Background

For many years departments and agencies have successfully hosted meetings in conjunction with FEW's NTP. These forums afford agencies an opportunity to bring staff together from across the country and overseas to discuss issues of nationwide importance to similarly minded groups. In this time of budget cuts and reduced staffing, the Agency Forum has become an outstanding way to significantly improve the delivery of Civil Rights/Equal Opportunity (CR/EO) programs by assuring that all parts of the Department or Agency are working toward the same goal and are sharing expertise and experiences.

Agencies may host a one- or two-day event on Monday and/or Tuesday of the NTP week. Some agencies or bureaus host a one-day meeting followed by a one-day Departmental Forum that combines multiple agencies. The Department of Defense and all of its components have used this format successfully for many years.

Purpose of an Agency Forum

Meetings provide agencies an opportunity to update EO personnel on agency policies and procedures; provide feedback on action items in their Affirmative Action Plans; identify problems and develop workable solutions in Special Emphasis programs; introduce new Headquarters and field staff; provide a venue for the discussion of concerns; and network with their counterparts from throughout the United States and abroad.

Various Formats

Some agencies use the meeting time to update their staff on internal regulations, policies and procedures. Others also contract with trainers to present specific topics related to equal opportunity, program management, and program plan reporting. Many agencies invite their top level management staff to attend and present information on their support of Federal CR/EO programs.

Agency Forum Application
Agency Forum Prospectus in pdf format (266 Kb)
Forum Planning Checklist

2004 Agency Forums

Health and Human Services
Department of Agriculture
Federal Bureau of Investigation
National Guard Bureau
Department of Defense
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Agricultural Marketing Service
Defense Intelligence Agency
Department of Justice (joint with Labor)
Department of the Army
Environmental Protection Agency
Department of Commerce
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Energy
Department of Transportation
United States Postal Service
Department of Labor (joint with Justice)

Target Audience

An Agency Forum brings together headquarters and field CR/EO, full-time and collateral duty Federal Women's Program Managers and other Special Emphasis Managers, coordinators for programs for individuals with disabilities, human resources staff, agency line managers and supervisors, and others who have an interest in the subject areas being addressed at the forum.

Other Benefits

Agencies can combine forums with the NTP resulting in savings in travel, as many of the individuals listed above are already at the meeting site to attend the NTP. The meeting format offers participants an opportunity to meet face-to-face, an invaluable benefit in today's work climate of limited travel and heavy dependence on technology for communication.

Many agencies combine participation in a forum with participation in the Excellence Expo. By opting to purchase exhibit space, an agency raises its visibility with all the NTP attendees. This has proven to be an effective public relations and recruitment tool for many agencies who exhibit on a recurring basis.