Office of Diversity and Inclusion outlines availability study timeline, ERG expansion and procurement outreach

Jason Jenkins, director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), summarized ODI's community and procurement outreach and internal workforce efforts during the 2026 budget hearing. Jenkins highlighted a catering-connections event and a procurement partnership with Columbus City Schools aimed at connecting local small and diverse vendors with city procurement officers, and said ODI retains "over 90% of our program participants" in diversity-business programs.

Nadia Miller, who presented the fiscal overview for ODI, said ODI expenses are largely stable year over year and that ODI plans to run an availability study in 2026 to inform a disparity study expected in 2027. Miller described the availability study as a discovery exercise for the broader market and said it is a prerequisite for the disparity study tied to the city's pending court matters. Miller said ODI plans to award contracts for engagement and data collection in the first quarter of the year and that an engagement-first approach (focus groups, outreach, content for council and partners) is built into the RFPs.

On staffing and programs, Miller said ODI will employ two fewer staff members in 2026 and that some unfunded requests (support for the Columbus Black Expo and an updated disparity study) will be revisited in the 2027 budget. Jenkins said ODI currently supports five employee resource groups and plans to add two more next year (a young professionals ERG and a caregivers ERG). Jenkins and council members emphasized that ERGs and procurement outreach help align the city's internal practice with its external contracting goals.

Council members sought clarity on timeline and communications. Jenkins and Miller said they will produce community-facing materials and share study findings with council and partners as the availability study proceeds. The hearing record contains no formal vote on ODI items; council will continue considering ODI's requests as part of the overall budget process.