Dallas Area Rapid Transit

Function/Organization

The Department of Diversity and Economic Opportunity is responsible for the development, implementation, coordination, and monitoring of all Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action (EEO/AA), Disadvantaged, Minority and Women-Owned Enterprises (DMWBEs), Environmental Justice, Outreach and Diversity programs. The department advocates the agency's commitment to promoting a working environment, which recognizes and values the diverse social profile of the DART service areas, customers, stakeholders, contractors and employees. The department strives for equitable representation and advancement of members of all protected groups at all levels of employment and inclusion of disadvantaged businesses in all agency purchasing and contracting activities. In the capacity of DBE and EEO Officer, the Vice President is responsible for ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, or denied the benefit of, or subjected to discrimination under any DART project, program, or activity on the grounds of race, color, creed, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation or disability. The Vice President directs the overall activities of the department and reports directly to the President/Executive Director. There are currently four functional areas of the department:

• Compliance and Regulation
• Outreach
• Special Projects
• Conflict Resolution/Training

Compliance and Regulation

The mission of the Compliance and Regulation section is to "achieve and maintain full compliance." In our efforts to achieve our mission we design and establish programs, monitor, evaluate, educate, motivate, persuade, influence and recommend appropriate action to correct any confirmed instances of noncompliance. Compliance is the end, and all of our activities are directed towards achieving this end.

This section is comprised of functional components, which are:

1) ADA/Title VI Compliance

2) EEO/AA Compliance

3) DMWBE Programs Compliance

The primary areas toward which we direct our activities within the components are:

a) compliance with laws, rules, regulations, policies, and circulars

b) third party contractors' compliance with the dictates of the contract and any applicable federal laws and regulations

c) subcontractors' compliance with the dictates of the contract and any applicable federal laws and regulations

d) DART's compliance with its DBE and M/WBE programs

e) DART's compliance with its affirmative action and EEO obligations.

Outreach

This division is responsible for reaching out to DMWBEs to ensure equitable participation in economic opportunities with DART and reaching out to minority, low-income, other protected category communities, and other departments in DART to ensure equitable impact for all phases of DART activities relating to Title VI/Environmental Justice. This division is also responsible for the implementation, coordination and compliance of the Environmental Justice Program, in order to build and enhance customers and stakeholders' interest.

Special Projects

DEO's Special Projects section is responsible for managing and implementing the DEO functions of goal setting, contract compliance and DMWBE outreach specifically for DART's Phase II build out. Special Projects reviews DEO policies and programs and educates DART personnel and the community about those policies and programs. This section is responsible for providing ongoing technical assistance and advice as needed to the Vice President and other DEO functional areas as well as initiating innovative business development strategies for the DMWBE community. The Special Projects section works with the DMWBE community and contractors to forge opportunities and partnerships and also creates circumstances to allow for success on all fronts.

Conflict Resolution/Training

This division is responsible for the administration of discrimination complaints and concerns. Conflict resolution activities are generally initiated by actual or perceived employment disputes in which employees feel they have been treated unfairly because of their gender, race, ethnicity, age, religion, disability status, sexual orientation/preference, or other class memberships. The role of this division is that of impartial (neutral) facilitation and problem resolution, neither pro-employee nor pro-management. Disputes to which conflict is applied may be broken down into three categories: 1) those simply needing informal counseling; 2) those culminating into formal, internal discrimination complaints; and 3) those for which external charges of discrimination have been filed with EEOC or another outside entity/agency. These tasks are accomplished through confidential mentoring, counseling, and investigation of internal/external employment discrimination complaints and concerns raised by employees, job applicants, customers and stakeholders. Special and confidential investigations are conducted when there is a special need for due diligence by the agency to ensure that discriminatory practices do not exist. This division also develops, designs, implements and coordinates training for employees and management to foster improved understanding and awareness of federal, state, and local laws and regulations as they relate to discrimination and Title VII violations.

This department also administers DART's Wellness Program. It is designed to help employees achieve the highest potential of well being. This program emphasizes early preventive intervention to enhance employee health and capacity to function effectively on the job. Components of this program include physical, emotional, social, intellectual, spiritual and environmental.

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