Almost all the academics I know already share the desire for more diversity, are aware of pitfalls like unconscious bias, and are completely ready to hire people from more diverse background... only to find that the overwhelming majority of the applicants are run-of-the-mill (say, "white male") candidates. :(
One could force up those candidates that would add to a department's diversity, even if there is no indication of prior adverse circumstances. This is however considered undesirable - it might not be fair and also be bad for the candidate's reputation in the long run.
Academic hiring can be great fun but in the end it is already a completely ill-defined optimization problem. I do not see how a CDO could be a valuable addition to the process.
One could force up those candidates that would add to a department's diversity, even if there is no indication of prior adverse circumstances. This is however considered undesirable - it might not be fair and also be bad for the candidate's reputation in the long run.
Academic hiring can be great fun but in the end it is already a completely ill-defined optimization problem. I do not see how a CDO could be a valuable addition to the process.