Courage. Curiosity. Agility. These are a few of the personal attributes that help cultivate a more inclusive workplace. We often talk about diversity in terms of our differences—gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age. However, what unites us are our similarities. We have more in common than not.
At MITRE, we also have a commitment to our mission, learning new cultures, and becoming more self-aware.
Our collective journey to build a more equitable society requires collaboration and a commitment to being open to understanding and caring about others. Achieving inclusion, diversity, and equity isn’t about a destination or accomplishing a particular goal. This is a journey of discovery where we lead and create new opportunities to thrive as individuals and grow as a society. It takes intention, listening to understand, and action.
At MITRE, we’re doing more than building an inclusive and diverse workplace. We’re also turning societal disruptions into new solutions for public good. To have lasting generational impact, we’re advancing social innovation in underserved communities by developing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) talent for the future. And we’re building authentic relationships and strategic partnerships to ensure sustainable engagements that deliver equitable outcomes, not transactions.
Defining IDE
Inclusion
Recognizing, understanding, appreciating, and utilizing the similar and different characteristics between individuals and groups.
Diversity
All the characteristics of differences and similarities between individuals and groups.
Equity
Ensuring fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement, while eliminating barriers that have traditionally kept certain groups from power, or even a seat at the table.
We will continue to uphold the voices of diversity, to uplift the communities we live and work in, and to be the change we want to see.
From selection as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion and recognition for our Black and Hispanic leaders by Savoy and Latino Leaders magazines to paradigm-shifting work in neurodiversity, we’re proud of the progress we’ve made in creating an environment where everyone can feel a sense of belonging. Yet we know there’s always more to be done.
We're building a more inclusive culture where everyone can amplify their impact for public good.
17%
of MITRE’s staff self-identify as a military veteran. In 2022, Military Times named MITRE among its best employers for vets, and the U.S. Labor Secretary recognized MITRE with its “HIRE Vets” medallion for the second year in a row.
1.7%
of our employees self-report as LGBTQ+ knowing they are empowered to be their full selves at work and supported by health benefits for them and their families.
9.3%
of our employees self-report a disability. Since 2019, MITRE has been recognized on the Disability Equality Index for our inclusive workplace, employment practices, support services, and supplier diversity.
United by Mission
MITRE has led the way to the world’s safest air transportation system, more secure networks, broader access to healthcare, groundbreaking defense and homeland security technologies, data-driven public policy, and more. Odds are our work has made your life safer.
These achievements take the combined talents of thousands of people. And we know people are more likely to thrive in their careers—and thus achieve their missions—by being free to be themselves.
As a diversity practitioner, my journey of discovery—telling my family, friends, and co-workers that I’m gay—gave me new energy. Being my authentic self allows me to thrive in my career.
Our people advance our mission daily—from patented innovations to creating platforms to help foster change to policy in both government and industry. For instance, the March of Dimes uses the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Interactive Dashboard to improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations, such as Hispanic and Black women. We launched our Social Justice Platform amid the social unrest in 2020 to provide a data-driven, systems approach to explore reducing socioeconomic disparities due to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, education, or ability. The District of Columbia uses the platform to inform strategies for closing the racial wealth gap in our nation’s capital.
We’re a multigenerational workforce with 51.4 percent millennial and Gen Z employees. To deliver on our mission of solving problems for a safer world, our workforce also brings a multitude of experiences and interdisciplinary backgrounds. Because we know innovation happens at the intersection of inclusion and diversity.
Extra-Ordinary People
Come in All Dimensions
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Today, MITRE’s Board of Trustees reflects a greater diversity of professional and lived experiences than at any time in our history, with 53 percent from underrepresented gender and racial demographics. In 2002 that number was 6 percent, and in 2012 it was 30 percent. Our executive officers are also increasingly diverse.
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Impact Story
The People Behind the Patents
Employee Voice
A Former Army Network Engineer Keeps MITRE Plugged In
Cultivating a Culture of Belonging
We all play a significant role in fostering a workplace that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. To create sustainable impact in the workplace and in society, we’re intentional about shaping our behaviors, enhancing our practices, and developing systems so each of us feels empowered by a culture of belonging.
We’ve taken many steps to equip our senior leaders and our teams to better understand inclusion and diversity and how to foster a workplace environment where everyone can grow, thrive, and prosper. From annual training and workshops to showcasing the diversity of our talent through storytelling, we strive for our employees to feel valued.
Our first Week of Belonging celebration featured enterprise-wide events with cultural activities, leadership discussions, and educational sessions. Employees also can foster connections grounded in various dimensions of an employee’s identity, such as STEM careers, ethnicity, race, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ability, or veteran status through our newly revamped Business Resource Groups.
Bottom line: We have more in common than not. Through these shared experiences, we bring the whole of MITRE to help strengthen the safety, stability, and prosperity of our world.
