11 minute read
Influential Diverse Business Leaders
THE INCLUSION EQUATION As the nation struggles with social justice issues, Arizona businesses look for ways to create a more inclusive and diverse workforce
By ERIN THORBURN
Diversity in the United States has been one of the country’s longest and most profound challenges. Throughout the decades, minority groups have fought for voting rights, desegregation and equal opportunity across the board. Fast forward to 2022, and the fight continues.
Black Lives Matter, #MeToo and Asian Americans for Equality movements keep reminding the nation there is still work to be done. One area that continues to be a call to action — now, more than ever — is diversification within the U.S. workforce. And, here close to home, many Arizona businesses are stepping up to answer the
JULIA S. ACKEN
DELMA HERRERA
GUIDO DE KONING
CHRISTINE GANNON
MONICA VILLALOBOS
call, taking honest appraisals of their workplace inclusion (or lack thereof) and deciding how to best prioritize and incorporate employment diversity.
“At Cox, we believe that our diversity gives us strength in business with diversity, of thought, innovation and serving the communities where we live and work,” says Delma Herrera, vice president of field sales, West Region, for Cox Communications.”Diversity is not just the right thing to do, it is the profitable thing to do. Having diverse leaders combined with a diverse workforce is proven to be good for business, by growing the business and delivering a great experience to an increasingly diverse customer base and community.”
Why now more than ever?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, projected growth among Hispanic, Asian and multiracial groups will achieve majority status by 2044. Additionally, a report published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Black population in the U.S. workforce is projected to rise from 31.9 million (in 2016) to close to 36 million in 2026. The tides are turning and, therefore, businesses will need to change their views and practices concerning employment diversity.
“Approaches we’ve used in the past to quantify a diverse workforce may not be working,” says Christine Gannon, CEO and founder at Brightworks Consulting Creative. “What every business needs right now is diversity of thought and innovative team members who can build and maintain a positive reputation of the organization.”
One circumstance literally forcing “diversity of thought” has been the pandemic and its trickling side effects. According to Inc. 5000’s Boss Magazine, “The sectors disproportionately staffed by women have taken the longest to bounce back, and unemployment among females took a sharper dip than for men.”
Additional surveys and studies demonstrate that Black employees experienced higher unemployment rates compared with white employees during the pandemic.
— CHRISTINE GANNON
But not all takeaways of the pandemic’s effect on diversity have been grim.
“While COVID-19 has had several negative repercussions for businesses, it also represents an outstanding opportunity for improvements in the workplace that could benefit both employees and employers,” says attorney Julia S. Acken, chair of Jennings Strouss’ Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Acken goes on to explain that because many employers adopted flexible work schedules, allowed remote work and introduced other malleable workplace approaches, it has made the workforce “more open to diverse groups of employees with different backgrounds.”
Starting at the top
As with most business strategies and implementations, change begins with management and executive leadership — and diversity and inclusion in the workforce is no different.
“Shifts or changes within an organization must have buy-in from the top down to gain momentum,” says Monica Villalobos, president and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. “It is key to the implementation of any diversity, equity, access and inclusion (DEAI) effort; otherwise it’s like rolling a boulder up hill.”
Villalobos references a McKinsey study, in which racially diverse executive teams provide 35% higher earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and 33% more long-term value creation.
While Fortune reported a record number of women holding the position of chief executive officers of Fortune 500 companies in 2021 (with 41 female CEOs), that’s still only 8.1%. And, another McKinsey report reflects that of the 23% of female employees holding a C-suite level job, only 4% are women of color.
“If leadership doesn’t represent the diverse population of the organization, making real progress will be difficult,” Gannon says. “The leadership team must show a strong representation of the diverse nature of the workforce.”
When leadership reflects representation, it leaves a lasting impression, according to Guido de Koning, senior vice president of people operations at Upgrade. “I’ve seen the impact that diverse leaders have on others that are contemplating their career,” he says. “A Black physician became a physician precisely because as a young boy he met a Black physician. He didn’t think it was possible for him to become one until that very day. He ended up becoming a highly successful physician leader, with a great impact on his community.”
