Like Fannie, like Freddie.
Less than a month after Fannie Mae named its first diversity & inclusion officer, Freddie Mac has followed suit. The government-sponsored enterprise today announced that Wendell Chambliss, a 20-year Freddie Mac veteran, has been appointed senior vice president and chief diversity & inclusion officer (CDIO).
In this newly created role, Chambliss will be responsible for programs and initiatives to bring greater diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to the company and to the housing industry, Freddie Mac said.
Chambliss will serve as a member of the company's senior operating committee and will report directly to Freddie Mac CEO Michael DeVito. He currently serves as vice president and deputy general counsel for mission, strategic business advisory and government affairs within Freddie Mac’s legal division, the company said. He starts his new position on April 11.
“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 CEO 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.”
The CDIO will advance DEI across three main pillars: workforce diversity, supplier diversity, and financial transactions, Freddie Mac said. The CDIO also will oversee Freddie Mac’s Office of Inclusive Engagement.
While the company has had senior leadership in chief diversity roles since 2010, in September Freddie Mac announced that the positions of chief human resources officer and chief diversity and inclusion officer would become two distinct roles reporting to the CEO.
“Working at Freddie Mac has been nothing short of a privilege, and it is the honor of my career to help build upon 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.”
In his current role, Chambliss provides legal and regulatory guidance regarding Freddie Mac’s charter, affordable housing goals, fair lending and mission, the enterprise said. He is also responsible for managing the coordination of the company's anti-predatory lending efforts.
Chambliss joined Freddie Mac in 1999 and built his legal experience as a staffer in the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and through a number of years in private practice. He received his law and undergraduate degrees from Tulane University.
On Feb. 28, Fannie Mae named Sharifa A. Anderson as its first diversity and inclusion officer. Anderson was also named senior vice president.