Leadership Hiring
And Promotions
New recruitment and promotion practices have yielded more underrepresented
employees in leadership* roles. We’re also investing in learning programs
and future leaders to cultivate a culture of belonging.
By the Numbers
79% External hiring of underrepresented candidates
38% External hiring of people of color
63% Employee promotions of underrepresented populations, a 9% increase from FY21
* Leadership includes those serving as a group leader and above. All data FY22, year ending 12/31/22, unless noted.
Employee Voice
Engineering By Humans, For Humans
Employee Voice
MITRE Senior Vice President Shares His Pride
Engaging Communities to Deliver Social Innovation
We created a social innovation function to drive generational impact and engage students interested in STEM careers. It consolidates traditional corporate and social responsibility activities with a new approach—creating more opportunities in education, career growth, and business leadership in underserved communities. This collaborative function tackles complex problems to strengthen our civil society.
With a primary focus on building K-12 capabilities and interest beyond STEM pipelines, MITRE sponsors numerous high school engagement programs and is a proud sponsor of BEYA and Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering. We also directly partner with more than 25 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions, such as Howard University and Florida International University. We’re also exploring how redesigning the curriculum can keep children engaged and enthusiastic throughout their academic journey. Our goal is to foster their interest in innovative careers, which will help our nation maintain its global technology leadership.
Additionally, our corporate social innovation emphasizes the communities in which we live and work. We’re creating intentional partnerships, sponsorships, and volunteer opportunities that leverage business expertise to create impact in underserved communities. For example, engaging Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) business owners through mentorship with MassChallenge will help lower barriers for underrepresented founders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. It’s one of countless ways MITRE and our employees deliver public good.
MITRE Community Impact
[Narrator]
At MITRE we solve problems for a safer world, applying a whole of nation approach to our biggest challenges. In national security, cyber and health. And our dedication to service starts at home fighting hunger and serving people in need, protecting public health and supporting our civic institutions. This is service for the public good. This is pioneering the future. This is MITRE.
Awards & Recognition
A person, on average, may spend up to one-third of their lifetime in an office or work setting. For many of us, finding a sense of meaning, solidarity, and belonging comes not only from within the space of our own personal lives, but also from the organizations we work for and the colleagues we work with. We’re proud that numerous national organizations recognize MITRE as a workplace committed to inclusion, diversity, and equity.
Once again, in 2022 we have been named a top supporter of HBCUs and earned the top score on the Disability Equality Index. MITRE also helped shape the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural “Champions for Accountability” program for regional businesses demonstrating a commitment to reporting progress on building a more diverse workforce.
Several of our Black, Hispanic and women trustees and executives were honored for their leadership. Our internship program, which welcomed more than 600 high school through post-doc students, earned top honors for engaging early talent from WayUp and Handshake. These national recognitions highlight the diversity of our student engagement and the opportunities for full-time employment at MITRE. Computerworld also recognized MITRE among the best workplaces for diversity among large companies.
With 17 percent of MITRE’s staff self-identifying as a military veteran, it has always been our organization’s commitment to create an environment where we honor the service of our veterans while recognizing the incredible wealth of unique experiences, backgrounds, and ideas they deliver. Military Times named MITRE to its 2022 Best for Vets: Employers rankings for the first time. And U.S. Secretary of Labor Martin J. Walsh recognized MITRE’s efforts to hire and support veterans with the 2022 HIRE Vets Medallion Award.
Amplify Your Impact for Public Good
Social Innovation Begins with Intention
DEI stands for diversity, equity and inclusion. And here at MITRE, we define diversity as all the similarities and differences in our characteristics and traits that make up who we are as individuals or groups. Inclusion is really an act or behavior.
And that from an inclusion standpoint, we not only make you feel like you belong but that you have a sense of belonging.
You have to recognize or acknowledge someone's existence. And once you do that, you're able to utilize all those traits and characteristics that make up who they are as an individual.
And lastly, equity is really focusing on the individual fairness and what are the needs of what they want in terms of access to opportunities.
You can make a difference no matter where you come from, your background, your experiences and so on, that everybody can really thrive here at MITRE.
Early in the year, we introduce a new self-identification program for our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. It's the first time that we're able to really identify that population and let people know that we care, we value, we see them.
It's a great way to see our commitment to diversity internally as well as externally for those who may be interested in coming to MITRE.
We believe right at the intersection of inclusion and diversity is innovation.
Inclusion and diversity is cultural transformation. It's not a one and done. It's not a check the box and we're finished. - Inclusion and diversity and equity aren't just words. They have meaning.
We always have to be intentional in doing this work. And that's why I see MITRE being committed to it. And that meaning comes from us actually doing things that foster that, that enable that.
It's always gonna be here.We're gonna have progress along the way. Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we don't. I believe it's really important that we actually step in, take action, and we learn from those experiences and continue to move forward.