First Treasury counselor for racial equity appointed

Treasury Secretary Yellen has announced the appointment of Janis Bowdler to serve as the Department’s first Counselor for Racial Equity. Ms. Bowdler will be charged with coordinating Treasury’s efforts to advance racial equity including engaging with diverse communities throughout the country and to identify and mitigate barriers to accessing benefits and opportunities with the Department. In announcing the appointment, Secretary Yellen said, “The American economy has historically not worked fairly for communities of color. The pandemic threw a spotlight on this inequity; people of color were often the first to lose their jobs and businesses. Treasury must play a central role in ensuring that as our economy recovers from the pandemic, it recovers in a way that addresses the inequalities that existed long before anyone was infected with COVID-19.”