Diversity Journal - Jan/Feb 2008 by Diversity Journal

Also Featuring… Front-Runner Shirley Davis of SHRM • Black Leaders Leading • Linda Jimenez • Catalyst

Cover Shot Volume 10, Number 1 January / February 2008 $

12.95 U.S.

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL www.diversityjournal.com

Generation XXL.

january / february 2008 • VOLUME 10 NUMBER 1

WE Will not bE part of

Chairman and CEO

George C. Halvorson We b e l i e ve yo u ’re n e ve r to o yo u n g to l e a rn t h e i m p o rt a n c e o f b a l a n c e . T h a t b o d i e s yearn for both cupcakes and kickball. At Kaiser Permanente, we’re committed to h e l p i n g f i n d t h a t b a l a n c e t h ro u g h e xe rc i s e a n d n u t ri t i o n a l p ro g ra m s . L e a rn m o re a t k p . o rg

Guiding Kaiser Permanente through the Turbulent Waters of the Health Care Industry

True Power Is Wielded Quietly. When I look in the eyes of the people, I feel their arms wrapped around me. Every day is a gift and I never forget that.

My dream is to help others achieve their dreams. Common Artist/Activist

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True Power Is Wielded Quietly. When I look in the eyes of the people, I feel their arms wrapped around me. Every day is a gift and I never forget that.

My dream is to help others achieve their dreams. Common Artist/Activist

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New Features Launch Us into 2008

James R. Rector PUBLISHER

John S. Murphy

MANAGING EDITOR

Cheri Morabito

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Damian Johnson

MARKETING DIRECTOR

Let’s start the year with a cocktail party, okay? Well, maybe not a real cocktail party, but a virtual one filled with interesting people. That’s what our feature Black Leaders Leading reminds me of.

We decided to honor Black History Month by profiling more than two dozen black leaders in much the same way as we present our popular Women Worth Watching feature. Readers tell us that they love the personal profiles that accompany the women’s mentoring essays. We do, too. And we think (as you move about our virtual cocktail party) that you will be especially engaged by the backgrounds, thoughts, and experiences of the leaders profiled in Black Leaders Leading. Each is someone I’d like to meet in person. We’re also introducing three new opinion features you’ll enjoy. These columns offer individual perspectives of longtime diversity practitioners. Contributors include Carlton Yearwood, chief ethics and diversity officer of Waste Management, Inc.; the American Institute for Managing Diversity, Inc., with founder Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr. and President Melanie Harrington; and Linda Jimenez, chief diversity officer and staff vice president—Diversity Leadership at WellPoint, Inc. These columnists join Catalyst and Janet Crenshaw Smith of Ivy Planning Group, two organizations whose insights are found in every issue of the magazine. All are thought-leaders in the best sense of the word. Saving the best for last, be sure to read this month’s cover story on Kaiser Permanente. Chairman and CEO George C. Halvorson has assembled a team of professionals who are advancing diversity and inclusion in an incredibly competitive industry, and they are doing it with flair. Kaiser Permanente’s diversity record and culture, from its board to its physicians, is a model for large organizations to emulate. They are doing everything right, and we applaud them.

Laurel L. Fumic

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Alina Dunaeva

O verseas C orrespondent

Jason Bice

WEB MASTER

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Profiles in Diversit y Journal

january/February 2008

Goodstein

She co anything she w uld be ants at Sodex

Sodexho is Being Recognized as a Leader 2007: 2007 Innovations in Diversity – Profiles in Diversity Journal • 50 Best Companies for Latinas in 2007 – LATINA Style • Top Company for Diversity – Hispanic Business • Top 15 Best Companies for Workforce Diversity – Black Enterprise Magazine • Top 20 Companies for Women of Color – Working Mother Magazine • Top 50 Entry Level Employers – CollegeGrad.com • Top Company for Diversity (#13) – DiversityInc • Top Company for African Americans (#9) – DiversityInc • Top 20 Companies for Asian Pacific Americans – Asian Enterprise Magazine • Top 50 Companies for Supplier Diversity – Hispanic Trends Magazine • Five Star Employer – U.S. Department of Defense

Sodexho proudly celebrates Black History Month.

Volume 10 â&#x20AC;˘ Number 1 January / February 2008

features 16 On the Cover / Special Feature George C. Halvorson, Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente, is directing the largest integrated health system in the United States by pushing forward bold, innovative programs. We show you how he and his team are doing it.

50 Front-Runner / Shirley Davis Shirley Davis, Ph.D., is Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). She shares the story of her rise at SHRM and gives us a look at how the organization is serving its members.

Black Leaders Leading More than two dozen business leaders talk about those who influenced them on their lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey. Mini-interviews that will open both minds and hearts.

Profiles in Diversit y Journal

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Volume 10 • Number 1 January / February 2008

departments

Momentum Diversity Who, What, Where and When

From My Perspective Intolerance is the True Enemy by Linda Jimenez, Chief Diversity Officer & Staff Vice President—Diversity Leadership, WellPoint, Inc.

Catalyst Do Visible Minorities in Corporate Canada Feel Included? Read the results of a recent study.

My Turn Thoughts Through the Office Door… by Carlton Yearwood, Chief Ethics and Diversity Officer, Waste Management, Inc.

Viewpoint The Journey of the Diversity Field by American Institute for Managing Diversity, Inc. Founder Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr. and President Melanie Harrington

102

MicroTriggers More Instruction Stories from Janet Crenshaw Smith, President, Ivy Planning Group, LLC.

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At UnitedHealth Group, unique is everywhere. In our approach to health care. In each segment of our business. In every professional. In the career opportunities we offer. As a global leader in health care, UnitedHealth Group is committed to creating a workforce of unique individuals. Their unique perspectives bring about innovative ideas. It is the unique backgrounds, lifestyles and beliefs our professionals bring to their work that fuels innovation, creates a healthy environment and drives us towards our goal of creating a better health care system. Founded in 1974, UnitedHealth Group has since grown into a Fortune 100 company. Our family of businesses work tirelessly to advance the quality and access to care while making services more affordable and easier to use for everyone. Our work impacts the lives of nearly 55 million people and helps coordinate care for more than 20 million more. As unique as the many businesses that unite to form UnitedHealth Group, are the career opportunities they offer. From accounting to marketing, clinical to claims, the employment experience at UnitedHealth Group is second to none. Regardless of their unique talents, our professionals are united to improve health care for everyone.

Let us hear your unique voice in these careers available nationwide throughout our family of businesses.

• Business Analysts • Customer Care Professionals • Financial Analysts • Information Technology • Inside & Field Sales • Product Associates • Underwriting Analysts Through innovative leadership in health care, UnitedHealth Group provides ongoing career opportunities for diverse individuals, enriching the employment experience and creating a healthier atmosphere for all. UnitedHealth Group is an equal opportunity employer and employs individuals based on job-related qualifications regardless of race, religion, sex, national origin, age, or other protected characteristics. M/F/D/V.

To view current career opportunities, and to apply online, visit our CAREERS page at www.unitedhealthgroup.com.

ArvinMeritor Promotes Three Executives

Systems. Most recently, she served as vice president of Corporate Strategy.

Colleen Hanley Colleen Hanley has been appointed vice president of Light Vehicle Systems (LVS) business and product strategy at ArvinMeritor. Hanley She will lead strategic business planning, business development, technical planning and advanced marketing. Most recently, Hanley was senior director, LVS Communications, ArvinMeritor. Under Hanley’s leadership, LVS is executing its Smart Systems product strategy to leverage electronics and controls as a core competency. The business unit provides body systems, chassis and wheels to light vehicle customers throughout the world.

Deborah Henderson Deborah Henderson has been appointed vice president and CIO, ArvinMeritor. She will focus on driving the transHenderson formation of its global information systems (IS) organization and improving control of IS strategy. She will play a key role in managing the company’s outsourcing relationship with EDS. Ms. Henderson has worked in positions of increasing responsibility since joining the company in January 2002, including site manager of the Detroit LVS facility, vice president of Quality for LVS, and vice president and general manager of Door

Profiles in Diversit y Journal

Amelia Quelas Amelia Quelas has joined ArvinMeritor as vice president and general manager of trailers in the Commercial Vehicle Systems Quelas business group. She will lead the global commercial trailer business with a focus on performance and profitability improvement. She will lead business process improvement initiatives, develop strategic plans, drive market growth initiatives, and manage customer relationships. Most recently, Ms. Quelas was responsible for Freightliner’s sales and marketing efforts in Mexico and Latin America. She has a master’s degree in systems analysis from CAECE University in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and a master’s degree in management of information systems from UCLA.

Christine Nigro Named President of AXA Advisors, Broker/Dealer New York—Christine Nigro has been promoted to President of AXA Advisors, LLC, the broker/dealer for the retail distribution channel of AXA Equitable Nigro Life Insurance Company. Ms. Nigro will report to Nick Lane, head of retail distribution business platforms.

january/February 2008

Ms. Nigro is responsible for managing all aspects of the broker/dealer force including business development and operations, supervision and suitability, sales and marketing support, and commission processing for 6,000 AXA Advisors financial professionals. Ms. Nigro joined AXA Advisors in May 2006. She has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. Before joining AXA Advisors, Ms. Nigro was a vice president and director at JP Morgan Chase. Ms. Nigro earned a bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College. She holds the FINRA Series 7, Series 24 and Series 63 registrations.

ITT Names Robert Ellis Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—ITT Corporation has named Robert L. (Bob) Ellis as its Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer. In this role, Ellis, 56, will lead ITT’s Inclusion & Diversity Center of Excellence, a global initiative designed to foster an inclusive employee environment that draws value from the diverse backgrounds and talents of its workforce. He succeeds Usha Wright, ITT’s first inclusion and diversity officer, who is retiring. Ellis brings more than 25 years’ experience to this role. He joins ITT from Northrop Grumman, where he established the strategic diversity function for its Electronic Systems & Integration Division and served as head of strategic diversity for the Integrated Systems Sector for eight years. ITT also named Tomas Leal, 54, and Amy Taney, 34, to two newly created positions supporting the Inclusion & Diversity Center of Excellence. Leal joins ITT as direc-

tor of global inclusion and diversity, based in Basingstoke, England. He will help integrate diversity strategies within ITT’s international facilities. Leal brings to ITT more than 14 years of global experience and joins from BP, where he most recently served as regional diversity and inclusion manager for Africa, the Middle East, Russia and the Caspian regions. Ms. Taney, who has 12 years of service with ITT, was named manager of inclusion and diversity for North America. In this role, she will work closely with leaders across the United States, Canada and Mexico to develop inclusion and diversity programs for these regions. Both Leal and Ms. Taney will report to Bob Ellis.

KPMG Names 134 New Partners in Class of 2007 NEW YORK—KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm, has admitted 134 new partners for 2007, according to an announcement by Timothy P. Flynn, chairman and chief executive. “Our new partners come from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds, with more than one third of the new class comprised of women and ethnic minorities,” said Flynn. “This diversity further enhances KPMG’s culture and brings richer perspective to our clients.” KPMG’s respective practices are also well represented by the new class. Of the total, 50 of the new partners serve the audit practice; 38, the advisory practice; 44, tax; and 2, national support services. KPMG’s U.S. partnership now totals 1,837 partners with the addition of the 2007 class. KPMG LLP’s total employment is approximately 23,000. The firm has 93 offices across the United States,

and its professionals work together to provide clients access to global support and industry expertise.

New York Life Appoints Eileen Slevin Chief Information Officer NEW YORK— New York Life Insurance Company has announced that Senior Vice President Eileen T. Slevin has been Slevin elected Chief Information Officer. She reports to Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Frank Boccio. Directing a staff of more than 1300 technology professionals in six U.S. locations, Ms. Slevin is responsible for setting the strategic technology direction of New York Life as the leader of the company’s corporate information department, which provides a wide range of technology services for New York Life customers, employees and agents. She also has direct management responsibility for two other strategic areas of the Company: business resilience and corporate Internet. Ms. Slevin joined New York Life in 1977 and has held several top management positions. She has served two terms in the company’s Management Advisory Council and currently is a steering committee member of New York Life’s Political Action Committee. Ms. Slevin received a bachelor’s degree from Herbert H. Lehman College, City University of New York, and has been a member of the Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA) since 1979.

Patricia L. Barbari Elected Senior Vice President NEW YORK— New York Life Insurance Company has also announced that Patricia L. Barbari has been elected a senior vice Barbari president in the Individual Policy Services (IPS) department reporting to Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Frank Boccio. Ms. Barbari is now responsible for the IPS department’s new business operations for the Agency channel. She will retain responsibility for overseeing administrative services and agent contracting and licensing. In addition, she has assumed responsibility for underwriting operations and annuity new business. Prior to joining New York Life in 1989 as a director in the corporate quality department, Ms. Barbari was the manager of the call center at a leading data processing firm in the advertising industry. Ms. Barbari has an MBA degree from Columbia University. She is a certified internal auditor and a registered principal for NYLIFE Securities.

Susan Cartledge Joins New York Life International as Senior Vice President of HR

Cartledge

P ro f i l e s i n D i v e r s i t y J o u r n a l

NEW YORK— Susan Cartledge has joined New York Life International (NYLI) as senior vice president of the human re-

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sources department. Ms. Cartledge is responsible for all aspects of NYLI’s human resources activities, including talent management, compensation and benefits, human resources consulting, and recruiting. She will oversee the personnel activities in the eight markets of operation, which include Argentina, China, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. Ms. Cartledge earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Wolverhampton, in Wolverhampton, England, and a master’s degree from University of Portsmouth, in Portsmouth, England. She currently resides in New York City. New York Life International offers insurance and asset accumulation products through its subsidiaries and affiliates in Argentina, China, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

Starbucks Realigns Executive Management Team With a focus on rapid global expansion, Starbucks Coffee Company (NASDAQ: SBUX) has realigned its executive management team in an effort to maximize operational resources and deliver a seamless, global Starbucks Experience. The new management structure includes the appointment of Martin Coles, currently president, Starbucks Coffee International, to chief operating officer, reporting directly to president and CEO, Coles Jim Donald. As chief operating officer, Coles will manage global operations as the company continues its rapid growth. 10

Profiles in Diversit y Journal

Coles will be responsible for United States and international store operations and store development, the Global Consumer Products Group and supply chain operations. Coles brings significant global retail experience having served as president, Starbucks Coffee International, since 2004. Prior to joining Starbucks, he served as president and CEO of Reebok International. His experience also includes senior management positions at Nike, Gateway, and at one of PepsiCo’s U.S. bottling operations. Coles also served in various management roles for Procter & Gamble, both in the U.K. and the United States. As part of the realignment, other key appointments include long-time Starbucks partners Jim Alling to president, Starbucks Coffee International, and Launi Skinner Alling to president, Starbucks Coffee, U.S., who will both report directly to Coles. Alling most recently served as president, Starbucks Coffee U.S. The presidents of the Company’s five international regions will report to Alling, providing a depth of international support and experience. Alling joined Starbucks in 1997 following a lengthy career with Nestle USA. Ms. Skinner, who most recently served as senior vice president, store development, joined Starbucks in 1993. She was appointed to her most recent role in October Skinner 2004. Under Ms.

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Skinner’s leadership, the company grew its store portfolio and accelerated the opening of drive-thru stores as well as the expansion into underdeveloped markets. Ms. Skinner will now be responsible for overseeing the U.S. business, including retail and foodservice operations.

Burger King Appoints Robert Perkins to New Position MIAMI – Burger King Corp. (NYSE: BKC) has announced the appointment of Robert Perkins as vice president, inclusion and talent management. In this newly created position, Perkins will oversee BKC’s internal and external inclusion strategies, and be responsible for ensuring progress against objectives in each of the company’s inclusion pillars. These four pillars consist of workforce, community, guests and operators/suppliers. Perkins will also be responsible for BKC’s talent management group. He will oversee management development, including talent assessment and reviews, leadership development and training, and succession planning. He reports to Pete Smith, chief human resources officer. Perkins comes to BKC as a senior human resources executive with extensive global experience in the consumer products, media and entertainment industries. He worked most recently at Sony BMG Music where he directed the company’s efforts in management and executive development, talent acquisition and diversity compliance. Perkins holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration/marketing from the University of Illinois.

PDJ

Diversity determines a companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success.

