Chief Equity Officer Statement
Troy Williams, Esq., MPA, MS
Chief Equity Officer City of Arlington
The Unity Council has served as a critical component of the City of Arlington’ s efforts to create more equitable outcomes for all its residents. The 57 recommendations set forth by the original Unity Council served as a framework that has guided the efforts of the City, its Chief Equity Officer and the engagement of community stakeholders.
Looking across our collective work since the Unity Council’ s 2020 inception, we can point to significant achievements that have begun to shift organizational culture, dataoutcomes and overall community well-being with respect to equity.
Economic disparities
To address economic disparities, the City has taken a multi-faceted approach targeting poverty and Arlington’ s widening income gap, this includes:
• Improving career-relevant education in emerging industries
• Providing financial stability education and other support to socio-economically vulnerable populations
• Promoting homeownership
• Stimulating new and existing business growth
These efforts have resulted in a lowering of the poverty rate in our White, Black and Latino populations, but more work is needed to address poverty rates in our Asian, Pacific Islander and other populations.
The recently formed Office of Business Diversity has been intentional about establishing a comprehensive MWBE program through:
• The enactment of equity-focused procurement policies and processes
• Business development services and outreach activities
• Technical assistance in accessing capital and bonding
Unity Council Report 2023 131