Tompkins County opens search for Chief Equity and Diversity Officer

Published on October 22, 2025

Tompkins County has started the search for its next Chief Equity and Diversity Officer. The job description and application instructions are available on the Tompkins County website. Applications can be submitted until November 9, 2025.

In this administrative leadership role, the successful candidate will lead the development and implementation of Tompkins County's diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice initiatives and collaborate to establish equity as a shared value across the organization and the community. The position includes fostering an inclusive culture across the county organization to ensure county processes have inclusive and equitable outcomes, and facilitating an organizational culture that normalizes the use of an equity lens designed to address institutional barriers that interfere with access and equitable service delivery.

Candidates with experience in and passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, fostering relationships and understanding across community sectors, building equitable organizational practices, and advancing justice within communities are encouraged to apply.

The current Chief Equity and Diversity Officer, Charlene Holmes, concludes her final week at Tompkins County at the GARE Local Convening, a conference for equity and inclusion practitioners she was instrumental in bringing to Ithaca. Tompkins County Administrator Korsah Akumfi highlighted how, over the past two years, Holmes “worked to ensure that equity is not merely discussed, but is actively centered in our processes, planning, and decision-making.”

Akumfi encouraged qualified candidates to join the county administration team. “Tompkins County has advanced the integration of equity into county policies, procedures, and service delivery. The next Chief Equity and Diversity Officer can build on a solid policy framework foundation for continued progress in the county’s journey toward a more just and inclusive government.”