Eastman Kodak Company is committed to becoming a truly diverse corporation. Embracing the ideals of diversity enables us to better meet the needs of our customers, employees, suppliers, and the communities in which we live and work. All of which ensures our continued success in the global marketplace.

www.kodak.com/go/supplierdiversity ÂŠ Eastman Kodak Company, 2007

from my perspective…

Intolerance is the True Enemy By Linda Jimenez

Chief Diversity Officer & Staff Vice President—Diversity Leadership WellPoint, Inc.

A few weeks ago while on a plane, I was reading another diversity publication. I came across a one-page commentary from a well-known individual with strong opposition to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals. Initially, I was impressed that the magazine was “walking the talk” by offering space to an individual with a clearly polarizing viewpoint. On the opposite page, however, was an equally strong rebuttal from the magazine’s senior leadership. The magazine had invited several corporate diversity leaders—including this outspoken writer—to participate in a panel discussion on religion in the workplace. However, a few weeks before the panel met, one of the editors of the magazine contacted this individual to dis-invite him after pro-GLBT panelists threatened to boycott the discussion if he was allowed to participate. As an alternative to participating in the panel discussion, he was offered a full page to share his views. But, on the opposite page the magazine compared him to a 19th-century Christian slavery advocate because of his opposition to GLBTs and to corporate initiatives that include GLBT-friendly policies. In my opinion, a guiding principle around diversity is the unwavering respect for the worth and dignity of every individual. We may not all agree on certain positions, values, beliefs, etc., but each one of us is responsible for creating and maintaining an environment of mutual respect and inclusiveness. If we are true champions for diversity, we should encourage healthy debate and dialogue. Above all else we should seek to not let our personal beliefs affect working relationships or business decisions. I was personally disappointed with the way some of these panelists reacted and with the way this other magazine chose to address the minority viewpoint. The basic foundation of our democracy is the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of expression. I expect champions of diversity to create forums for ALL viewpoints to have a voice.

Profiles in Diversit y Journal

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Why? Because the only way we can make sense of a polarizing subject is by hearing and considering every variety of opinion. In this way we create a forum to address issues directly by presenting stimulating debates that can be used to enhance, inform and teach critical thinking skills. While examining opposing views, we can compare and contrast credibility, facts, arguments, and the use of persuasive techniques. Most people form their opinions on the basis of upbringing, peer pressure, and personal, cultural, or professional biases. Contrary to what I read in the rebuttal, those we disagree with should not be regarded as enemies, but rather as people whose views deserve careful examination which may shed light on our own. As champions of diversity, we should be willing to question our own strongly held opinions and assumptions. This allows us to examine the logical inconsistencies in our own views, consider why we hold such an opinion, and acknowledge the possibility that our opinion may require further evaluation. This does not imply that anyone who reads opposing views will, or should, change his or her opinion. After all, in a democratic society such as ours, people enter into public debate to determine the common good. Thomas Jefferson once said that “difference of opinion leads to inquiry, and inquiry to truth.” As individuals and as a nation, it is imperative that we consider the opinions of others and examine them with skill and discernment. The purpose of such dialogue is to embrace and foster diversity, not to question whether or not we should be inclusive of different people and perspectives. Intolerance of opinions and beliefs other than our own is the true enemy of diversity.

PDJ Linda Jimenez is a native of San Antonio, Texas, and attended the University of Texas at Austin where she received her BA with honors. She is also a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and has spent 20 years specializing in labor and employment law.

Our people are as diverse as their ideas.

The world is a vast collection of people, cultures and ideas. And as a global company working in over 180 countries, we embrace the unique vision that a truly diverse workforce brings. With the broad experience of our more than 55,000 employees, we harness the most powerful energy of all, human energy. To learn more, visit chevron.com.

Do Visible Minorities in Corporate Canada Feel Included? Many lack critical relationships necessary for advancement By Catalyst

anada is expected to face an increasing shortage of workers over the next several years. Immigrants, most of whom are visible minorities—a Canadian legal term used to describe people who are not Aboriginal, non-Caucasion in race, and non-white in color—are predicted to account for all net labor force growth by 2011. Employers face losing their most experienced employees to retirement and must rely on immigrants as a source of much-needed skills. However, there is evidence that corporate Canada is not maximizing the potential “brain gain” available as a result of this influx of skilled immigrants. To study this situation, Catalyst teamed up with the Diversity Institute at Ryerson University to conduct an online survey of more than 17,000 Canadian managers, professionals, and executives and to conduct focus groups with visible minority and white/ Caucasian managers, professionals, and executives in corporate Canada. In the resulting study, Career Advancement in Corporate Canada: A Focus on Visible Minorities ~ Critical Relationships, visible minority focus group participants named three types of relationships that are critical for career advancement: having a network, a mentor, and a champion. However, these relationships are frequently formed during informal networking opportunities, and visible minorities often feel excluded from such activities. The experiences of visible minority women often paralleled those of visible minority men. In some cases, there were strong similarities between the stories of visible minority women and 14

Profiles in Diversit y Journal

white/Caucasian women. Finally, there were instances when the stories of visible minority women differed from all other groups—evidence that visible minority women may at times experience “doubleoutsider” status. Important findings include the following: • Visible minorities and white/Caucasian women often felt isolated from and uncomfortable in informal networking opportunities involving activities such as drinking in bars and playing or watching sports. • A lack of multiple mentors who share gender, visible minority status and/or who are influential but demographically different, is a career advancement barrier for visible minorities. • Visible minority men identified mentoring as a strategic relationship for career advancement, and many specified a mentor who was not their manager. Visible minority women, however, spoke more generally about mentoringstyle support from their managers and were less likely to have a clearly defined mentor. • As with other groups, visible minority men and women believe that having a champion is particularly important, yet visible minorities lack access to the critical relationships that are necessary to finding champions. • Focus group participants indicated that self-promotion helps potential champions know why they should take on the champion role. Visible minority women frequently expressed discomfort at the idea of self-promotion. The study highlights the importance of informal networking, which builds trust and promotes information sharing. Because this type of networking often revolves around social activities such as

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playing and/or watching sports, visible minority women may feel particularly uncomfortable, and it is more difficult for them to find mentors and/or champions. Being left out of such gender-biased activities leaves many visible minorities feeling excluded from opportunities for promotions, access to relationships with clients, or social support. The report makes clear the challenges Canadian businesses face in building more inclusive environments where all employees can succeed. To improve the situation Catalyst recommends that organizations: • Think critically about where informal networking takes place and how this may exclude certain people. • Provide formal and targeted networking opportunities for visible minorities. • Formalize mentoring programs and encourage and train strategic mentoring behavior. • Ensure the availability of a diverse pool of mentors and encourage diversified mentoring relationships. • Base career advancement decisions on formal performance evaluations that are consistent for all employees. • Provide employees with the necessary resources to communicate their achievements and engage champions.

PDJ

About Catalyst Founded in 1962, Catalyst is the leading nonprofit corporate membership research and advisory organization working globally with businesses and the professions to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women and business. For more information on this report and to access related reports, visit www.catalyst.org.

In a time of rapid change for our company and for our industry, we believe that the unique perspective of each Pfizer employee is vital. Why? Because the tough health care challenges people are facing today call for new, different, and diverse ways of thinking. That’s why we’re implementing a global strategy to ensure Pfizer’s culture not only respects, but also leverages each individual employee’s background, character, and life experiences. We’re putting those unique perspectives to

work to find new, innovative solutions for patients, and better ways of working with our customers, our partners, and the communities we serve. At Pfizer, we believe diversity means an inclusive and empowering work environment. The result? A happier, healthier tomorrow for us all.

www.pfizer.com

CEO LEADERSHIP

profiles

George C. Halvorson :: Chief Executive Officer

Profiles in Diversit y Journal

y jour na rsit e v l i d

Special Feature

January/February 2008

Kaiser Permanente: Snapshots of Diversity, Leadership, Recognition and Service

18 24 34 42 45

CEO Leadership Leadership Perspectives National Diversity Community Benefit Diversity Heritage

CEO LEADERSHIP

Leadership in Quality, Service, Affordability and Best Place to Work

George C. Halvorson :: Chief Executive Officer

Questions Answers Diversity Reflections from the C-Suite

Meet George C. Halvorson :: Chairman and CEO, Kaiser Permanente George C. Halvorson is chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente, a colossus of a company by any measure. It takes a special individual to guide a company like Kaiser through the turbulent waters of the health care industry. But Kaiser, under Halvorson, has done more than just successfully navigate the rough seas of a complex industry that is constantly under scrutiny. The company has pushed forward with innovative programs resulting in the concrete outcomes we all find desirable: Improving the quality of care patients receive through the health care system while providing physicians greater satisfaction in the practice of medicine. The KP HealthConnect program you’ll learn about in this feature is exciting, bold and cutting edge. Can you tell us about some of the innovations that Kaiser Permanente has planned for 2008? We’re working on further

development of the KP HealthConnect electronic medical records system to improve patient care and enable the largest ongoing clinical trial examining all aspects of care. In addition, we will be introducing insurance products aimed at giving consumers more options and bringing affordable coverage to the uninsured in our markets. Most CEOs today say that diversity drives business results. What part did diversity and inclusion play in your company’s 2006 growth/earnings? Diversity is fully integrated into our busi-

ness plan. Changing demographics dictate that diversity considerations play a significant role in how we deliver care. Being culturally competent as caregivers both helps us serve existing members and attract new ones. Diversity is also a critical piece of our values as a mission-driven organization. It would be impossible for us to improve the health of the communities we serve if we didn’t recognize and support the diversity in those communities. For us, diversity is not an add-on 18

Profiles in Diversit y Journal

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Corporate Profile Company Name Kaiser Foundation Health Plan & Hospitals or Kaiser Permanente Headquarters: Oakland, California Web Site: www.kp.org Primary Business: Health care delivery and insurance Industry Ranking: Largest integrated health system in the United States 2006 Revenues: $34.4 billion

agenda, but a core business principle, and the diversity of our members and staff is a reflection of our success. For the sake of perspective, how big has Kaiser Permanente become? Kaiser now serves 8.7 million people in nine states and the

District of Columbia. We are the second largest health plan in the State of California and our market share continues to grow in all the markets we serve. We employ more than 160,000 people. Given the size and scope of your operation, what challenges do you face in terms of delivering your services or recruiting and hiring good people? Like other large organizations, we

know that we increasingly will face a shrinking labor pool as Baby Boomers exit for retirement. We will need to attract and recruit huge numbers of caregivers to replace them. Our strategy for attracting the best and most diverse workers is to reinforce our standing as a “best place to work,” nurture an inclusive welcoming workplace environment, and encourage internal movement that yields more women and minority executives.

CEO LEADERSHIP

Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

Our employees know the data—that 74 percent of our workforce are women, for example, 45 percent of our executives are women and 54 percent of our total workforce are people of color—and choose us because of it. We are constantly learning more about the link between health care and ethnicity. For example, we know that certain cultures are more prone to particular health care issues. We also know that some treatments affect individuals differently depending on their culture. Our challenge is to continue to learn about these connections so that we can lead the nation in providing the best care and eliminating health disparities. How does a company in an industry as fast-changing as yours keep up with diversity development throughout the organization? Diversity of the market is already an established fact, and it

will only increase. In our field, customers are highly informed and participative, with Baby Boomers in particular demanding services sensitive to their cultural needs. The workforce has to adjust to these active participants who will no longer accept one-size-fits-all care, and we are already adjusting to this reality. We are spending $4 billion on KP HealthConnect, our new care provider computerized support tool, because we realize that there is too much information changing too quickly for us to expect our health care providers to keep up without some powerful information tools. KP HealthConnect will not only give us the best database in health care in the world, it will also give us the capacity to collect extensive data on the relationship between diversity factors and health care, leading to the elimination of health disparities and allowing us to serve patients better. What’s more, we will be able to provide this information to others outside of Kaiser. We believe that a diverse workforce that is well equipped with modern tools is the very best way to meet the needs of every population. It appears that there are unique opportunities in your particular industry for implementing diversity programs. Is that right? In some industries there are perhaps only vague connections

between diversity and the work of the organization. Not with us. We have research which proves the connection between health care and diversity, and this knowledge gives us a compelling case for understanding, leveraging and embracing diversity and its application in our core business. Do international issues ever get in the way of corporate support for diversity objectives and processes? What kinds of strategies does the company employ in dealing with them? Actually,

quite the opposite. We only operate in the United States, but we are constantly looking at how other countries deliver care to learn from them. I have also had the opportunity to share some of our expertise abroad by helping to build health systems in developing countries. I have been privileged to assist in creating health care programs in Uganda, Jamaica and several other countries.

Kaiser Permanente CEO George Halvorson with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and a Buddhist monk at The Kaiser Permanente International Dragon Boat Festival.

LEADERSHIP What resources (financial and manpower) are allocated to diversity? We have a robust staff devoted to diversity. Diversity

Directors, EEO Directors, CLAS leaders, Diversity Councils, Multicultural Staff Associations and a full diversity staff in the corporate headquarters office comprise the core infrastructure that supports implementation of our diversity strategy. How do your diversity and inclusion efforts impact your company’s bottom line? Our bottom line, as a not-for-profit

health care delivery system, is mission-driven: improving the health and health status of the communities we serve. The multicultural dimensions of these communities are inescapable. Accordingly, the efforts that we have undertaken to increase our cultural competency—the provider handbooks on culturally competent care, interpreter training and service programs, and centers of excellence focusing on ethnically diverse populations and women’s health—all contribute to achieving our mission, our bottom line. Responses to these efforts from the community, advocacy groups and our members demonstrate the positive impact that diversity has on our “bottom line.” Let’s talk about recruiting. What qualities do you look for when hiring management? How do you measure attitudes? We look

for individuals who are at the high end of the scale with respect to overall capability. We look for individuals who bring a depth of knowledge but who also understand the relationship between their area of expertise and the other functions with which they will have to interact. We deeply value collaboration skills. We also value individuals who are flexible in their management style and who can work with a variety of styles, genders and ethnicities. With a workforce composed of 74 percent women and 54 percent people of color, these are essential management competencies.

P ro f i l e s i n D i v e r s i t y J o u r n a l

January/February 2008

CEO LEADERSHIP

George C. Halvorson :: Chief Executive Officer

How are decisions about diversity made in your organization? Ronald Copeland, MD, president and executive medical

director of the Ohio Permanente Medical Group and chair of our overall medical directors group, and Ronald Knox, vice president and chief diversity officer, co-chair our programwide National Diversity Council. Our lead diversity officer reports to our chief HR officer and also works directly with me. Decisions about diversity are made both at the local level and the national level. However, national diversity policy formulation, recommendations and operations decisions are made at the National Diversity Council and National Diversity Office levels of the organization. Major diversity policies are presented to the senior-most operations group of the organization for endorsement, approval and sponsorship. George Halvorson celebrates the Dragon Boat festivities with Dr. Anne Tang (left), KP physician and Chief of the Chinese Language Module at the SF Medical Center; and Claudine Cheng, President/Chair of the Treasure Island Development Authority.

