven perspective, you’re likely not getting the best results from DEI. You’re creating an opportunity for it to be challenged quite easily. It can’t be about checking boxes. It must be about business outcomes.”
Ms. Clarke, partner and co-founder, supports senior global search assignments for private sector, public sector, and international non-profit/social venture clients, across all functions. A 20-year veteran of the executive search industry, she has recruited diverse executives, including CEO/presidents and their leadership teams, at both head office and regional locations around the globe.
Ms. Tang, partner, leads global executive searches in both the private and public sector, from Fortune 500 companies to universities and government agencies. She recruits diverse senior executives across all functions, including CEO, CFO, CHRO, CLO, and board searches, in a wide variety of industries. In addition, Ms. Tang is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and often partners with U.S. clients on overseas hiring assignments.
Related: What CHROs Need to Know About DEI Moving Forward
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
