History

The Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service has long had a commitment to providing equal opportunities to minorities within its ranks and the long storied history of the Corps cannot be written without acknowledging the multiple contributions of minority officers. This commitment to diversity is currently manifested by the officers who comprise the Minority Officers Liaison Council (MOLC) In 1989, President George Bush nominated Antonia Novello to be the 14th Surgeon General of the United States. As the first woman and the first Hispanic to be appointed to this post, she was acutely aware of the importance of close communication between the Office of Surgeon General and PHS racial and ethnic minority officer groups. She envisioned a coalition of minority groups that would serve as a liaison to the Surgeon General. She initially convened a meeting of flag officers to help establish a minority officer advisory group. Later this evolved into a steering committee of six senior officers established to develop the framework of an organization to fulfill Admiral Novello’s vision. The end product of this group was a 1990 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Office of Surgeon General and the Commissioned Officer Minority Groups. This memorandum outlined the formation and composition of the MOLC. It was thought the minority groups should have a unified voice while balancing the need for each group to voice its individual concerns. Thus, the MOLC was to be comprised of four groups:

1. American Indian, Alaska Native Commissioned Officer Advisory Committee (AI/ANCOAC)
2. Asian Pacific American Officer Committee (APAOC)
3. Black Commissioned Officers Advisory Group (BCOAG)
4. Hispanic Officers Advisory Committee (HOAC)

Furthermore, to ensure that each group had an equal voice the MOU outlined a yearly rotation of the positions of responsibility in MOLC ensuring each group would have an equal chance to represent MOLC as a whole. The purpose of MOLC is to serve as the liaison between the Office of Surgeon General and the minority groups. The council is tasked with a wide array of duties including:

1. Improving the recruitment, retention and career development of minority officers
2. Promote, foster and encourage the participation and representation of minority officers in leadership, policy development and management positions in the PHS
3. Enhancing the role and contributions of minority officers in the PHS
4. Develop effective communication and cooperation among minority officers, non-minority officers and other parties

Today, MOLC continues to be a vital and robust component of the Commissioned Corps. The officers who comprise MOLC come from a plethora of diverse backgrounds but are united in their service to country and their commitment to the mission of the Public Health Service. “Protecting, promoting, and advancing the health and safety of the Nation”.