As the daughter of a single mother who had her at 17, Diana has always had to fight for the things that have mattered to her. A student of Massachusetts public schools, she went to Middlesex Community College. She later earned a financial scholarship to Wellesley College.After serving in the legislature as an aide, as Chief of Staff for the 12,000 member Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, and years of work for local nonprofits and community organizations, she won her first race for public office in 2012. Diana served three terms as State Representative for the 14th Essex District. In 2018 was elected to the State Senate.
Massport includes a 25-point DEI criteria in all requests for proposals (RFPs,) which applies to a wide range of activities including equity participation, workplace and supplier diversity, and wrap-around services to enhance diversity efforts. These contracts also hold recipients accountable for actually meeting DEI goals. It was used effectively during the recent construction of the Omni Seaport Hotel, which had far more diverse contractors than the typical Boston construction project.
I will report where state agencies stand in comparison with this model to determine the “equity gap” between what we know is achievable and what our agencies are achieving. While the Auditor cannot force state agencies to adopt the 25-point DEI criteria, the office can show policymakers exactly how far short agencies are falling from this achievable goal.