How do you deal with or train for cross-cultural competencies for leadership? What accountability do you employ to meet objectives? Are Kaiser Permanente’s diversity initiatives linked with compensation? Commitment to diversity at the most senior

level is not a simple “bonus” issue—it is a core accountability and a condition of continued membership on the leadership team. The national executive leadership team is accountable for achieving the objectives of a formal diversity agenda, consisting of executive workforce diversity, executive mentoring and supplier diversity. I am also accountable for these objectives, as well as for a host of additional diversity initiatives specific to my role as CEO. Do you have in place methods or ways to track promotable individuals? How do you ensure minority candidates are considered for promotions that become available? Yes, we have back-

up development programs for every senior position and diversity candidates are a core part of that development process. Our senior executive strategy sessions and executive development help us identify where we have gaps that need to be filled. And we recognize the necessity and value of a diverse leadership group to our organization’s ongoing success. Can you give us an example of a program getting “off track,” and what did you learn from that experience? There is no

What factors make you confident that you and your team have developed momentum for the organization that will keep it going in the right direction? What is the vision for Kaiser Permanente in five years? Kaiser Permanente recently held its

30th Annual National Diversity Conference. The conference has received national recognition for the quality of its programs, teachings and speakers. Thirty years is a major diversity milestone that few other large companies can approach and one that we intend on celebrating. Ultimately, our goals for this year will be no different from last year or next year: a fully integrated, fully inclusive workforce is our expectation. My vision is for a fully utilized, engaged, and leveraged diverse workforce. We have made significant progress on this at Kaiser. Today, six of our eight regional presidents are women. We also set an example at the board of directors level, by ensuring that our board is extremely diverse. In fact, it is among the most diverse boards of large corporations in the country. In addition, our workforce has no racial majority. On care delivery, we spend a significant amount of resources on building the cultural competency of all of our health care professionals and customer service staff. Kaiser has introduced to the public some groundbreaking tools for ensuring culturally competent care. These tools give direct advice for how to best serve multiple, diverse cultures, including language preferences, cultural issues and treatment modalities. We are also taking the long view with respect to our diverse workforce needs, including relationships with medical student asso-

dramatic example of going “off track,” but we have learned that, in general, improving diversity takes discipline, and if you take your eye off of it, you will often get slippage in various parts of the organization. Executive workforce diversity for people of color is an example of the need for vigilance to preserve gains and achieve progress. Although we did not experience dramatic slippage, we did not sustain the rate of increase that previous efforts had yielded. We have now institutionalized these efforts and accountabilities and are experiencing the growth and sustained momentum to meet our needs and established targets. Let’s talk a little bit about the leadership at Kaiser in terms of diversity. For example, who chairs your company’s diversity council? Does your lead diversity officer report to you directly?

Profiles in Diversit y Journal

January/February 2008

George Halvorson signs copies of his new book, Health Care Reform Now!, at the Bay Area Council meeting in San Francisco.

CEO LEADERSHIP

Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

we are trying to create. I am looking forward to continuing this new conversation with employees. We also, of course, periodically conduct a massive, systemwide survey of employee attitudes and concerns. I also hold regular town hall meetings and an open Q&A forum following my annual keynote address at our National Diversity Conference which draws more than a thousand participants and hundreds more through national video simulcast from across the organization. Have you encountered those who perceive inclusion programs for underrepresented groups as being exclusionary for others? George Halvorson at The Kaiser Permanente International Dragon Boat Festival.

ciations, undergraduate internship programs, high school summer employment programs and programs like the Hippocrates Circle. This program pairs our physicians with elementary school students in underserved neighborhoods to provide first-hand exposure to medical professions and encourage their consideration as viable and attainable career goals. EMPLOYEE INCLUSIVENESS Sometimes diversity is referred to as a numbers game. How does your company know its culture is not just tied up in numbers? We have a very diverse set of senior leaders and we make that

diversity very visible so people at all levels can recognize that diversity for us is a practice, not an aspiration. We also utilize the diverse cultural and language skills of our workforce in very tangible ways to provide quality care and services to our members. Therefore, it is understood that workforce diversity is not about numbers, but about the diverse talent and skillsets needed to provide quality, culturally informed care and services to diverse populations. Would you say that employees are more engaged in the company than they were two years ago? Yes. We are currently insti-

tuting unit-based teams to do more collaborative work at our various worksites. These teams are at the front line of the organization and they are designed to increase participation in making improvements in the delivery of care and in other organizational processes. Company sponsored activities, such as the Martin Luther King Day of Volunteerism and a Week of Caring, allow employees to make meaningful contributions in service to the communities most in need of volunteer efforts and support. These include working in homeless shelters and food banks, painting neighborhood schools and distributing warm winter clothing to those most in need. As a community benefit organization, these activities involve our employees directly in core functions of the organization. How are employees’ opinions solicited? Do you have an employee ‘suggestion box’ or similar system and how is it monitored and responded to? Our unit-based teams solicit

input from all team members. In addition, I encourage employees to talk to their managers and leaders and to talk directly to me via e-mail to help us improve. Open communications are vital if we are to be a learning organization. I read all the e-mail I receive from employees and respond when appropriate. In September 2007, I started a weekly dialogue with employees via e-mail to further encourage their feedback and to share my thoughts on the culture

This has not been a big issue for us to deal with. When inclusion is the obvious value, it doesn’t feel like exclusion for anyone. In other settings, where exclusion is the cultural approach, these kinds of challenges can occur. Can you describe your method for orienting new hires into your culture? For enriching employees’ awareness or introducing new issues? We have several orientation programs

for new hires. We are currently examining them to provide more consistency; however, we want to continue to respect the differences across our company. Another important resource in the orientation of new employees into our culture is enlisting the assistance and services of our many multicultural staff associations. They provide invaluable support for new employees and accelerate the orientation and learning curve by providing practical information, an affinity group network and support throughout the onboarding process. For enriching employee awareness, we conduct periodic town hall meetings, and over the past couple of years, we have introduced executive forums, which give employees additional opportunity to hear from and ask questions of senior management. Can you name specific ways KP supports upward development toward management positions? We support upward development

of all employees—with inclusion and diversity as key goals—through our formal succession planning process. This is a bottom-up process in which we review career and promotion opportunities. We also provide tuition reimbursement along with formal and informal leadership development programs. Besides those programs, we are preparing to launch an executive mentoring program that involves the most senior executives in the organization. They will act as mentors to high potential employees with a particular emphasis on executive workforce diversity. What about bringing women and minority employees into the fabric of the organization? What programs are in place or on the drawing board to advance women and minorities? Our

strategy for attracting the best and most diverse workers is to reinforce our standing as a “best place to work,” nurture an inclusive, welcoming workplace environment, and encourage internal movement that yields more women and minority executives. Our employees know that 74 percent of our workforce are women and 45 percent of our executives are women and choose us because of it. We have won multiple awards and recognitions for our status as a diversity-friendly employer. We tend to celebrate these awards with all employees, to set a tone of values and inclusion. P ro f i l e s i n D i v e r s i t y J o u r n a l

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CEO LEADERSHIP

George C. Halvorson :: Chief Executive Officer

George C. Halvorson: A Look Back… A younger Halvorson at a speaking engagement. He speaks to groups several times a week and estimates speaking to thousands of audiences over his career.

George with then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. He advised Mrs. Clinton’s panel on health care reform in 1993-94 and today advises campaigns of both parties on this important issue.

Halvorson with former Secretary of State Colin Powell. George’s book, Strong Medicine, was written prior to Epidemic of Care and Health Care Reform Now!

George with one of his heroes, Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

George gets press as an early proponent of managed care in Minnesota.

SUPPLIER / COMMUNITY / CUSTOMERS Supplier diversity continues to be a big issue in the workplace today. What is your commitment to minority suppliers? Do you set specific percentage or dollar targets? How do you measure success? We have a definite commitment to using minority suppli-

ers. We set goals and track our success. This is an area of considerable opportunity that further aligns with our business goals and mission. Increasing subcontracting opportunities for minority and women business owners also translates to greater employment opportunities in local communities and thereby contributes to their economic vitality. Further, supplier diversity is good for business as increased competition among suppliers promotes higher levels of performance and quality as well as cost reductions. Our keys to success include holding leaders accountable to the CEO and substantively demonstrating progress toward achievement of established targets. Proactive measures are taken to increase utilization of minority and women suppliers. For example, we offer open houses and supplier mentoring opportunities in order to expand opportunities for new and existing diverse suppliers. CEO PROFILE Where does your personal belief in diversity and inclusion come from? Who were your role models, or was there a pivotal experience that helped shape your view? For me, diversity has

been a lifelong interest and it is a core value. I have written articles and made multiple presentations on these topics. I am very near completion of a new book on just that topic. My values on that set of issues have been rewarded for me personally by being blessed with multi-racial grandchildren—incredibly lovely, bright and talented grandchildren who have blessed me with their existence and reinforced my commitment from both my head and my heart. 22

Profiles in Diversit y Journal

Halvorson at HealthPartners in Minnesota, where he served as CEO prior to joining Kaiser Permanente.

January/February 2008

So, I have a special self-interest in diversity because of the racial and ethnic diversity in my own family. Over the years, I have spent a great deal of time studying other cultures and working on research as well as health plans in other countries that confront the opportunities and challenges of diversity. I have come to the conclusion that it is human nature for people to view other people in “us versus them” terms. Understanding, rejecting, and overcoming this tendency is, I believe, both very doable and imperative to our success and survival. Who has shaped your thinking as a business leader? What about their business skill or style influenced you?

My father used to say, if you do a job you love, you’ll never work another day in your life. He also told me never to judge until you have all the facts. And he told me never to judge another man “until you have walked a mile in his shoes.” I’ve found his lessons to be incredibly useful my entire life. How did you get to your present position? What was your career path?

I’ve held several executive positions in the health insurance industry, most recently leading HealthPartners, the largest health care co-op in the United States. Coming to Kaiser has given me the opportunity to work with an organization with an historical and financial commitment to diversity and innovation, the two areas that will define 21st century success in our industry. Kaiser’s commitment to diversity was an important factor in accepting

Earlier in his career, George Halvorson was a health care executive at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota.

CEO LEADERSHIP

Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

George C. Halvorson :: Personal Profile my current position, as it affords me a rich legacy on which to build. The opportunities at this point in American history are so great for the pursuit of diversity that I believe it is also a needed area of focus for leaders. We need to “make a difference” in our society. Organizations provide a microcosm and a laboratory for ways our nation can better capitalize on our diversity. It is extremely rewarding to watch this experiment play out within our company. We need a similar agenda to play out across corporate America. Who were/are your mentors? How did they help in your professional and personal life? I learned a great deal from Jim Regnier,

former president of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. He was a farmer from rural Minnesota who taught me the importance of common sense. As I mentioned before, my father also influenced my professional and personal development a great deal. If you were in a roomful of colleagues, what might they say about you, your style or your business sense? I very directly

strive to do the right thing and do it consistently over time. My beliefs, practices and values took years to develop, but once developed, they have been extremely consistent over time. People say they are very clear about what I am doing and why I am doing it. How would you describe your concept and style of leadership?

Inclusive, open, strategic, transparent, value driven, and consistent. What business books or journals do you read regularly or recommend for aspiring leaders? In terms of general business

publications, I think that The Economist and the Harvard Business Review do a very nice job of capturing trends and telling stories in a very readable way. I also read Forbes and Fortune and the Wall Street Journal. Scientific American, Discovery, Psychology Today and Psychotherapy Networker are also on my reading stacks. I also think it is critical to read the trades and journals in my chosen field, because that is the best way to understand your market and your competition. Modern Healthcare and Health Affairs are both must-reads for me. Have you any “mottos” to rally your team regarding diversity & inclusion? Begin with the end in mind. Each thing in its

turn—each thing in its time.When the student is ready, if you are the teacher, be even more ready. That’s your job.

COMPANY: Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals. TITLE: Chairman & Chief Executive Officer. YEARS IN CURRENT POSITION: 5 AGE: 60 EDUCATION: BA, history, political science and English from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn.; graduate studies at the University of Minnesota; senior fellow, University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo.; Senior lecture MBA Program, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn. FIRST JOB: Bait-house kid. I sorted minnows, counted worms, waited on customers and sold fishing tackle. PHILOSOPHY: Do a job you love—you’ll never work another day in your life. WHAT I’M READING: I used to read more books. Now I primarily read magazines. Seed is a great new magazine find. FAMILY: Engaged, four sons, with a stepson soon to be added. Four lovely grandchildren. INTERESTS: Writing, science, sociology, health care, public policy, political science, various water sports, travel, and people. George Halvorson’s grandchildren, CHILDHOOD HERO: Charles Marcus, 12; McKenna, 3; Maya, 8. Darwin and Frederick Douglass— two men whose books changed how the world thought. “BEST” PICTURE (film/art): Tom Jones, The Godfather, Prairie Home Companion, and Big Fish. MY MUSIC: The blues—particularly the blues harmonica (the Blues Harp). FAVORITE GAME: Chess, for many years. I seldom play now. I love to watch television football or any sport being played by my sons or grandchildren. DESK-DRAWER MUNCHIES: Granola. FAVORITE CHARITY: Community clinics. PERSON (HISTORICAL /FICTIONAL /ACTUAL) I’D LIKE TO GET TO KNOW OVER LUNCH: Jesus Christ, to learn, but not over lunch.

What has been your proudest moment as leader at Kaiser Permanente? It’s a great job. Every day gives me a chance to feel

Were there any experiences that discouraged you or taught you hard lessons about diversity & inclusion implementation?

good about the place.

I was stunned back in the 1970s when I brought both women and minority employees into professional jobs and saw how angry and upset the people were in those work areas. I did not expect that much resistance. However, they and I persevered. I have seen significant progress in this area over the years and have been dedicated myself to creating a diverse workforce wherever I have worked.

What words of advice would you give to those who want to advance in their organization? Know your job. Know your co-

workers. Help people. Maintain absolute ethics so no one ever wonders what you are really up to. Work hard and smart. Never be a jerk and don’t encourage, support or retain jerks on your team. Love your job or find a job you love.

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Leadership perspectiveS Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente’s Diversity Strategy Ronald Knox

Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer

In describing the diversity strategy of Kaiser Permanente, vice president and chief diversity officer and co-chair of the National Diversity Council, Ronald Knox calls it multi-faceted. “Central components of our approach to diversity management are building and leveraging our considerable diverse human talent and cultural competency to meet the organization’s noble mission of improving the health and health Ronald Knox status of the communities we serve, and leveraging our collective diversity assets to enhance our competitive position in the marketplace,” Knox explains. “Simply put, diversity is how we achieve our mission and how we grow the business.” Pointing out that much of the critical foundation-building required to achieve these diversity objectives has already been accomplished, Knox cites some specific examples of Kaiser Permanente’s impressive diversity assets. “Our diversity inventory includes population-specific Centers of Excellence in Culturally Competent Care; interpreter, translation and bilingual staff training programs; regional support for diversity strategy & operations; an over-arching national health disparities initiative, including HIV/AIDS; multicultural staff associations; and a rapidly evolving diversity partnership with Labor position the organization favorably to achieve our mission and business objectives,” says Knox. “Additionally, our CEO has authored two books on diversity, is an accomplished diversity educator and is a nationally acknowledged diversity thought-leader. Having these assets in place is critically important because they enhance and facilitate the next major phase of our work—the full integration of diversity into every major business function, decision, plan and initiative.” Although these efforts are presently underway, Knox says, “progress has been uneven across the organization, but will occur with greater precision over time. He adds, “Today, our corporate customers, most of whom have very diverse workforces and sophisticated diversity programs, recognize Kaiser Permanente’s unique care and service orientation that is firmly grounded in and fueled by our diversity values and traditions, thus creating synergy that strengthens the business relationship.” Beyond the work currently being completed, Knox and his team are looking to the future. “Further development and refine 24

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There is considerable data to demonstrate the CEO’s active commitment to diversity: •T he governing board is 36 percent women and 50 percent people of color. •T he three most senior operations leaders consist of one woman, one African American, and one Caucasian. •T he composition of the eight regional presidents is 75 percent women and 35 percent people of color. •G eorge Halvorson is the sponsor of a fourpronged, robust diversity agenda for which the top 20 senior executives in the organization are held accountable. “ And that’s the CEO suite only,” Knox says. “There are other data points to support our claim of workforce diversity accomplishments.” •W omen and people of color comprise 74 percent and 54 percent of the total Kaiser Permanente workforce, respectively. •4 4 percent of the physicians are people of color, and 39 percent are women.

ment of effective diversity metrics and consistent integration of diversity into strategic initiatives and business plans are an urgent priority,” he says. “The refinement of a comprehensive, integrated multi-cultural marketing strategy which prominently portrays and promotes the diversity-related products and services that we are prepared to deliver is an important next step in our overall diversity strategy.” In addition to those business plans, Knox says, “We have just recently concluded our 30th Annual National Diversity Conference. This is the premiere educational forum and celebration of diversity in the organization, if not the healthcare industry.” At Kaiser Permanente’s conference, more than 1,000 employees, physicians, and guests engage in three days of presentations, workshops, networking and learning from some of the nation’s foremost authorities on workforce diversity, culturally competent care, linguistic services, EEO and Affirmative Action, diversity business strategies and diversity-related legal and regulatory compliance. It also features Kaiser Permanente’s most senior leaders, including the Chairman and CEO and board members, as featured keynote presenters. “It is an opportunity to see the organization from a unique vantage point in which a core organizational value is profiled centerstage for three days.” Knox says

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Leadership perspectiveS Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

New Permanente Federation Leader Has a History of Valuing Diversity John Cochran, MD, FACS Executive Director of the Permanente Federation

When Jack Cochran was named executive director of the Permanente Federation, he brought to the position a history of diversity leadership. While Cochran served as Executive Director and President of the Colorado Permanente Group, his executive team—which included an African-American female associate executive medical director—set a national diversity benchmark in physician leadership among large employers. He is the only executive medical director to receive Kaiser Permanente’s prestigious R.J. Erickson Diversity Achievement Award. And he doesn’t plan to change course in his new position. “My value of diversity is endemic to who I am, so I will carry those values wherever I go,” Cochran says. “As an organization involved in a service as vital and personal as health care, we cannot afford to ignore diversity and its importance to meeting our mission and remaining competitive in the field. We have a great opportunity and an equally great obligation to integrate diversity into every aspect of the work we do.” Cochran values diversity, in part, because of the business advantages it provides. “Our diversity enables us to be aware of and consider a variety of perspectives and values that a homogenous group is simply incapable of due to the limitations of cultural experience that we all face,” he asserts. “In this way, we make culturally informed and higher quality decisions; we capitalize on the advantage of affinity group affiliation in community outreach, education and partnership. A senior executive team that mirrors the racial, ethnic and gender diversity of our community provides culture-specific knowledge and expertise that has high utility in the marketplace and in care delivery. Additionally, it speaks volumes to affinity groups about our values without ever needing to articulate them. This is an enormous business advantage.”

