The FDNY is moving its chief diversity officer out — just 12 months after filling the court-appointed position.
Pamela Lassiter was sworn-in by FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro in January to be the department’s first Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer.
Her appointment was announced last Oct. 1, and she began working with the department then, according to the FDNY.
Lassiter was moved from the diversity spot about a week ago, sources said. It’s not yet clear if she will switch to another FDNY job or land in a different city agency.
The FDNY declined to comment on personnel decisions.
But in a statement, Nigro touted “significant progress” over the last year in building a more diverse workforce. The FDNY successfully hosted numerous community celebrations, collaborated with fraternal groups and connected with potential women candidates to increase its number of female firefighters, he said.
“Our commitment to becoming a more diverse and inclusive department has never been stronger and will continue to be a key strategic initiative,” Nigro vowed.
The FDNY’s first deputy commissioner, Bobby Turner, is now the acting diversity officer.
Lassiter’s quiet relocation is similar to the transfer nine months ago of Margo Ferrandino, the former head of the FDNY’s Equal Employment Opportunity office.
Ferrandino was switched to the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development — and her EEO post remains vacant.
The FDNY’s EEO office has always been a sore spot within the agency, according to numerous sources. Many firefighters and EMS personnel — of all races and genders — have been frustrated by slow investigations and ongoing probes that don’t seem to yield clear conclusions, multiple insider sources said.
The glacial pace of its probes even made it an issue in the federal discrimination lawsuit the Vulcan Society brought in 2007 against the FDNY. The group’s intentional-discrimination case was settled by Mayor de Blasio in 2014.
Lassiter’s post was created as part of a $100 million deal. But sources said it turned out to be a bad match — hence her abrupt ouster.
Firefighter Regina Wilson, president of the Vulcan Society, had no comment on Lassiter but said the diversity officer’s role is vital.
“We need change now … to make sure the long-standing biases are wiped away, and it becomes clear that everyone deserves the opportunity to become a NYC firefighter,” she said.