Just over a year ago, Mayor Eric Adams appointed Michael J. Garner as the city’s inaugural chief business diversity officer.
Garner describes the role as coming up with “creative ways in order to ensure that the city awards contracts in a cost effective manner, but also in an inclusive manner.” In other words, helping the city increase agency spending on certified minority and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs).
“We are changing the culture, we changed the mindset,” said Garner. “I was hired, not to adapt to the way that the city does business, but I was hired to change the way that the city does business. And changing it in a way where we’re changing state laws, we’re equipping the agencies with strategies that’s going to allow them to try their M/WBE outcomes.”
Last September, Gov. Kathy Hochul eliminated the state’s yearlong certification backlog for M/WBEs, removing barriers to certifying applicants. She also signed a legislative package strengthening the state’s M/WBE program in October 2022.
Prior to working for the Adams administration, Garner served as the MTA’s chief diversity and inclusion officer. He also boasts experience with NYCHA and the New York City School Construction Authority.
Garner highlighted several initiatives rolled out in his first year. “Compstat” meetings, but for M/WBE procurement instead of policing, are held weekly among agencies. Garner says such discussions have helped lead to $1.1 billion in contracts for M/WBEs for goods and services pertaining to the city’s migrant situation. He adds that, under the direction of Adams, information technology will be used to observe, monitor, and enforce agency payments to M/WBEs.
As Garner leads one of the city’s key diversity programs, such efforts are carefully watched after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action last year. He frequently consults with city attorneys to ensure compliance, but says the M/WBE program is legal despite the ruling due to evidence from a previous disparity study.
Still, a “disparity within a disparity” remains for Black-owned businesses, as “non-certified” companies—which are usually owned by white men or corporations—still soak up a majority of contract pot. And within the program, certified white women and Asian men-owned businesses often bring home significantly more money from city contracts than their Black, brown, and Indigenous-owned counterparts.
When asked about Garner’s role and the general city efforts to increase M/WBE procurement, NAACP New York Chapter president Dr. Hazel Dukes called it “fantastic.”
So what does year two for the chief business diversity officer look like? Garner promises by March 2025, New Yorkers will see “a spike of contract awards” going to M/WBEs. He says almost all M/WBE-related bills the Adams administration needed were passed. But there’s still work to be done.
“The excitement now is taking the M/WBE laws and transforming that into M/WBE programming and having that as a standard,” said Garner. “So now [holding] the agencies accountable in utilizing these new laws and programming and drive equity in communities of color and increase contract awards to our pool of minority and women-owned business enterprises.
Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member and writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.