“Our diversity enables us to be aware of and consider a variety of perspectives and values…”

Another business advantage comes with recruiting. “You will frequently hear physicians and employees say, ‘Kaiser Permanente’s diversity tradition and reputation is a primary reason that I joined the organization,’” Cochran says. “In some ways, this makes our Jack Cochran, MD, FACS, job as leaders of diversity easier, recently named Executive Director of the because diversity is a visible and Permanente Federation. public part of our identity.” Though Cochran’s diversity orientation has been called unique, he doesn’t see it that way. “I think my orientation to diversity comes from the recognition early on that talent was not exclusive to one group or race, or gender specific,” he says. “I believe strongly in collaboration which requires that all voices be heard, thus fully capitalizing on the value of diverse perspectives and opinions.” He is quick to add that the work is ongoing, and the organization cannot become complacent about diversity. “It’s an ongoing journey of self-awareness for all of us, I believe; certainly for me,” Cochran says. “Talent comes in many colors, both genders, any sexual orientation, you name it. If I, as a leader, identify with a particular affinity group, my natural tendency, my natural filter is to favor that group, even subconsciously. In a close decision between job applicants, this bias, however small, can have serious consequences for diversity. “If we are to become a culturally competent organization, each of us has to be aware of and consciously manage our filters. In doing so, we unleash the power of diversity and the resulting synergy simply creates better products, more responsive services and higher quality, more innovative decisions and solutions. “I look forward to the next chapter of diversity at Kaiser Permanente,” says Cochran, “and how we will creatively utilize diversity to eliminate health disparities, contribute to the vitality and health of our communities and leverage the rich cultural expertise and knowledge of our workforce to provide excellent care to our growing numbers of members and patients.”

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Leadership perspectiveS Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

How the Labor Management Partnership Supports the National Diversity Agenda Perspective from John August, Executive Director of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions

As the labor leader of the nation’s most progressive labor and management partnership, John August has a unique perspective on the ways workers contribute to Kaiser Permanente’s diversity. “Kaiser Permanente has one of the largest and most culturally diverse workforces in the country,” August says. “While labor’s role in diversity has evolved over the years, just as Kaiser Permanente’s diversity focus has evolved, we have not lost sight of the fundamental principles that support the diversity agenda. Fairness, equity, equality of opportunity, and respecting and valuing differences form the foundation of diversity and also align with our tradition, contractual agreements and obligations to our members.” Because Kaiser Permanente’s Labor Management Partnership (LMP) is so important to the organization’s diversity agenda, the LMP has a seat on the organization’s National Diversity Council. “The role of the labor representatives on the Council is to provide an informed perspective on diversity discussions and policy recommendations,” says August. “Labor’s presence reinforces the importance of the workforce and helps identify additional, novel ways to advance our shared interests in the diversity agenda.” In addition, he says that labor plays a key role in communicating, endorsing and supporting diversity initiatives, most of which

rely on the workforce to successfully implement. “Service on the National Diversity Council is a logical expression and manifestation of the Labor Management Partnership.” August also points out that “the first cornerstone of the National Diversity Agenda relates John August specifically to improving the skill, diversity, cultural competence and performance of the workforce. The role of labor in the National Diversity Agenda is explicit, and we embrace the Partnership and the challenge.” Looking to the future of diversity at Kaiser Permanente, August says that “unions must play an evolving role in the 21st century. Ultimately, labor represents the means by which the goals of the diversity agenda will be met by the people of Kaiser Permanente. We recognize the need for and support the development of diverse skill sets within the workforce to meet the diverse needs of Health Plan members, patients and customers.”

A Tradition of Diversity Leadership Kaiser Permanente takes pride in its history of diversity leadership. Starting in the 1940s, Kaiser Permanente opened its first hospitals on the West Coast by welcoming black Americans alongside white patients two decades before most hospitals began to end racial segregation.

These values again put Kaiser Permanente in a leadership role during the 1960s when President John F. Kennedy

tapped Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals Board Chairman Edgar F. Kaiser Jr., son of Henry J. Kaiser, for his Equal Employment Opportunity Committee. President Kennedy’s staff picked Edgar Kaiser in part because of the comparatively high rate of minority employment at Kaiser Permanente. In turn, Edgar Kaiser, as president of Kaiser Industries, insisted that all parts of Kaiser Industries reflect the ideal of equal employment opportunities—making Kaiser Permanente a national Henry J. Kaiser

leader during the administrations of both president’s Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.

Against this backdrop, Kaiser Permanente took the lead on another front in the early 1970s, when it elected Mitchell Spellman, MD, as the

first African American to serve on the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan/Hospitals (KFHP/H) Boards of Directors.

KFHP/H already had established a tradition of electing outstanding board members, in large measure because of Kaiser Permanente’s ability to

attract high-profile people who were well regarded in their professional fields. The election of Dr. Spellman, who is director emeritus of Academic Alliances and International Exchange Programs at Harvard Medical International, was in that tradition.

At the time of Dr. Spellman’s election, he was the founding executive dean of the Charles R. Drew Postgraduate Medical School, a post he

held from 1968 until 1977, when he was appointed dean of Medical Services at Harvard University Medical School.

Profiles in Diversit y Journal

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Leadership perspectiveS Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente Board of Directors:

A Personal Commitment Kaiser Permanente’s board of directors actively supports and promotes diversity in its governances role. The central ideal of a diverse workforce serving diverse communities has been a mainstay of the board’s commitment to diversity over many years. Nearly two decades ago, the board endorsed and approved the National Diversity Agenda which set forth the diversity vision and strategy that govern the organization’s diversity management effort to the present day. The board is also unique in its diversity composition. While the ethnic and gender composition of the 50 most diverse board’s

of major corporations in America is 18% people of color and 19% women, Kaiser Permanente’s board is comprised of 50% people of color and 36% women. Further, the nationally acknowledged diversity expertise that resides within the board membership through vocational, professional and governance affiliations is unparalleled in corporate America. The board of directors is a distinguishing asset in Kaiser Permanente’s diversity profile and a novel reflection of how diversity permeates every level of the organization’s structure.

Kaiser Permanente Board of Directors Left to Right Front Row Daniel P. Garcia Cynthia A. Telles Jenny J. Ming Sandra P. Thompkins Judith A. Johansen George C. Halvorson Left to Right Back Row J. Eugene Grigsby III J. Neal Purcell William R. Graber Thomas W. Chapman Kim J. Kaiser Christine K. Cassel Edward Y. W. Pei Missing from the photo: Philip Marineau

Two standing board committees, the Quality and Health Improvement Committee and the Community Benefit Committee support diversity issues through approval of grants and donations, and policies designed to support initiatives that aim to improve cultural competency and linguistic programs. The committee also presents annual community service awards related to diversity and inclusion.

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Leadership perspectiveS Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

Some Thoughts from the Board Cynthia A. Telles, MD Director, Spanish Speaking Psychosocial Clinic, Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences; School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles

Establishing the elimination of health disparities as an organizational priority is critical from both operational and governance perspectives as it relates to Kaiser Permanente’s mission. Providing professional language services for members and patients with limited English proficiency is an essential component of this policy. Latino and Asian populations represent large proportions of Kaiser Permanente’s membership. As the fastest growing segments of the overall population, these groups will comprise increasingly larger proportions of the organization’s future membership. The nexus between care access and health outcomes is clear. Expanding the number of bilingual and bicultural health care professionals and providing effective interpreter and translation services will lead to improved quality of care, better member/doctor communication, greater patient understanding and compliance and, ultimately, improved care outcomes. Competent language services are a key component of the organization’s efforts to eliminate health disparities.

Thomas W. Chapman President and CEO, The HSC Foundation We serve on one of the most unique boards in corporate America. Not only are we among the nation’s top three percent of boards of major corporations with respect to diversity, we are also among the corporate governance elite with respect to professional diversity expertise. This rare combination brings an added dimension to our deliberations on diversity direction and governance. It also ensures that diversity is a central consideration, fully integrated into deliberations involving other aspects of the company’s business. Some of us serve as consultants to corporations on diversity matters in our professional vocations. Others write and conduct research and present at national forums, including Kaiser Permanente’s National Diversity Conference, as functional diversity experts. Diversity is viewed through a critical and informed lens at the Kaiser Permanente board level.

Christine K. Cassel, MD President and CEO American Board of Internal Medicine

Kaiser Permanente has undertaken the massive task of collecting racial, ethnic and language preference data on its Health Plan members and patients to inform our efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities, to increase access and quality of care for individuals with limited English proficiency, and to validate the efficacy of treatment protocols developed for various population segments. We are committed to all of the six aims established by the Institute of Medicine—that health care be safe, effective, timely, patient-centered, efficient and equitable. The goal of equity requires that we understand health status and assess disparities among our members, to address improvements. This work is critically important to Kaiser Permanente’s Quality Agenda, as well as our social mission and favorably positioning the organization in the competitive marketplace. 28

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Overcoming Disparities of Care Bernard Tyson, Executive Vice President, Health Plan and Hospital Operations As an organization, Kaiser Permanente has been doing a lot of very important work to promote ethnic and minority health, which, as a whole, is worse than that of the general population. To cite just a few of the alarming statistics: • Although African Americans account for only 13 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 40 percent of the AIDS cases diagnosed since the start of the epidemic and approximately half of the cases diagnosed in Bernard Tyson 2004 alone. • The rate of Type II diabetes among Latinos is double the rate for Caucasians, and people with diabetes are more likely to have heart disease or stroke. • According to the Census Bureau, in 2004, 32.7 percent of Hispanics lacked health insurance, and 21.9 percent lived in poverty. “Kaiser Permanente is well-positioned and prepared as an organization, to tackle the issue of disparity in health and health care,” said Bernard Tyson, executive vice president. “And we’re weaving this important challenge into the fabric of our work.” Tyson, along with Ray Baxter, senior vice president, Community Benefit; Ron Knox, vice president and chief diversity officer; and Ron Copeland, MD, executive medical director in Ohio; is spearheading Kaiser Permanente’s response to this challenge. Currently, Kaiser Permanente cares for more than 1.25 million Latino members, 1 million African-American members, and 750,000 Asian and Pacific Islanders. “Given our experience caring for such a diverse patient population, we need to leverage our learnings and serve as a model for the entire health care industry,” said Tyson.

In April 2007, Kaiser Permanente took another formal step to demonstrate its commitment to eliminating health disparities. The Kaiser Permanente Program Group (KPPG)—the highest-ranking body within Kaiser Permanente—endorsed a Health Disparities Vision and Strategy Statement, which includes guiding principles and overarching strategies. The KPPG has already provided leadership in developing a policy to collect race-based data to ensure there are no health care disparities within Kaiser Permanente, and that immediate action be taken should we find that disparities exist. Endorsement of this vision and strategy statement means that senior leadership at all parts of the organization has signed off on this important work. Making a Commitment and Following Through Up until now, the work to study and reduce disparities in health and health care has been driven by a lot of committed people and departments across Kaiser Permanente. Connecting “the dots” through a formal strategy allows Kaiser Permanente to leverage this important work across the organization. “The tough work is definitely ahead of us,” said Tyson. “Health care reform in America must address health disparities. Similarly, getting back to basics and focusing on quality, service, and affordability has many implications for eliminating disparities in health and health care. “To borrow the words of former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, MD, ‘this is a national problem; it’s not a minority problem. Disparities in health is America’s problem.’ These are exciting times, and I am proud to be part of an organization that cares and wants to make a difference.” About Bernard Tyson: 23 Years of Leadership Bernard Tyson is executive vice president for health plan and hospital operations. He leads the eight presidents in the Kaiser Permanente regions. He is also a member of the National Leadership Team and the Executive Leadership Group. In addition, he is responsible for National Facility Services, Workplace Safety, Patient Care Services, and National Health Plan and Hospital Operations. Immediately prior to his current role, Tyson served as senior vice president of Brand Strategy & Management. The “Thrive” image advertising campaign launched under Tyson’s stewardship.

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Kaiser Permanente’s regional presidents: (from left to right) Patricia KennedyScott, Ohio; Mary Ann Thode, Northern California; Andrew McCulloch, Northwest; Janet Liang, Hawaii; Carolyn Kenny, Georgia; Donna Lynne, Colorado; Benjamin Chu, Southern California; Marilyn J. Kawamura, Mid-Atlantic States.

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Perspectives on Diversity from Kaiser Permanente Leaders

Marilyn J. Kawamura Regional President, Mid-Atlantic States

“At Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, we have a commitment to the people we serve: treating each person with respect, compassion, and dignity in order to achieve caring, top-quality health care. In our metropolitan area—and the entire health care industry—we are facing demographic changes, shifting workforce needs and growing challenges in the delivery of personalized care. At Kaiser Permanente, we are striving to meet these needs. We are engaged in a wide variety of programs that enhance the diversity, cultural competence and performance of our workforce. I am proud to be part of an organization that values diversity and weaves cultural competence into the fabric of its mission.”

Benjamin K. Chu, MD Regional President, Southern California “The greatness of this country comes from the power of the tremendous diversity of our people. The health care landscape in Southern California is one of the most diverse in the nation, a cacophony of languages and variety of ethnicities. At Kaiser Permanente, we strive each day to provide culturally responsive care to that diverse population. To do that, we must respect our patients, understand their divergent backgrounds and tailor our care to meet their individual needs. Our health care team is recognized for its diversity, skill and compassion. We share a common goal—to help our members to live healthy lives and to thrive.”

Patricia Kennedy-Scott Regional President, Ohio “As part of our strategic planning process in the Ohio Region, we work to ensure that our business plans are aligned with the varying needs of our members, build upon the contributions of our diverse staff, and acknowledge and respond to the demands and expectations of our richly diverse community. The heart of our commitment to diversity comes from a willingness and aspiration to listen to the needs and contributions of people as individuals—seeing beyond their connection to any particular demographic. “In our health care centers, this means ensuring that every member is served by providers who can relate to the patient in a culturally appropriate manner. In our community, this means cultivating and growing strong partnerships that provide opportunities to understand and participate in meeting the distinct needs of our residents and employers. “Achieving culturally competent care and respecting diversity begin with hiring and training employees who share our organization’s values. By hearing, articulating, embracing, and celebrating our differences we can nurture respect for each other and come together as a team to provide personalized care to those we serve.”

