GSE creates standalone officer for the role to increase focus on DEI programs
Freddie Mac has appointed company veteran Wendell Chambliss (pictured) to senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer (CDIO), effective April 11.
Chambliss – currently deputy general counsel for mission, strategic business advisory and government affairs within Freddie Mac’s legal division – will oversee the company’s Office of Inclusive Engagement in his new position. In addition to spearheading equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, he will also serve as a member of the GSE’s senior operating committee and report directly to company CEO Michael DeVito.
To bring greater focus to its DEI efforts, Freddie Mac announced in September that the roles of chief human resources officer and chief diversity and inclusion officer would become two distinct positions reporting to the CEO. According to its release, the newly created CDIO role will advance DEI across three main pillars: workforce diversity, supplier diversity, and financial transactions.
Read next: Fannie Mae names first chief diversity and inclusion officer
“Wendell Chambliss’s decades of experience at Freddie Mac uniquely position him to advance our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion across our workforce, our suppliers and in our business practices,” said DeVito. “Our decision to create a standalone officer for this role will enhance our focus on DEI programs across all aspects of our business. This will allow us to help more families, support minority and women-owned businesses and make Freddie Mac a stronger company. I thank Dionne Wallace Oakley for serving as both chief human resources and chief diversity officer for the past six months, and I look forward to working with our strengthened leadership team.”
Chambliss joined Freddie Mac in 1999 as associate general counsel of legislative and regulatory affairs. He was elevated to his current role, where he is responsible for providing legal and regulatory guidance regarding Freddie Mac’s charter, affordable housing goals, fair lending and mission. From 2012 to 2015, he served as executive director of the Freddie Mac Foundation.
“Working at Freddie Mac has been nothing short of a privilege, and it is the honor of my career to help build on the company’s longstanding commitment to these vitally important issues,” Chambliss said. “I look forward to working with talented professionals across the company to serve our mission expansively and bring greater diversity, equity and inclusion to our company, our partners and the industry as a whole.”
