Oregon suspends public official for prioritizing merit over DEI policies when hiring

An Oregon Department of Forestry official was suspended after the institution's DEI policy officer filed a complaint against him for seeking out the most competent candidates in job openings rather than taking diversity and inclusion policies into account.

Mike Shaw was the target of this complaint, drafted by Megan Donecker, who accuses him of looking "beyond gender and identity when hiring, seeking only the most qualified candidates for the position."

Shaw was the agency's second-in-command, reporting to state forester Cal Mukumoto, until he was discharged on Aug. 6 after Donecker filed a formal complaint against him.

Donecker's complaint appears to be aligned with the intentions of the department, whose leadership supports DEI policies. After this story was spread in the media, Department of Forestry leadership came out in support of the inclusion policy expert's decision.

Management assured that it "takes employee complaints and concerns seriously and, when they are brought to our attention, we ensure that they are addressed in accordance with state laws, regulations, policies and good HR practices. This includes protecting employees from retaliation."

As recounted by local media reports, the feud between Donecker and Shaw began when Shaw made a comment about not being swayed by woke moves when it came to managing the department. Donecker took issue with Shaw when he advocated a cautious approach to DEI in a meeting, comparing rapid changes to speeding on "an icy road."

Donecker claimed that Shaw, using this metaphor, warned him, "Let's not go out at 60 [miles per hour] or we'll crash the car." Coupled with this were several alleged complaints from some department workers who said they did not feel confident their preferred pronouns were being used.