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Workforce Diversity: A Core Value in Finance Kathy Lancaster Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals As chief financial officer, Kathy Lancaster partners with other key leaders to drive organization-wide transformation, performance, and strategy. For Lancaster, finance is no different than the rest of Kaiser Permanente when it comes to the importance of diversity. “We are all part of a very diverse society, and potential employees are going to look at us to see if we reflect Kathy Lancaster the world around us,” says Lancaster. “We believe that a diverse workforce enables us to achieve the best results because we get the benefit of hearing different and valuable perspectives. In finance, we regularly review where we are in terms of the diversity of our entire team, and we are always looking to add to our breadth and depth.“ To increase the pipeline of diverse candidates, finance sponsors and plays an active role in events such as the Finance/Accounting and MBA Diversity Summit, which is intended to let potential

employees learn more about Kaiser Permanente. Finance is also involved more directly. For example, Senior Vice President Larry Wilson has served for four years on the board of directors of INROADS, a not-for-profit committed to increasing the representation of Blacks, Hispanics/Latinos, and Native American Indians in corporate America. Each summer, in Northern California alone, Kaiser Permanente sponsors up to 30 college interns from a variety of academic disciplines. In recent years, an increasing number of these students have taken post-undergraduate positions in Kaiser Permanente’s finance organization. Says Lancaster, “We have been a leader for a very long time in creating excellent care for a very diverse set of people. It is critical that our workforce reflects the diversity of our membership and the communities we serve.” Lancaster oversees the controller’s office, treasury, procurement and supply, financial shared services functions, and strategic planning, as well as the finance teams of the revenue cycle function, Sarbanes-Oxley implementation, KP OneLink, Kaiser Permanente’s enterprise resource planning system, and information technology. She also provides financial leadership for the pharmacy group, national facilities organization, and each of Kaiser Permanente’s eight geographic regions. A veteran health care executive with 25 years’ industry experience, Lancaster spent several years as vice president of Network Management for the Prudential Insurance Company’s western region before joining Kaiser Permanente in 1998.

Building the Workforce of the Future…Today Laurence G. O’Neil, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Central to Kaiser Permanente’s diversity strategy is people. A cornerstone of the organization’s diversity agenda is to “Enhance the diversity, cultural competence, skill and performance of our workforce.” As the chief HR officer, Laurence G. (Lon) O’Neil is the steward of that workforce, and he is very tuned in to the growing diversity of America’s population and the implications for Kaiser Permanente’s membership and its workforce. The Latino population, reported by the U.S. Census Bureau to be at 37 million people, is now the largest minority group in America. Nearly one in five people speak a language other than English in the home. The latest numbers available from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that this country’s population includes 33.5 million foreign born, representing 11.7 percent of the U.S. population. “Our organization must tap into our resources and use our leadership in diversity to get ahead of these trends in order to ensure that the care we provide is relevant to our members,” said O’Neil. “Amidst these changes, we in the health care field will be com

peting for talent to fill jobs in an industry that is perhaps the fastest growing in the private sector.” Kaiser Permanente’s workforce comprises 52% people of color. In the 1940s and 1950s, Kaiser Permanente set industry precedents in equal employment opportunity and affirmative action. But like other companies, it has a ways to go Lon O’Neil in making sure the workforce that serves its members mirrors the diversity of its members. Just over five percent of Kaiser Permanente physicians are African-American, for instance, compared to nearly 13 percent of the American population (12.8 percent according to the U.S. Census Bureau). How is Kaiser Permanente Building the Workforce of Tomorrow? “In order to succeed in a globalized economy, we need to be proactive in thinking about how we employ and deploy our talent,” ’ P ro f i l e s i n D i v e r s i t y J o u r n a l

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Leadership perspectiveS Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

Demographic Profile Diversity at Kaiser Permanente drives uniform employment standards and practices, enhances the recruitment of a diverse workforce, and eliminates barriers that prevent full and meaningful employment. A key indicator of Kaiser Permanente’s successful implementation of its National Diversity Agenda is the diversity of its workforce and governing bodies as delineated in the following demographic profile: KP National Workforce

Women

People of Color

Total Employees

74.2%

54.2%

KP Board of Directors

35.7%

50%

Officials and Managers

66.2%

35.9%

Professionals

72.3%

47.4%

Executives

44.7%

19.5%

Physicians

38.6%

43.7%

KP National Diversity Council

33.3%

86.6%

Eddie Wills, Jr., MD

I believe IN CRUNCHES

Poster from Kaiser Permanente’s ongoing “I Believe” recruitment campaign, first launched in 2005.

WE ARE PROUD TO BE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER.

said O’Neil. “We aspire to identify and develop diverse talent at every level to ensure that we have a cultural perspective that reflects our membership and communities.” Kaiser Permanente has invested millions in recruitment advertising and outreach targeted at the disabled community; the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community; women; and people of color. Kaiser Permanente has also worked to increase executive hiring and promotion rates for women and people of color. Reaching minority students has also been a priority. Kaiser Permanente has established relationships with a number of historically black colleges. A group of Kaiser Permanente physicians in San Diego called the Hippocrates Circle mentors students interested in pursuing a medical career who wouldn’t normally be exposed to the medical field. The KP L.A.U.N.C.H. (Learn About Unlimited New Careers in Healthcare) INROADS Internship program benefits both the organization and the health care community at large by providing an effective means for accessing the diverse talent of underrepresented students of color. The Protégé of Color Program builds leadership bench strength among diverse people within Kaiser Permanente, and

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diversity is a priority in leadership development and talent management agendas. Engaging Employees According to Lon O’Neil, “the engagement of our workforce in our diversity agenda and in the growth of their cultural competence, skill, and performance is critical, and the way we engage our workforce is our Labor Management Partnership (LMP).” Kaiser Permanente has a unique Labor Management Partnership, with a coalition of 29 unions representing more than 86,000 employees. The latest national labor agreement includes specific provisions for substantial workforce development, service quality improvement, and organizational performance improvement. Kaiser Permanente’s diversity and LMP are core business strategies interwoven to position it as a best place to work and the best place to receive culturally competent care.

PDJ About Lon O’Neil As senior vice president and chief HR officer, Lon O’Neil is also a member of the National Leadership Team. O’Neil joined Kaiser Permanente in 2002. Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente, he had a career spanning 20 years with Bank of America, where he held various management positions in the United States and Asia. Diversity has always been a strong thread in his approach to HR strategy.

Leadership perspectiveS Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

Diversity as Critical to Kaiser Permanente’s Brand Diane Gage Lofgren,

Senior VP, Brand Strategy, Communications, and Public Relations

As the senior vice president, Brand Strategy, Communications and Public Relations, Diane Gage Lofgren knows that “Diversity is central to Kaiser Permanente.” Lofgren leads the critical work associated with repositioning Kaiser Permanente in the hearts and minds of its key stakeholders, and leads and directs all work associated with stewardship and oversight of the Kaiser Permanente brand. Lofgren also leads the broad array of national communications, media relations, issues management, and public relations activities for Kaiser Permanente. Diversity plays a key role in that work. Diane Gage Lofgren “Our brand is a mirror of who we are, what we do, and what we stand for,” she explains. “We work to ensure that all of our marketing, advertising, and communications are reflective of the broad spectrum of ethnicity, genders, and cultures represented by our workforce, members, and the communities we serve. Our brand position of Total Health is borne out of our desire to help everyone achieve health in mind, body and spirit.” Prior to joining the organization, she was senior vice president of Marketing and Communications at Sharp HealthCare, a $1.6 billion not-for-profit integrated delivery system serving San Diego County. She has published seven books and written scores of national magazine articles discussing topics ranging from business and personal relationships to management and marketing.

Personal and Professional Perspectives of Kaiser Permanente’s Diversity Louise Liang, MD Senior Vice President for Quality & Clinical Systems Support

Louise Liang knows about Kaiser Permanente’s deep commitment to diversity better than most. As an Asian-American woman on the organization’s National Leadership Team, she believes that “the executive ranks demonstrate the blindness we have to gender and race. I have always felt valued and supported for the skills, experience, and performance I bring.” In addition to her personal experience, Liang, who serves as the senior vice president for Quality & Clinical Systems Support, sees diversity as a business advantage for Kaiser Permanente. “I have always thought it critical to seek and support talent from all genders and races,” she says. “We shortchange ourselves and our organization to do less than that.” Under Liang’s leadership, Kaiser Permanente has implemented HealthConnect, Louise Liang, MD a highly-sophisticated information management and care delivery system designed to enhance the quality of patient care. In addition to the system’s patient care advantages, Liang believes that HealthConnect is supporting Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to diversity as well. “KP HealthConnect gives us the effective capability to identify and record member diversity,” she explains. “This will enable us to meet their current needs better, as well as, over time, evaluate and identify what works better for specific racial and ethnic segments of the population.”

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Leadership perspectiveS

National Diversity Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

a rich heritage and promising future

hen the National Diversity Council was first created in 1992, its initial purpose was to provide senior-level oversight and implementation support for Kaiser Permanente’s national diversity agenda. Since then, Kaiser Permanente has evolved its diversity orientation from a focus on awareness, education, and compliance to one of cultural competency, elimination of health care disparities, and market leadership. Likewise, the National Diversity Council has evolved to formulate strategic diversity policy. Educational Theatre Program performs at Annual Diversity Conference.

The National Diversity Agenda: Helping to Focus Kaiser Permanente’s Efforts Diversity is a defining characteristic of the Kaiser Permanente organization. According to Ronald Knox, vice president and chief diversity officer, “Some have said that diversity is in the organization’s DNA.” From a rich history of diversity firsts in the industry—including hiring women physicians and physicians of color during the pre-civil rights era and providing medical care in racially integrated facilities when racial segregation was the prevailing societal practice—to sustained efforts to integrate diversity into every aspect of daily business operations, Kaiser Permanente has distinguished itself as an inclusive, socially-conscious organization focused on its members, patients and communities. To maintain and enhance that diversity focus, Kaiser Permanente has developed a detailed, CEO-approved and mandated National Diversity Agenda. The agenda began as a multidimensional, forward-looking strategy that went beyond traditional workforce diversity to include focus on two additional, critically important components of the organization’s operations: care delivery and the marketplace. “The National Diversity Agenda authors crafted a strategy that responded to the projected population shifts, existing diversity in key geographical business sectors, and how, proactively, diversity assets could be developed, refined, and leveraged to achieve business goals,” Knox says. Today, Kaiser Permanente’s National Diversity Agenda is comprised of three interlinking cornerstones: 1. Grow membership through effective market segmentation approaches that target specific populations that are the fastest growing segments of society. 2. Provide culturally competent medical care and culturally appropriate service to improve the health and satisfaction of an increasingly diverse membership. 3. Enhance the diversity, cultural competence, skill, and performance of the workforce. Within this framework, Knox says, “literally hundreds of diversity initiatives have been developed to implement the National Diversity Agenda in each of the company’s eight geographical regions and the national headquarters.” Knox points out that the Agenda also established the infrastructure necessary for its successful impleKaiser Permanente’s mentation and sustainability. “The essential components of this infrastructure include the National Diversity National Diversity Logo. Council, a senior executive body responsible for diversity policy and direction; the National Diversity Office, responsible for diversity operations and development of national initiatives; and the regional diversity directors, multicultural staff associations and diversity councils that establish regional diversity priorities,” he says. Although the scope of the initiatives under each cornerstone of Kaiser Permanente’s National Diversity Agenda varies widely, Knox says there is one constant: “Central to the success of each initiative, and ultimately the success of the National Diversity Agenda, are the people of Kaiser Permanente. It is through their skills, efforts, commitment, and passion that diversity has become an integral part of the Kaiser Permanente brand.”

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National diversity

Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente’s National Diversity Council:

Governance of the Diversity Agenda

Today, Kaiser Permanente’s National Diversity Council—along with the National Diversity office— promotes, supports, and assists the regions in implementing the Board of Director’s mandate and agenda. “The Council carries out this accountability by being an advocate, an internal consultant, and Ronald Copeland, MD, FACS, providing policy formulation, straco-leads Kaiser Permanente’s tegic direction and content experNational Diversity Council. tise as it relates to the three pillars of the national diversity agenda,” explains Council co-chair Ronald L. Copeland, MD, FACS, who also leads the Council’s strategy development forums. These pillars are: • Growing membership through effective market segmentation approaches that target the fastest-growing segments of our society, • Providing culturally competent medical care and service to improve the health and satisfaction of an increasingly diverse membership, and • Enhancing the diversity, cultural competence, skill and performance of the Kaiser Permanente workforce. According to Dr. Copeland, the National Diversity Council has developed a strategic plan that covers more than 50 initiatives necessary to successfully implement Kaiser Permanente’s strategic diversity agenda. For example, Council action led to adoption

of an organization-wide policy on the elimination of racial and ethnic health disparities. The Council subsequently led the development and implementation of a major national initiative to collect racial, ethnic and language preference information from our members and patients to inform care quality improvement and culturally competent care initiatives to support the policy to eliminate health disparities. These relate directly to the “Care” component of the ND Agenda. Dr. Copeland also cites the review and update of the organization’s national non-discrimination policies, which includes a recent modification that adds gender identity to the policy. “The goal is to continue our rich tradition of inclusiveness,” he says. Dr. Copeland believes the Council’s continued success depends on “achieving and maintaining a solid foundation of workforce skills and management capacity to engage an increasingly more diverse workforce and membership.” He adds that this requires “achievement of true cultural competency, leveraging true workforce diversity as a competitive advantage, and demands leadership and accountability through all levels of the organization. Our goal is to ensure, as it has been stated before, that diversity is not an extra-curricular activity but in fact the way Kaiser Permanente does its business.” About Ronald Copeland Ronald Copeland, MD, FACS, is also a board certified surgeon; Chairman of the Executive Committee for the Permanente Federation; President and Executive Medical Director of the Ohio Permanente Group; and a nationally acknowledged expert on health disparities among minority populations.

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Kaiser Permanente’s 2007 National Diversity Conference

Celebrating a Commitment to Diversity for 30 years!

Kaiser Permanente’s Annual National Diversity Conference is the organization’s signature diversity educational forum, with 2007 marking the 30th anniversary of this premiere event. It features presentations and workshops covering topics of workforce diversity, health disparities among populations of color, language services and care access, EEO and Affirmative Action, multicultural marketing, culturally competent care delivery, and cutting edge diversity program strategies and operations. It’s also an opportunity for business and collegial networking. Started in 1976 as the Equal Employment Opportunity Conference (EEOC), the conference has been held every year since, except 1989, when the Loma Prieta earthquake occurred just days before the scheduled conference, with the epicenter located two miles from the proposed site. Even in the immediate aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, and the public’s understandable reluctance to fly, nearly 700 participants attended the conference, a tribute to the nation’s diversity and to George Halvorson, Kaiser Permanente president and CEO, Kaiser Permanente’s rededication to diversity as an important part of the nation’s recovery. at the 2006 conference. This forum draws 1,000 executives, board members, physicians, nurses and other clinicians, HR and diversity officers, selected customers, and a host of other professional staff from Kaiser Permanente’s eight Regions. Diverse and distinguished speakers and world-class entertainers have graced the conference stage over the years, including Surgeons General David Satcher and Jocelyn Elders; EEOC Chairs Cari Dominguez and Clarence Thomas, now a Supreme Court Justice; and such diversity pioneers as R. Roosevelt Thomas, Edwin Nichols, and distinguished attorneys Connie Rice and Charles Ogletree. World-class entertainers Rita Moreno, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, B.D. Wong, Robert Townsend, the Lula Washington Dance Theater, and Emmy Award winner Sarah Jones have also been featured speakers. ’

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National diversity

Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

DIVERSITY AWARDS AND RECOGNITION External organizations and other entities have acknowledged Kaiser Permanente’s diversity leadership and advocacy with awards and other recognition. Included below are some of the recent acknowledgements: • I nnovation and Excellence in Community Leadership Award—America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) • Top 50 Companies for Diversity—DiversityInc (2007; 2006) • 100% Rating: Corporate Equality Index—Human Rights Campaign (2007; 2006; 2005) • Top Corporations for Asian Americans—Asian Enterprise Magazine • Diversity Leadership Award—Diversity Best Practices • International Innovations in Diversity Award—Profiles in Diversity Journal • Employer of Choice (Western Region)—Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) • In-house Counsel Diversity Award—California Minority Counsel Program (CMCP) • Recognizing Innovation in Multicultural Health Care Award—National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) • Bronze Telly Award—Understanding Cultural Framework of Communication Kaiser Permanente recognizes individuals and organizations that have distinguished themselves through diversity excellence. Below are notable Kaiser Permanente awards for diversity presented annually to deserving recipients. •D iversity Hall of Fame—Inductees into the Kaiser Permanente Diversity Hall of Fame are employee and physician trailblazers whose courage, integrity and commitment have advanced principles and practices of inclusion, fairness and equity, equal opportunity, and cultural competency and awareness. In doing so, they have inspired others to follow in their footsteps.

