NRCS Equity 

Division

Looking Through the 

Lens of Others

Equity is the consistent and systematic 

treatment of all individuals in a fair, just, 

and impartial manner, including people who 

belong to communities that have been denied 

such treatment. 

Race

Ethnicity 

Religion 

Income

Geography 

Gender 

Identity

Sexual 

Orientation

Disability

nrcs.usda.gov

“NRCS advances 

Equity by sustaining 

fairness in the way we 

deliver our programs, 

services, and technical 

assistance, within 

agency policies and 

practices.”

– NRCS Chief Terry Cosby

Foundational Information

Executive Order 13985

Executive Order 14091

USDA Equity Commission

USDA Equity Action Plan

NRCS Equity Action Plan

NRCS Equity Policy Statement and Poster

For more information see:

nrcs.usda.gov/about/priorities/equity

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, 

employer, and lender.

April 2023
Mission, Vision, Core Values

MISSION: Advocate for and better align 

institutional equity into the work and 

practices of NRCS to ensure that every 

USDA-NRCS customer is put in a position 

to succeed in a diverse government world 

and notably feel inclusiveness to agency 

programs and services.

VISION: Diversity and inclusion for every 

customer through our programs. 

CORE VALUES: Believing that NRCS 

customers’ opportunities and benefits 

of agency programs are strengthened 

when working towards the common good 

and goals by improving agency program 

outreach; NRCS improves customers’ 

equity and equality of life through 

conservation opportunities and benefits.

NRCS Equity Action Plan

Strategic Goal 1: Organizational Capacity 

for Equity

Enact changes throughout the breadth and 

organizational depth of NRCS, from the 

National Headquarters level to the local level, 

for training and infrastructure to build 

employee understanding about equity goals 

and to create equity and inclusion experts and 

teams across the Agency. 

Strategic Goal 2: Equity Toolkits

Institutionalize use of Equity Toolkits to 

integrate equity into decision-making 

processes to change policies, programs, and 

practices as necessary to eliminate inequities, 

to prevent decisions that may create or 

perpetuate inequities, and to develop decisions 

that promote advancement of equity. 

Strategic Goal 3: Equity and Inclusion Data

Implement strategic data planning and develop 

data-driven measurements to evaluate the 

success of specific programmatic and policy 

changes by developing baselines, setting 

objectives, and measuring progress toward 

NRCS and community goals.

Strategic Goal 4: Equity and Inclusion 

Partnerships 

Work in collaboration with communities and 

other institutions at the National, Regional, 

State, and local levels to ensure NRCS efforts 

for change are informed by the lived 

experiences of communities that changes seek 

to benefit. 

Strategic Goal 5: Operationalize Equity

Communicate and act with urgency to 

incorporate institutional mechanisms 

for required continuance of education, 

transparency, and accountability to eliminate 

program, policy, and service inequities.

Achieving Equity 

NRCS Chief Terry Cosby is committed to building 

organizational capacity for all NRCS functions and 

throughout the agency hierarchy for institutional 

transformation in advancing equity.

For NRCS to achieve equity, the fundamental 

transformation of agency programs, culture, and 

outreach actions is necessary. Although it is vital for 

all NRCS top officials, managers, and supervisors, 

advancing equity takes place on the ground, at the 

local level, for us to create equity experts and staff. 

Our shared goal across all of NRCS is to advance 

equity by sustaining fairness of our programs, 

services, and technical assistance within agency 

policies and practices.

To further demonstrate the NRCS commitment to 

advancing equity and equal opportunity for all, in 

October 2021, Chief Cosby officially announced the 

organizational unit NRCS Equity Division. Under the 

leadership of Vivian Dickson, NRCS Equity Division 

Director, the division is responsible for identifying 

the best methods, consistent with applicable law 

and provisions, to assist NRCS in achieving equity 

with respect to race, ethnicity, religion, income, 

geography, gender identity, sexual orientation, 

and disability.