USDA and Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) Support a Diverse Talent Pipeline with New Agreement

Press Release

Release No. 0177.24

WASHINGTON, September 25, 2024 - Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entered into a first-ever Department-wide Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) to increase awareness of USDA as an employer of choice among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) college students, and to facilitate the recruitment, hiring and retention of a diverse workforce.

USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (OPPE) Director Dr. Lisa Ramirez signed the MOU today alongside CAPAL Managing Director Shaima Ahmad. The MOU builds on 30 years of collaboration between USDA and CAPAL to foster the next generation of USDA professionals through internship opportunities.

"This MOU, appropriately signed during Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Week, demonstrates USDA's commitment to equity across the Department," said OPPE Director Dr. Lisa Ramirez. "By making it easier for Asian Americans to participate in valuable public service internship opportunities at USDA, it reinforces the steps we have already taken to improve equity and access and to build a workforce more representative of America."

Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Week (Sept. 23-29) was first designated by Congress on September 27, 2007 to expand educational opportunities for low-income, first-generation Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students.

The Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership provides internship opportunities for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students interested in federal service. This MOU outlines the general terms and conditions for the partnership between USDA and CAPAL to ensure equitable access to internships and employment, career enhancement opportunities and greater diversity for USDA's workforce. CAPAL and USDA commit to collaborate to equip the next generation of young people with the tools necessary to enter federal service opportunities in public management, agriculture, food, natural resources and nutrition.

The MOU will be administered by USDA's Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (OPPE), which develops and maintains partnerships focused on solutions to challenges facing rural and underserved communities and connects those communities to the education, tools, and resources available to them through USDA programs and initiatives.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America's food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

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