The two-and-a-half day conference featured a keynote address by CEO and Chairman George Halvorson, as well as addresses by members of the board of directors, and other Kaiser Permanente executives; an impressive diversity showcase with more than 30 best practices displays from across the country; leading edge diversity panel presentations; and 40 or more workshops. Other key highlights include presentation of the R.J. Erickson Diversity Achievement Awards, the HIV/AIDS Leadership and Care Delivery Awards and the induction of distinguished diversity champions into the Diversity Hall of Fame.

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Conference attendees think collectively during a workshop. Profiles in Diversit y Journal

•T he HIV/AIDS Awards—The HIV/AIDS Awards recognize effective, innovative, and replicable practices in HIV/AIDS community service, leadership and excellence in HIV care delivery within the United States. Award recipients have distinguished themselves, often overcoming considerable obstacles, in providing advocacy, service and care in the fight to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. These prestigious awards symbolize Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to diversity as a core organizational value, and the means by which we achieve our mission and grow the business.

Senior Vice President of HR Lon O’Neil presents the R.J. Erickson Award to Edie Urteaga of the Northern California Region. Also pictured is Bob Erickson for whom the award is named.

Diversity Hall of Fame Awards

•T he R.J. Erickson Diversity Achievement Awards—The R.J. Erickson Diversity Achievement Awards are presented to those who demonstrate exemplary efforts to advance Kaiser Permanente’s Diversity Agenda. Named in honor of Robert J. Erickson, former General Counsel and Secretary and Senior Vice President for Legal and Government Relations, the awards recognize meritorious achieve- Lisbeth Fletcher, of KP’s ment in the fields of culturally compe- Mid-Atlantic States Region, tent care, cultural and linguistic service accepts an R.J. Erickson excellence, workforce diversity, mul- Diversity Achievement Award. ticultural marketing and community service. Robert Erickson provided nearly 40 years of distinguished service to Kaiser Permanente and continues to be an unwavering advocate for diversity. Kaiser Permanente established the R.J. Erickson Awards for diversity in his honor and to recognize the efforts of employees and physicians who emulate his spirit in advancing innovative and impactful initiatives that enhance the diversity excellence of the organization.

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Just a couple of the many displays at the conference that capture the significance of diversity at Kaiser Permanente.

National diversity

Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

Partnership with INROADS Produces Opportunities INROADS is a national nonprofit program that began in 1970 to provide underrepresented college students of color with business experience opportunities. The organization recruits these students, enrolled in four-year college programs, to serve as interns in organizations where they can learn applicable skills and perspectives to help them succeed in the business world. The Kaiser Permanente partnership with INROADS, which began in 1987 with five interns, is unique in several respects, including job shadowing opportunities and bi-monthly peer group meetings where Kaiser Permanente leadership, including senior executives, offer valuable advice. There are scholarships and several opportunities for interns to network with each other throughout their stay.

Interns from Kaiser Permanente’s INROADS program.

The Institute for Culturally Competent Care:

Embracing Cultural Diversity in Providing Health Care Services

Family practitioner Alain Flores, MD, treats patient Mark Wright at Kaiser Permanente’s Stockton, CA, facility.

In 1999, Kaiser Permanente created the Institute for Culturally Competent Care as part of its national strategy to incorporate culturally competent care into its health care delivery system. “Embedding the patient’s cultural perspectives, beliefs, and health practices into the clinical encounter at every point aligns with our commitment to patient-centered care, and acknowledges the diversity of the members and communities we serve,” said Dr. Melanie Tervalon, the Institute’s director. A primary means to incorporate culturally competent care is to educate providers, clinicians, and the health workforce about members’ cultural beliefs and practices. The institute’s team implements this goal through educational tools and products. “Provider handbooks, our most popular product, describe culturally competent care for the Individuals with Disabilities, African-American, Latino, Asian and Pacific Islanders, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender populations,” said Dr. Tervalon.

Centers of Excellence in Culturally Competent Care Nine Centers of Excellence in Culturally Competent Care advance the institute’s goal by sharing expertise within Kaiser Permanente and throughout the health care community. “These centers show how trained staff, able to explore issues of culture, race, and ethnicity, contribute to positive health outcomes and the reduction of racial and ethnic health disparities for our members,” says Dr. Tervalon. “The centers’ research efforts are dedicated to demonstrating the universal applicability of the patient-centered, culturally skilled, quality care that is at the heart of cultural competence.” The Center of Excellence in Kaiser Permanente’s Ohio Region Concentrating on health disparities in the African-American population, Kaiser Permanente Ohio’s Center of Excellence helps regional physicians strengthen their cultural competency skills to improve cardiovascular health among African-American patients. To meet this objective, the Center completed an internal assessment on the level of cultural competency within the workforce. The results ’

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National diversity

Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

are guiding specific training and interventions to ensure that Kaiser Permanente continues to deliver consistent quality care to all its members, regardless of their ethnic and racial background. Another objective for this Center is to reduce health disparities for African Americans through community partnerships. Statewide, the Center participates in health fairs, conferences, the Cleveland AfricanAmerican Family Wellness Walk, and the Community Health Initiative, an outreach initiative addressing lifestyle and environmental change in a targeted Cleveland neighborhood. The Take HEED research study offers behavioral modifications for weight management in African-American women whose body mass index (BMI) classifies them as obese. In 2008, the Center plans to partner with other departments, such as patient education and disease management, to more effectively serve African-American patients diagnosed with obesity, Latino American Center of Excellence in Culturally Competent Care kickdiabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and high blood pressure. off, Hispanic Heritage Month at Prince Georges Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States. Pictured back row (l to r): Karen Pugh, The Centers of Excellence in Kaiser Permanente’s Medical facility administrator; Monica Villalta, Director of Diversity Mid-Atlantic States Region Programs; Martin Portillo, MD, Latino American Center of Excellence The Mid-Atlantic States’ Latino Centers of Excellence (LCE) emphasize Champion; front row (seated); Melanie Tervalon, MD, MPH, Director for the Kaiser Permanente National Diversity Institute for Culturally expanding culturally competent care for the region’s Latino members. The Competent Care. goal is to assure linguistic and cultural competence by including a medical provider, a medical assistant, and sufficient front line staff who are fully bilingual. In addition, four centers with high numbers of Latino members offer Spanish-language education materials and classes, as well as directional signs in Spanish. Another Center of Excellence initiative addresses the high rates of asthma among Latino members. According to Kaiser Permanente data, asthma control programs—targeting the Latino membership population—that stress patient education show improved patient compliance with treatment regimens and lead to reductions in asthma attacks. The asthma control pilot program is guided by a detailed physician progress note template and emphasizes comprehensive asthma education through Spanish language asthma management tools. By providing access to bilingual medical staff trained in cultural competence and promoting Spanish-language asthma education, the LCE asthma control intervention should lead to improvements in health outcomes for Latino patients. Physicians at the Latino Centers of Excellence, in partnership with their teams, lead the efforts to assure that interventions are culturally and linguistically appropriate and fulfill the definition of Culturally Competent Care: “Health care delivery that demonstrates understanding of, and respect for, the discrete cultural attributes, traditions, and behaviors of a community and its members. Among the elements that contribute to cultural competence are proficiency in the patient’s language, an appreciation of the familial relations and social customs within the community, and an awareness of and sensitivity to different attitudes that may be prevalent in the community regarding health and health care.” PDJ San Francisco Center of Excellence for Linguistic and Cultural Services

Linguistic & Cultural Services…Bridging Cultures and Languages—from Programs to Service Delivery!

San Francisco is a multiethnic, multicultural city. It is this multiculturalism that makes this city unique, dynamic and fun to live and work in. Multiculturalism also challenges the way we think and interact with each other. It offers tremendous opportunities for us to share, learn and grow from this rich interaction. We realize that many of the cultures share similarities and yet are very different. Our goal is to provide health care services to meet the diverse needs of our member population. To achieve this goal, we must have a good understanding of our members’ cultures, their beliefs, values, and customs. Fundamentally, we need to be able to communicate in their languages. At our San Francisco medical center, we are proud of our dedicated physicians and staff who reflect the communities we serve. Just to give you an idea of the wealth of the center’s diversity, there are more than 40 different languages and dialects spoken by the staff. This type of representation gives us the strength and ability to serve our diverse membership, which represents over 60 different languages. Kaiser Permanente’s San Francisco Center of Excellence (SFCOE) is well recognized in the industry for its linguistic and cultural services program and products. The Linguistic and Cultural Services Department (also known as Multicultural Services) was established in 1996 to systematically facilitate understanding and communication among people of different cultures speaking different languages in a health care setting. The following are some of the linguistic services provided by the medical center: • Qualified bilingual staff and bilingual clinicians • Language-specific modules staffed with bilingual employees and physicians • Language-specific pharmacy services • Certified staff interpreter services • Professional translation services • Chinese and Spanish member newsletters • Chinese Interpreter Call Center serving the Northern California Regions’ appointment and advice centers. Quick facts: • Averaged 35,000 interpretation encounters handled by certified staff interpreters • Averaged 2,000 interpretation encounters handled by contracted interpreters • Over 50,000 calls handled by certified staff interpreters through the Chinese Interpreter Call Center

Profiles in Diversit y Journal

January/February 2008

National diversity

Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente’s National Linguistic & Cultural Programs In today’s health care system, it is a challenge to establish systems approaches that support patients’ linguistic and cultural needs. According to Census 2005, almost 52 million people—more than 19 percent of the U.S. population— speak a language other than English at home.

Kaiser Permanente’s membership is a microcosm of the diversity representing our nation and world, encompassing 120 different languages and dialects, according to Gayle Tang, Director of National Linguistic and Cultural Programs. “For members whose primary or preferred language is other than English, our ability to provide patient-centered care is challenged when we cannot communicate effectively,” she explains. “Our members also bring an array of cultural values, beliefs, and health practices, which heighten the complexity of ensuring meaningful access to care.” To address this challenge, Kaiser Permanente employs a systems approach Director of National Linguistic & Cultural Programs, Gayle Tang, and Language Coach, Dan Kwan (second and third to meeting the diverse needs of members and their respective communities. “We from right, seated) with a group of Cantonese speaking work towards delivering students from the HCI certification program. linguistically and culturally appropriate services at every point of contact,” Tang says. She highlights two successful examples of this approach: the Health Care Interpreter (HCI) Certificate Program and the Qualified Bilingual Staff (QBS) Model and Program, award-winning initiatives that focus on building internal and community capacity to serve limited-English proficient (LEP) patients. The Health Care Interpreter (HCI) Certificate Program When qualified health care interpreters are not available, unqualified ‘ad hoc’ interpreters, such as children and untrained bilingual staff, are pressed into service. Improper interpretation increases patient confusion, jeopardizes safety, inflicts distress, and is costly to any organization. In response to this need, Kaiser Permanente established the HCI Certificate Students in Kaiser Permanente’s Health Care Program, a college-level training program designed to provide accreditation stan- Interpreter Certification classes in San Francisco. dards for interpreters serving LEP members and patients. Now in its 11th year in partnership with City College of San Francisco, Kaiser Permanente’s nationally acclaimed HCI Program is a cost-effective and innovative approach that addresses the growing needs of linguistically and culturally diverse communities. Says Tang, “Partnerships with educational institutions provide a unique practice-oriented curriculum with a strong academic focus in alignment with our organizational standards.” To ensure successful replication of the Program, Kaiser Permanente trained more than 100 college-level instructors through the National Linguistic & Cultural Programs’ HCI Instructor Institute. To date, the HCI model partnership and training program is now at work in 15 states. More than 1,000 health care interpreters representing 14 different language groups have graduated from the Program. “A number of graduates work in other health care organizations in addition to other fields, such as education and social services, enhancing workforce diversity beyond our organization,” Tang adds. The Qualified Bilingual Staff (QBS) Model and Program Tang describes the QBS Model as “our workforce diversity and development program designed to provide staff and providers with ongoing education and training in linguistically and culturally competent care. It leverages our organization’s greatest asset, the people of Kaiser Permanente—our principal linguistic and Kaiser Permanente medical cultural experts.” centers and office buildings She goes on to say that the QBS Model recognizes that diversity itself does not equal linguistic and provide directional signs in cultural competency in the workforce. “The goal of the Qualified Bilingual Staff (QBS) Model is to identify, several languages to better qualify, educate and enhance, mobilize, and monitor an internal workforce as a key strategy to improve health serve non-English speaking outcomes and eliminate health care disparities.” The QBS Model enhances bilingual communication within members. the staff and provider’s scope of practice or clinical specialty. Four of Kaiser Permanente’s Regions use the QBS Model and Program in collaboration with the Labor Management Partnership. “It continues to expand throughout our Program,” Tang says. “Now with over 4,000 employees qualified to serve, our organization is improving service delivery throughout the entire care continuum, ranging from customer service areas to specialized clinical settings.”

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P ro f i l e s i n D i v e r s i t y J o u r n a l

January/February 2008

National diversity

Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

Staff Associations Benefit Kaiser Permanente and its Workforce By bringing together employees and physicians with similar ethnic or cultural backgrounds, employees with disabilities, or lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees, Kaiser Permanente’s staff associations create a tremendous resource for both the organization and the workforce. Through structured partnering, staff association activities across the regions help move the diversity agenda forward and strengthen critical ties to the community. To benefit the workforce, staff associations advocate for programs and approaches that increase recruiting, hiring, development, and promotion of diverse employee groups. They promote and enhance professional development and networking opportunities and provide a vital link to retired employees, who maintain their advocacy of the Program. Partnering with Human Resources, staff associations support Kaiser Permanente’s recruiting efforts by: • Identifying universities and colleges as appropriate sources of diverse employees for campus recruiting programs and outreach • Identifying professional associations and Internet sites that attract diverse candidate pools • Attending campus recruiting and professional association events • Supporting mentorship retention and upward mobility programs • Coordinating scholarship programs for targeted populations • Sponsoring Youth Career Days and School-to-Work activities and programs • Providing educational forums for professional development of association members Members of Kaiser Permanente’s African • Serving as candidate sources for leadership succession planning American Professionals Association. Staff associations provide culture-specific feedback to Kaiser Permanente leaders on health issues affecting affinity group communities. This feedback can lead to improved satisfaction, retention and growth of members. Staff association members also participate in racial- and ethnic-specific focus groups which assess care quality and cultural competencies, enabling the organization to more accurately evaluate new products and services for targeted populations. Marketing Working with marketing leaders, staff association members provide input into multicultural marketing strategies and participate in media activities, marketing surveys and identifying high potential advertising sources.

KP Pride—Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Association members.

Chuck McAvoy, KP Network Telephony Lead Community Relations Carrier, Infrastructure Development. Staff associations organize and participate in community fund-raisers, walkathons, health fairs, inoculation programs, youth bicycle helmet giveaways, gay pride parades and various activities that improve the community’s health. They also represent Kaiser Permanente’s interests on community boards, local and national professionals associations, and national conventions. Kaiser Permanente’s staff associations are a critical part of the diversity infrastructure, and a primary source of cultural expertise and diversity advocacy.

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Dr. Judy Lively Blazing Trails for the LGBT Community

Judy Lively, MD, Physician-In-Chief, Diablo Service Area

Judy Lively, MD, MBA, came to Kaiser Permanente in 1989 after serving as a U.S. Army surgeon and later becoming disillusioned with what she calls the “dysfunctional” world of fee-for-service medicine. Initially serving as chief of surgery and later medical director of the operating room at Kaiser Permanente’s Martinez Medical Center in California, she is now physician-in-chief (PIC) of the Diablo Service Area in Northern California. But perhaps her most important contribution has come as an advocate and spokesperson for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) individuals in the workplace and community. In 2005, Dr. Lively—Dr. Judson Lively at that point—told his colleagues and patients that he was transsexual and planned to transition from male to female (including a subsequent sex change operation). Met with consistent support from colleagues and patients during and after the transition, she later developed Kaiser Permanente’s “Workplace Guidelines for Transgender/Transitioning Employees & Physicians,” to help ensure that transgender/transitioning employees receive appropriate and consistent responses from human resources and management. Her motivation was to draw on her personal experiences to help the organization understand and accept such employee situations, and provide support in ways that positively affect those involved. In September 2007, Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, a national nonprofit organization devoted exclusively to promoting workplace equality for LGBT employees, honored Dr. Lively with the “Out & Equal Trailblazer Award.” The Trailblazer Award recognizes an individual person who has made a significant contribution to advancing workplace environments where all people are treated equally regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.