Diving into diversity solutions
In addition to having and encouraging diverse leadership, some Arizona businesses are embracing a variety of actionable and innovative strategies to further implement diversification.
“I am a big proponent of training by independent third parties,” Acken says. “No one likes to admit that they might have a lack of diversity in their workforce, or that they, themselves, may have certain subconscious biases that impact their decision-making at work. But until you can admit these things, you cannot remedy the problem.”
Acken goes on to note that there are several talented and creative professionals in Arizona (and nationally) who can help businesses identify some of the issues that might be hurting their ability to diversify, and who specialize in unveiling these subconscious biases that perpetuate a lack of diversity.
“At Upgrade, we use employee resource groups (ERGs) as a way to facilitate and cultivate diversity in our workplace,” de Koning explains. “We currently have ERGs for Pride, Hispanic Heritage, Working Parents and Black Professionals.”
Villalobos echoes de Koning’s assessment in utilizing ERGs, adding that, “Supplier diversity and recruitment are additional areas that can be easily measured — holding companies accountable for DEAI across race, gender, ability and other disadvantaged groups.”
In closing, Aken says, “I have complete faith in Arizonans’ ability to continue improving the workplace by creating a more welcoming, inclusive, and equitable environments.”
This issue of Az Business celebrates the amazing meting pot that defines Arizona business as we cast a spotlight on some of the most influential diverse business leaders in the state. Meet them over the next few pages.
Edmond Baker, MD medical director Equality Health After serving in the U.S. Army, Dr. Baker began a career at DuPont, where he became the first African-American account manager. After 15 years, he left his job to pursue his dream of medicine.
Sandra Bassett president and CEO West Valley Arts Bassett has a rich background in executive and managerial positions in the for-profit sector for brands such as Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Hostess Brand and Mars. She is also a professional musician.
Garland Brown co-founder Weiss Brown Brown is a technology lawyer that helps companies from startups to publicly trade corporations with matters ranging from Internet law, intellectual property, licensing and general counsel services.
Elizabeth S. Chatham partner Stinson Chatham is a successful, experienced and agile immigration attorney assisting Fortune 500, fast growth companies and educational institutions in navigating the complexities and nuances of corporate U.S. immigration law and compliance.
Marcos Garay director of multicultural banking National Bank of Arizona Garay is an accomplished senior executive with extensive international experience and operating success in financial services in the U.S. and Mexico.
Delma Herrera
Vice president of field sales, West Region
Cox Communications
Background: Born in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, Herrera is responsible for leading field sales in the Arizona, Las Vegas, and California markets. She also helped establish Hola the National Latino(a) employee resource group at Cox. Source of pride: “As a child of immigrants, I am proud of living up to the dreams my parents had for us. When my parents discussed the opportunity presented to my father to immigrate to the U.S. with his job, the main driver for that decision was that his children would have better opportunities in this country. He sacrificed so much, first leaving his entire family behind, then sleeping on the floor in the back of the carpenter’s shop where he worked. From my parents, I learned that no matter what we do in life, we had to give it our all, never just ‘try.’ We must put in the hard work, learn the job and then do it better than anyone thought it could be done. No matter the professional accomplishment, I am most proud of living up to the dreams our parents had for us.”
Angela Hughey President and founder
ONE Community
Background: As president of ONE Community and ONE Community Foundation, Hughey works with LGBTQ, business and political communities on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion and their impact on our economy. In 2013, she launched the UNITY Pledge to advance workplace equality and equal treatment for LGBTQ individuals, which has become the nation’s largest equality pledge with 3,400 business signers. SOURCE OF PRIDE: “This January, we launched the bipartisan Equality and Fairness for all American Coalition (EQFFAA) nationwide to advance federal civil rights protections for LGBTQ Americans. The coalition is composed of diverse business, LGBTQ, elected, and faith leaders, and also paved the way for the introduction of the bipartisan Equality and Fairness for all Arizonans Act at the State Legislature to update Arizona’s nondiscirmination law to include LGBTQ people. I am proud of our efforts and commitment to unite not divide.” VALUE OF DIVERSE LEADERSHIP: “Diverse leadership cultivates diverse talent and diverse perspectives, which leads to better problem solving and solutions for businesses and organizations.”
