Five years ago Congress acknowledged a persistent lack of diversity in the financial services industry and adopted Section 342 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. Section 342 of the Dodd-Frank Act directs nine federal financial regulatory agencies to create an office of inclusion to ensure the fair inclusion and utilization of minorities in their workforces. Section 342 also directs each agency to assess the diversity policies and practices of the private sector entities contracting with the agency or regulated by the agency. Six of the agencies proposed joint standards to provide guidance on the scope of the required assessment. The Proposed Standards, however, remain proposed and have been the subject of significant commentary from various segments of the financial community. This program will explore whether Section 342 and the Proposed Standards have led to true progress towards advancing diversity in the financial services industry since Dodd-Frank. The program will explore a broad array of topics regarding diversity and inclusion in the financial services industry and leadership in public service and corporate boardrooms.
Program papers will be published in Washington & Lee Law Review.