Profiles in Diversit y Journal

January/February 2008

National diversity

Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

Supplier Diversity: A Priority at Kaiser Permanente

As a national leader in health care and an integral part of the individual communities it serves, Kaiser Permanente makes it a priority to promote supplier diversity at both the national and local levels. According to Kaiser Permanente Chief Procurement Officer Dean Edwards, National Supplier Diversity (NSD) provides tools and resources to help business partners increase their use of diverse suppliers and works collaboratively with internal procurement and contracting staff to ensure inclusive bidding processes. NSD monitors and reports its results to the federal government and other major accounts. Meet the Buyers (from left to right): Northern California Supplier Development Council “Supplier diversity is consistent with Kaiser President Michael Ruiz; Kaiser Permanente NSD Director Katie Luk; Kaiser Permanente Chief Permanente’s philosophy of improving the com- Procurement Officer Dean Edwards; NSD Senior Consultant Pat Patterson; Intraline President Pete Varma; and Kaiser Permanente’s interim VP of Supply Chain Skip Skivington. munities we serve and supporting programs The event was held in April 2006. that foster diversity,” said Edwards. “By having contracts with small businesses and those owned by minorities, women, and veterans, Kaiser Permanente fuels economic growth in local communities and fosters the competitive procurement of products and services by having multiple suppliers.” Edwards goes on to say that “Supplier diversity means making sure that the suppliers we buy from reflect the diverse communities in which we operate and serve. By contracting with diverse suppliers, we contribute to healthy, viable businesses that provide quality products and services as well as good business solutions.” In 2006, Kaiser Permanente spent more than $519 million with minority- and women-owned suppliers, and accounted for business transactions with more than 1,800 minority-owned businesses, 2,600 women-owned businesses, and 13,000 small businesses. Among those transactions was Kaiser Permanente Southern California’s contract with U.S. Metro Group for janitorial services. U.S. Metro now serves both Northern and Southern California regional offices because of favorable user experience. William Twilley, chief operating officer, appreciates Kaiser Permanente’s supplier diversity program. “Our experience with (the Kaiser Permanente) organization was pleasant, informative, and, most importantly, resulted in a business relationship that is in place to this day. It is a pleasure to work with professionals who truly support the minority community in reality and not just verbally,” Twilley said. Last year, Kaiser Permanente’s National Supplier Diversity department worked to increase its efforts to integrate more diverse businesses into the procurement process. NSD has redesigned its internal Web site, which includes a searchable vendor database, news, performance reports, outreach calendar, supplier spotlight, and easy-to-download forms for potential suppliers. Earlier this year, NSD created a tool kit for sourcing and contracting teams that provides helpful information on making supplier diversity a company-wide mission. Also last year, Kaiser Permanente hosted a “Meet the Buyers” event in Oakland, Calif. The free event was a chance for Northern California minority suppliers to meet the sourcing teams and the larger Procurement & Supply department. More than 50 minority business owners turned out to learn about potential Kaiser Permanente contract opportunities. Pete Varma, president of Intraline, a contracted supplier, was impressed by the show. “Your Kaiser Permanente event has set the standard for other (San Francisco) Bay Area corporations, based on feedback I’ve received from the council and attending minority suppliers,” Varma said after the event. PDJ

P ro f i l e s i n D i v e r s i t y J o u r n a l

January/February 2008

community benefit

Community Benefit Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

Improving the health of communities

K I

aiser Permanente’s Community Benefit operates with one goal in mind: Total Community Health.

“Improving the health of our communities is at the heart of who we are,” says Ray Baxter, senior vice president of Community Benefit. “Kaiser Permanente provides subsidized health coverage for more than 50,000 Americans. We partner with public health departments and clinics, providing vulnerable populations with access to quality healthcare.” Kaiser Permanente is also working to bridge the increasing health care disparity gap. This initiative, “Universal Coverage Now,” has the goal of providing coverage for all California residents, with plans to expand the program nationwide. In 2006, Kaiser Permanente invested $644 million to provide health care to the uninsured or underinsured through traditional charity care, free or subsidized coverage, and enrollment in public programs such as Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Medicare’s Limited-Income Subsidy. But Baxter adds that universal access to care won’t solve everything. “Good health is more than just going to a doctor,” he asserts. “It’s prevention, it’s good nutrition, it’s activity, it’s exercise, it’s good mental health, it’s mentoring, it’s community building.” That’s why Kaiser Permanente’s Community Benefit efforts extend to: • Empowering and educating young people. “Our educational theater program spreads the word (to teenagers) about healthy eating and exercise.” • Increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables in our communities. “We sponsor farmer’s markets across the country and now have farmer’s markets at 32 KP hospitals and medical office buildings across six states.” • Being involved in studies looking at ways to reduce obesity, the Raymond Baxter, role of racial and ethnic disparities in diabetes complications, Senior Vice President, and how parents’ perceptions of neighborhood safety affect Community Benefit their children’s physical activity. “We know these goals are within our reach, because we see successes and accomplishments on every front,” Baxter says. For example, since 2005, the National Institutes of Health have funded Kaiser Permanente’s Division of Research to conduct the Diabetes Study of Northern California. “Through access to a large, diverse population of Kaiser Permanente patients, this study is deepening our understanding of what drives disparities and how to close the gap.” Kaiser Permanente has also developed the A.L.L. program—an acronym for the generic drugs Aspirin, Lisinopril, and Lovastatin. Studies show the program reduces cardiovascular risk for those with diabetes. In 2006, the A.L.L. protocol was initiated with 600 uninsured patients—most of whom were Latino or African-American, groups that are twice as likely to be impacted by diabetes. This safety net partnership addresses the disproportionate impact of diabetes on minorities. “Kaiser Permanente is committed to providing leadership in eliminating ethnic and racial health disparities,” Baxter says. “We strive to provide equitable care to our members, target resources to areas of need in our communities, and identify and implement policies that support equity in health nationwide. PDJ 42

Profiles in Diversit y Journal

January/February 2008

Thirty physicians and employees from across KP assemble after cleaning up a hurricanedamaged park in Biloxi, Mississippi.

KP Response to Katrina Met Immediate and Long-term Needs In the days immediately after Hurricane Katrina, Kaiser Permanente responded to the relief effort by making a financial pledge of $3 million, dispatching two clinical teams to treat patients at the Houston Astrodome evacuation center, and donating hundreds of volunteer hours from employees. In addition, employees contributed $170,463 to the relief effort when Kaiser Permanente allowed them to donate the cash value of accrued vacation time. Over the two-year span of Kaiser Permanente’s continuing relief efforts in the Gulf Coast region, more than 2,000 Kaiser Permanente employees and physicians signed up to volunteer. These relief efforts are only one tangible sign of Kaiser Permanente’s established commitment to community service and volunteerism.

community benefit

Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

The Breast Cancer Research Stamp: A KP Physician’s Global Crusade

Ernie Bodai is a busy man—clinical professor of surgery and director of the Breast Health Center at Kaiser Permanente Sacramento, CEO for an all-volunteer non-profit organization, published author, medical device inventor, public speaker and, last but not least, breast cancer crusader. Having treated thousands of breast cancer patients in his more than 20 years with Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Bodai was frustrated with the pace and progress of research funding—“treating so many women who had breast cancer and seeing that we had made so few advances.” The idea to issue a Breast Cancer Research Stamp (BCRS) came to him in 1995 and launched a two-and-a-half year, one-man lobbying crusade to market it. Dr. Bodai never lost faith in his mission, even when facing opposition from the U.S. Postal Service, stamp collectors, his professional medical society, and even national breast cancer organizations. Instead, he took his fight to Washington D.C., returning 15 times, spending $100,000 from his personal savings, and finally finding support from California Senator Dianne Feinstein. On July 29, 1998, the BCRS was unanimously approved by the Senate. It was the first “semi-postal” fundraising stamp in U.S. history. Stamp sales have exceeded 900 million and raised more than $60 million for breast cancer research. It is the most popular stamp of all time. Global Momentum

The stamp’s credibility has enhanced global interest in breast cancer research and opened many doors for Dr. Bodai, including funding for his dream project, an integrated breast cancer center. The Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Breast Health Center, which opened in 2003, provides all required treatment and services in a

Operation Access:

single location. An innovative coordinated care facility and a national Center of Excellence, the center has hosted touring medical professionals from all over the world. The stamp’s success has also paved the way for Dr. Bodai’s “Global Journey” project— introducing the Breast Cancer Research Stamp to the global community. Hungary was the The Breast Cancer Research first foreign country to offiStamp, designed by Ethel cially issue the stamp and, to Kessler, was first offered for date, Gambia, Jordan, Belize, sale in 1998. the Republic of Slovenia, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, El Salvador, Romania, St. Vincent in the Caribbean, Kenya, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatemala have signed on. Dozens of other countries are considering the program. “Initially I was kicking myself for not engaging the global community earlier, but without the American figures—900 million stamps raising $60 million—the global campaign would have been a much greater challenge.” The money raised so far has funded significant research, including identifying a new tumor suppressor gene for use in breast and ovarian cancer prognosis and new techniques for early breast cancer detection. In addition to his position at Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Bodai attends speaking engagements and international stamp introduction ceremonies for the Global Journey campaign, and donates time to CureBreastCancer, Inc. (CBC), the all-volunteer, nonprofit organization he jointly founded in 1999.

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An Interim Solution for America’s Uninsured

In 1992, two physicians began commiserating about the inability of U.S. medical professionals to provide volunteer services in their local hospitals. Why was it so easy to volunteer overseas, but impossible to help the many uninsured Americans without access to necessary surgical care? Their conversation evolved into a business plan, and with the help of many dedicated and creative people, Douglas Grey, MD, chief of thoracic and vascular surgery at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco; William Schecter, MD, chief of surgery at San Francisco General Hospital; and Dr. Paul Hofmann founded “Operation Access,” in 1993. Operation Access is a Bay Area nonprofit that coordinates a network of 400 volunteer medical professionals who provide surgery through participating hospitals. Patients are referred from 60 community clinics. Today, the partnership includes 19 hospitals, 60 referring community clinics in six Bay Area counties, and more than 400 medical volunteers including surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and on-site bilingual interpreters. On an average surgery day, volunteers treat around 10 patients, but

Operation Access recently added “Super Surgery” days to their schedule. On a Super Surgery Day at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, 100 volunteers performed 33 surgeries. Typical Operation Access patients are working adults with no health insurance. Seventy percent are Latino with an average annual income of $21,000 for a family of four. Sixty-five percent require interpreter services, and more than half are women. Not earning enough to purchase health insurance, but earning too much to qualify for government insurance programs, these patients fall through the cracks in our nation’s health care system. Although Operation Access was the first organization to offer low-risk elective surgeries to the uninsured in the United States, similar organizations are emerging across the country. Operation Access supports this trend and supplies inquiring organizations with the tools and resources required for start-up.

P ro f i l e s i n D i v e r s i t y J o u r n a l

January/February 2008

community benefit

Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

KP Physicians Volunteer Time, Funds to Treat Impoverished Kenyans When Kaiser Permanente physician Gail Wagner, MD, first visited the Ugenya region of Kenya in 2003, access to health care was limited to one doctor for over 35,000 people, 40 percent of the population had active AIDS or was HIV positive, health education and awareness was almost nonexistent, and the nearest hospital was three hours away and prohibitively expensive. During that first visit, she met Daniel Ogola, founder of the Community Support Group (CSG), an African nonprofit organization engaging local youth in community development and improvement. Ogola grew up in the Ugenya area but after high school moved to Nairobi, where he founded CSG. Preserving his connection to his home community, he started a branch of CSG in Ugenya as well. When he discovered that Wagner was a doctor, Ogola invited her to bring her colleagues to visit several local medical clinics. Before visiting the clinics, Dr. Wagner, her husband, and three colleagues established Matibabu Foundation (the Swahili word for treatment.) In September 2004, accompanied by seven other physi- The Matibabu Foundation members: Stephanie Gehrke, RN; Annette Chenevey, CRNA; Ram cians, most of whom were from Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Wagner and Ramachandra, MD; Ahmed Alkoraishi, MD; Amanda Schoenberg, MD; Betsy Watson, MD; her group staffed 10 free medical clinics, treating more than 5,000 George Martin, PhD; Dan Ogola; Gail Wagner, MD; Dick Thompson, MD; Norma Bozzini, MD; Rick Kuno, MD; Shabnam Kapur, MD; Susan Jacobson, MD; and Will Hawk, MD. people for malaria, typhoid, tuberculosis, and other infections. Since 2004, Wagner and more than 25 Kaiser Permanente physicians and staff have used vacation time and personal finances to provide free medical care to thousands of Kenyans every year. Making a Difference a Continent Away Since 2004, the Foundation has created two permanent clinics staffed with Kenyan professionals that serve a client base of at least 7,000 people. Other contributions include an HIV/AIDS program impacting the epidemic through education, prevention, detection and treatment; a project that ensures over 10,000 schoolchildren are de-wormed every four months; distribution of insecticide-treated malaria nets to prevent malaria in pregnant women and young children; job training and sexual assault counseling for women; and a garden project that encourages the community to grow healthy food. Dr. Wagner attributes much of the Foundation’s success to its grass-roots base. In addition to the many amazing doctors involved with the foundation, “the local people support Matibabu and its work and are responsible for its success.” Future dream projects for the Foundation include building a local hospital and setting up students-in-residence rotation programs with schools in the U.S. and Kenya. Using her personal funds and small donations, Dr. Wagner says the long-term plan is to figure out how to keep the Foundation growing and funded. “We started small but now we need to apply for grants and expand our donor base to continue making a difference in so many lives.” PDJ

MLK Day of Volunteerism: A day ON, Not a day Off

In honor and recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the values he espoused, and his contributions to the nation and the world in advancing civil and human rights, Kaiser Permanente observes an annual day of volunteerism. As experienced since its inception in 2005, this event affords Kaiser Permanente the opportunity to take a leadership role in remembering the values that Dr. King’s life exemplified by proclaiming this day “A day ON, Not a day Off.” On this day, thousands of Kaiser Permanente employees and physicians provide valuable services such as working at food banks, painting and repairing local school buildings and providing medical care to the

communities underserved, further advancing the Kaiser Permanente legacy that parallels Dr. King’s values. “When the National Diversity Council initially proposed the MLK day of volunteerism, they envisioned an initiative that would not only demonstrate Kaiser Permanente’s dedication to community service, but one that would also honor the long-lasting legacy of Dr. King,” says James Taylor, PhD, director, diversity strategy implementation. “It’s a wonderful commitment by our organization’s leadership, as well as the thousands of Kaiser Permanente volunteers across the Program.” Slated annually for the third Monday in January, the event is of symbolic importance and practical significance to Kaiser Permanente. It sends a compelling message to the community and the Kaiser Permanente workforce about our values as an organization, and places valuable resources into the community to advance worthwhile causes. It also affords an opportunity to acknowledge and raise awareness of Kaiser Permanente’s tradition of inclusion, diversity, and community benefit, and demonstrates the organization’s alignment with the ideals of community welfare and service so eloquently articulated and impressed upon the world’s consciousness by Dr. King.

Tired but smiling Kaiser Permanente volunteers in Ohio, after long hours of service.

Profiles in Diversit y Journal

January/February 2008

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Diversity Heritage

Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

early inclusion, lasting legacy

iversity is a defining characteristic of the Kaiser Permanente organization. According to Ronald Knox, vice president and chief diversity officer, “Some have said that diversity is in the organization’s DNA.” From a rich history of diversity firsts in the industry—including hiring women physicians and physicians of color during the pre-civil rights era and providing medical care in racially integrated facilities when racial segregation was the prevailing societal practice—to sustained efforts to integrate diversity into every aspect of daily business operations, Kaiser Permanente has distinguished itself as an inclusive, socially-conscious organization focused on its members, patients and communities.