Sheila Kloefkorn
president and CEO
KEO Marketing
Kloefkorn is a marketing expert who has helped hundreds of enterprises increase revenues by hundreds of millions of dollars. She is also an advocate for LGBTQ rights and was part of the first female couple to get a marriage license in Arizona.
Tomás León
president
Equality Health Foundation
With over two decades of experience in diversity and inclusion, health equity, policy advocacy, philanthropy and marketing communications, León brings an innovative, purpose-driven approach to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in healthcare to underserved communities.
Tom “Mando” Kapita principal Terracon A native of Zambia, Kapita is tasked with strengthening and expanding Terracon’s GeoDesign services. He is responsible for client development and management, mentoring and managing staff, and project review approval in charge of GeoDesign project quality review.
Tanya M. Muñiz CFO Valley of the Sun United Way Muñiz has held various leadership roles within United Way and in the community. She serves on the United Way Diversity and Inclusion Council, where she led efforts to leverage the diversity of Latinos/ Hispanics to create more inclusive economies.
Desirae Outcalt vice president Bell Bank Outcalt has worked her way up in finance – starting as a part-time teller at an Arizona credit union and eventually running its second largest branch. In her current role, she specializes in helping those who have complex treasury needs.
Michael Jones
President and CEO || Delta Dental of Arizona Background: Jones leads Delta Dental of Arizona and the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation, which has invested more than $16 million in community outreach in the past 10 years. Jones served as managing director Midwest healthcare provider lead for Accenture before joining Delta Dental in October 2021. Prior, he served as managing partner at M. Jones & Associates and in executive-level roles at BeTheMatch and CIGNA Behavioral Health. Goals: “I want to build on Delta Dental’s stellar reputation in the market as I collaborate with the board, our executive team, employees and our provider partners to improve the oral health of even more Arizonans. I also look forward to championing oral health initiatives for at-risk populations through the foundation.” Importance of diversity: “I believe that diversity (multi-faceted representation) and inclusion (valuing different perspectives) promotes an enlightened environment with an enhanced ability to problem solve, innovate and positively impact a community’s growth potential. Diverse leadership brings a wealth of first-person, authentic experiences that inspire unique thinking and an inclusive workforce.”
Pearlette Ramos
CEO, Three Extraordinary Women Ramos is a transformational leader, lawyer and DEI advocate. She co-leads a nonprofit, Sisters Talk About Race, with a goal of ending systemic racism. She is also a member of OneAZ Credit Union’s board of directors.
Robin Reed
president and CEO, Black Chamber of Arizona Reed has more than 40 years of experience as a business owner, serial entrepreneur and business consultant. He is also president of Occam Sustainability Partners, and principal and partner with EmFluent.
Humphrey Shin Phoenix market president FirstBank Shin has been at FirstBank since 2004, when he started as a management trainee. Shin has helped FirstBank’s Arizona assets grow by 14.3% to $1.1 billion in the last year.
Krizia Verplancke
attorney
Davis Miles McGuire Gardner
Verplancke practices in the areas of complex commercial litigation, real estate litigation, employment litigation and general civil litigation. She was named named 2019 Latina Leader of Tomorrow by the Latina Mentoring Project.
Lee Yaiva
CEO
Scottsdale Recovery Center
Yaiva brings 16 years of experience in behavioral health and addiction treatment to his role. He has served as the tribal liaison for numerous campaigns incorporating a holistic approach to health and healing.
NOMINATION DEADLINE
MAY 28, 2022