Kaiser Permanente’s Diversity Heritage:

“Where People Come First, Illness Knows No Color Lines” Born on the home front of World War II more than 60 years ago, Kaiser Permanente’s diversity is an enduring commitment.

Diversity as an organizational value was born when the Henry J. Kaiser shipyards employed the first women ever to help build ships, starting in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, and then in Richmond, California. This was followed with employment of an estimated 20,000 African Americans, along with many Chinese Americans, Native Americans and Hispanic Americans, in addition to Americans with roots in dozens of nations. In fact, when the first Victory Ship of the Portland shipyard, the SS United Victory, was launched, diversity was celebrated by women shipyard workers dressed for the ceremony in the attire of their countries of origin. In all, these women represented 28 nations in addition to the United States. These were Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Holland, Honduras, India, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, the Philippine Islands, Poland, Russia and Yugoslavia. Hiring Disabled War Veterans One remarkable story of diversity led ultimately to Kaiser Permanente’s first documented community benefit project to help bring veterans disabled by wartime injuries into the American workforce at the end of World War II. That story began in early 1942, when young graduates of the Washington State School for the Deaf were turned down for jobs at the Kaiser Shipyard in Vancouver. When members of the deaf community informed Edgar F. Kaiser, Henry Kaiser’s son who was in charge of the Vancouver shipyard, he ordered the hiring of deaf workers. Over the next year, workers with varied disabilities joined the shipyard workforce up and down the West Coast. “Then came the great discovery,” said a Kaiser shipyards employee magazine, The Bo’s’n’s Whistle, in April 1943. “It was found that many so-called handicapped workers could find a place just as easily as the physically fit.” From this came Kaiser Permanente’s first documented community benefit program. Permanente physician Clifford Kuh studied

The lobby of Kaiser Permanente’s Richmond Field Hospital, circa 1945—for sale in 1998.

men and women with disabilities in the Richmond shipyards for the government’s War Manpower Commission. His focus was on what they could do, not what they couldn’t do. His findings were distributed nationwide to help communities place disabled war veterans in jobs after the war. Same Care for Everyone The spirit of diversity was infused into the medical care program from the outset, as described by founding physician Sidney R. Garfield in discussing his first meeting with Edgar Kaiser, who was responsible for bringing Dr. Garfield into partnership with the Kaiser industrial organization. “Edgar,” he said, “had strong feelings about how workers should be treated and about the need for a single class of medical care for everybody…his principles seemed so high to me that I was impressed.” The result was succinctly summed up by Nick Bourne, a San Francisco journalist who was the first news reporter to visit a Kaiser hospital in 1943 in Oakland. “Illness,” he wrote, “knows no color lines here.” PDJ P ro f i l e s i n D i v e r s i t y J o u r n a l

January/February 2008

Diversity Heritage

Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente’s Diversity Pioneers The men and women who forged Kaiser Permanente’s early diversity heritage lived the Kaiser Permanente social mission, giving of themselves to improve the health of the community. Wendell Ralph Lipscomb, MD, a member of the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II, was the first African-American physician hired as an intern at Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Lipscomb was hired at the Oakland Medical Center in 1951. At the end of his one-year internship, he left Kaiser Permanente to train as a psychiatrist. He had a successful career practicing both in public health and at the Mendocino State Hospital. While there in 1959, he founded the Alcohol Research Group, which later moved to Berkeley and grew to become a leader in addiction research and policy. Ella Mae Simmons, MD, was the first African-American woman physician hired in The Permanente Medical Group and the founder of the first Kaiser Permanente staff association, the Kaiser African-American Professionals Association (KAAPA). Wendell Lipscomb, MD Dr. Simmons received her first college degree, an RN degree, from Hampton University in Virginia. Because of the critical shortage of nurses during World War II, she became an army nurse. It was her experience as a nurse in a segregated army and her encounters with racism in her native Ohio that determined her lifelong commitment to the struggle against racism. Following military service, Dr. Simmons earned a BS in biological sciences and an MA in social administration from Ohio State University. She had wanted to go into medical school, but Ohio State accepted only one non-white person into medical school per year. She finally received her MD from Howard Medical School in Washington, DC, at the age of 41. Dr. Simmons joined Kaiser Permanente San Francisco in 1955. She had wanted to live in San Francisco at the time, but faced housing discrimination. She later rallied for housing integration. After Dr. Simmons retired from Kaiser Permanente in 1989, she worked as a volunteer physician at Ella Mae Simmons, MD The Martin Luther King Family Health Center in Richmond, providing medical care for the uninsured and under-insured. She also joined medical tours to Africa, Asia, and Europe.

PDJ KP Employee Led Disabled Access to Commuter Rail Anywhere you are in the United States, the next time you step onto a commuter train, you’ll notice that it is probably accessible to people in wheelchairs. That’s because of a Kaiser Permanente employee, who played an important role in making trains accessible to the disabled community. The late Harold Willson’s story is one of a patient, an employee, and a man with a dream for the disabled community who was working in a health care organization that supported his dream. Willson first came to Kaiser Permanente from West Virginia as a patient in 1948. Financial problems had forced him to drop out of West Virginia University to work in a coal mine. He was caught in a cave-in and emerged from the mine a paraplegic. Four months later, Willson found himself on a Pullman coach for a cross-country train trip to Oakland with the first group of injured miners under a special arrangement for medical care between Henry J. Kaiser and the United Mine Workers Union. Willson’s care was at the then-new Kaiser-Kabat Rehabilitation Institute in Vallejo, California—today’s world-renowned Kaiser Foundation Rehabilitation Center. After his rehabilitation care, Willson enrolled at a local university, earned a degree in business, and came to work for Kaiser Permanente as an economic analyst. In 1962, Willson started an advocacy journey and became the man most responsible for making the Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART) the first handicapped accessible system in the world. “His suggestion was novel for rapid transit,” A.E. Wolf, then-general superintendent of BART construction, recalled in a speech shortly after trains started rolling in 1972. Wolf, once-skeptical, was proud that people with disabilities could ride when the trains started rolling—blazing a trail for American commuter rail service. “All of this is possible because one man had a bright shiny dream, and he made it come true,” Wolf said, adding that support from Kaiser Permanente played a crucial role. “It is appropriate here to commend Kaiser…because of their interest, encouragement and public service philosophy,” Wolf noted. “The willingness to arrange time for an employee to participate in this community project was necessary for its success.” Harold Willson made history. His story and records today are housed at The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley, as part of its collection documenting the history of the independent living movement.

Profiles in Diversit y Journal

January/February 2008

Diversity Heritage

Special Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

Addressing Women’s Health and Workplace Issues: A KP Tradition Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to women’s health dates from its earliest days on the Homefront of World War II, when women were entering the wartime workforce in large numbers. From these roots has grown a powerful partnership with women in health and health care—a tradition of 60 years of health education, disease prevention, clinical excellence, and research in women’s health. Of the 400,000 or so workers who passed through the Kaiser yards, at times up to 25 percent of the work force there were women. In one yard, the number peaked at 60 percent! And Kaiser Permanente co-founder Henry Kaiser played a national leadership role in not just bringing women into the wartime workforce, but advocating for women staying on the job after the war. “Of course they will continue to work,” he bluntly declared. “Why shouldn’t they?” Similarly, Permanente physicians in the shipyard were among the first to recognize the need to help women build up stamina for the rigors of manual labor, including the heavy lifting and climbing required for welders. Keeping Women Working The workforce retention effort came on the recommendation of an early gynecologist, Hannah Peters, MD, when she learned that women welders, while they liked the work, were quitting in large numbers because they were not physically prepared for the strain. She recommended that a physical training course be added at the shipyard welding school.

“The largest yard has accordingly erected a scaffolding outside the welding school where the woman worker is taught how to climb different types of ladders, how to lift heavy loads, and how to climb with loads,” Clifford Kuh, MD, reported from the Richmond yards. “The program has cut down the number of early resignations.” First to Offer Women’s Cancer Detection In this setting, with many women joining the shipbuilding labor force as welders, physicians started the first documented women’s cancer detection clinic and a public health outreach program in maternal and child hygiene, among others. It was an early and comprehensive illustration of Kaiser Permanente’s mission to improve the health of both its patients and the communities it serves. In addition to a general gynecological clinic at the Permanente Foundation Hospital in Oakland, Calif., every woman who visited also was seen at the cancer detection clinic. Gladys Theus, a welder at And, of course, the shipyard the Richmond Shipyard Rosies—and the men who worked during World War II alongside them—were among the earliest members of Kaiser Permanente. It was their satisfaction with their care that encouraged pioneer Permanente physicians to keep the program going by opening it to the public at the end of the war in 1945.

First Woman Physician Partner

No “Patients” with Segregation

Beatrice Lei, MD, the first woman physician partner in The Permanente Medical Group, joined Kaiser Permanente in 1946 as Assistant Chief of Pediatrics. Dr. Lei, who was born in Guandong, China, in April 1910, graduated from Hackett Medical College in Canton in 1932. She immigrated to the United States in 1939. Dr. Lei worked in several hospitals during World War II, ending up at the hospital at the Richmond shipyards. After the war ended, she was approached by Dr. Sidney Garfield and Dr. Cecil Cutting to help them start a hospital, along with four other doctors. Once the hospital was in full swing, Dr. Lei frequently provided free care and medicine to poor people, with the blessings of her superiors. She hired and mentored many residents during her tenure with Kaiser Permanente, sharing Pediatrician Beatrice Lei attends to a patient. Dr. Lei was the first female partner with them her philosophy on in the Permanente Medical Group. care delivery: “You must treat people well, give compassionate care, and show respect.” Dr. Lei retired from Kaiser Permanente Richmond in 1975, but continued to provide free medical care to family friends and others who needed care but could not afford it. PDJ

During World War II, one of the many remarkable things about the Permanente Health Plan was that there was no racial discrimination. With most physicians in the Armed Services, Kaiser workers were grateful to have a health plan and access to medical care. Racial animosity was pushed aside. Segregation of African Americans was not an issue, and when the program was opened to the public in October of 1945, the same non-discriminatory policy was kept in place. In peacetime, though, pressures began to build for the health plan to conform to widespread community practice by instituting a Jim Crow medical care system. The few private hospitals in the San Francisco Bay Area that would accept black patients enforced a strict segregation policy. Some health plan members and a few people within the program were now feeling that it would be in the best interest for the continuing growth of the health plan if Kaiser hospitals followed the community practice of segregation. The final decision was left up to Henry Kaiser. At a 1949 meeting in his offices in Oakland, Kaiser asked only one question: “Do Negroes and white patients require the same care?” Of course, the answer was that they did. Henry said, “That settles it, then. They’re to be treated like everybody else. There is no segregation at our facilities.” For Kaiser Permanente, the issue was settled. In 1967 and 1968, when Medicare mandated the end of discrimination in participating hospitals, half of the Bay Area hospitals were still segregating. Kaiser Permanente had been 25 years ahead.

P ro f i l e s i n D i v e r s i t y J o u r n a l

January/February 2008

my turn

Thoughts Through the Office Door . . . By Carlton Yearwood

Chief Ethics and Diversity Officer Waste Management, Inc.

Jim Rector, a good friend and publisher of Profiles in Diversity Journal, approached me about writing a column. I hesitated at first, but then I agreed, if I could do it my way. I wanted to discuss things I have observed and experienced over the years, and I hope to share things that have shaped me as a business person and as a proud diversity practitioner. An early winter business trip took me to a conference center in the upper Midwest recently. It was midweek, and the travel was particularly tiring, with a rushed connection through the chaos at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. During the drive to the hotel, the weather took a nosedive, with rolling dark clouds and buffeting winds. Once inside the hotel, I was relieved to pull up a chair to my room’s window and just stare out at the landscape. Trees were stripped bare as I watched leaves flying about, a stray branch breaking loose every now and then. By evening, trees stood stark and empty against the sky. I’m not a melancholy person by any stretch of the imagination, but that scene made me wonder about change and diversity and inclusion in our corporate world. The swirling and conflicting winds of change are

Profiles in Diversit y Journal

howling all about us, and just what are we hanging onto? In fact, is this the best or all we can do—hold tight to things we’ve done again and again or applaud incremental yet subtle change or change the spin? Is that how we’re gauging our effectiveness in this diversity profession? Or is that the perception of those detractors who find us to be necessary evils, or possibly even of our supporters who speak of business imperatives and the right thing to do? Of course, we must continue doing what we’ve proven to be valuable; our organizations count on us to do so. We’ll watch the numbers, document compliance, get the training going, reach out to vendors, improve marketing or advertising, measure contributions to the bottom line, and create opportunities. All that we do, and more, has helped to more richly define diversity programs throughout corporate America. In “full bloom,” our work offers a wide menu of innovative tools to address the practical matters of running a business successfully. So it troubles me that, by and large, the current wave of business book authors, those people whose ideas shape priorities of the C suite and management programs for years to come, seem to approach diversity and inclusion as givens at best and with benign neglect at worst.

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It’s hard to find any instance with a tight focus on what we do, yet alone writing that explores the complexities and interrelationships of managing diversity within a highly balanced business organization. Prove it yourself. Go to Amazon.com and scan the table of contents for any of last year’s business management tomes. Of worse consequence, in my mind, is how some business speakers now grossly overlook the complexity of our work with a point of view that diversity and inclusion is simply good management and not intentional management. What kind of trouble can that thinking or approach get us into? Maybe the swirling and conflicting winds of change are strong and maybe the leaves are flying off and around our diversity tree right now, but, what we do is rooted firmly in the foundation of our businesses success. We can’t lose track of our purpose. It is as relevant today as it was fifteen or so years ago.

PDJ Waste Management, Inc. is the leading provider of comprehensive waste and environmental services in North America. The company is strongly committed to a foundation of financial strength, operating excellence and professionalism.

Some call it diversity. To us, it’s a business plan.

When you serve over 200 million weekly customers, including 13 markets outside the U.S., diversity isn’t an option. It’s not only the right thing to do – it’s the right way to build your business. Our 1.9 million associates need leadership in merchandising, marketing, information services, finance, and logistics. So we actively recruit leaders with diverse backgrounds, individual skills, and lots of enthusiasm. If that sounds like you, please visit us at walmartstores.com/careers.

Someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doing

outstanding work at SHRM 50

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Shirley Davis, Ph.D., has a lot on her plate as

Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives for the Society for Human Resource Management, or SHRM. This former model, a self-described beauty-pageant buff at heart, learned how to compete at an early age, and perhaps her pageant experiences gave her the ambition and determination to earn a Master’s degree in HR Management and then a Ph.D. in Business Management. A highly sought-after speaker, Dr. Davis knows diversity and inclusion inside out. But there’s more to her than her HR knowledge, extensive though it may be. She’s also a leadership expert, a mentor, a wise strategist and a visionary. Who better to lead the D&I efforts at the membership organization that serves more than 230,000 HR professionals worldwide?

Please describe your organization’s global presence. Describe the scope and scale of SHRM to a reader who may not be familiar with it.

Founded in 1948, SHRM has more than 225,000 individual members in over 125 countries. We have a network of more than 575 affiliated chapters in the United States as well as offices in China and India. SHRM’s mission is twofold: 1) to serve the needs of HR professionals by providing the most current and comprehensive resources, thought leadership, strategies, and professional development, and 2) to advance the profession by promoting HR’s essential, strategic role.

Organization Name: Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Headquarters: 1800 Duke Street; Alexandria, VA 22314 Web site: www.shrm.org Primary Business or Industry: HumanResources membership organization members worldwide: Over 230,000 in over 125 countries

Photo facing page by Ralph Alswang

How would you define workplace diversity and inclusion as it relates to the efforts within your organization?

Workplace Diversity is the collective mixture of differences and

similarities that includes, for example, individual and organizational characteristics, values, beliefs, experiences, backgrounds, preferences and behaviors. Inclusion is the achievement of a work environment in which all individuals are treated fairly and respectfully; have equal access to opportunities and resources; and can contribute fully towards the organization’s success. What are the main components of your D&I program? Is the management of D&I programs largely U.S.-based or present throughout the worldwide organization?

SHRM’s Diversity and Inclusion Initiative is one of our strategic business imperatives and is a key focus in our business operating plan, our divisional goals, and all business processes. These would include Human Resources, Professional Development, Publications, Marketing, Government/Public Affairs, International Strategy, and Member Relations, to name a few.

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Interview

Shirley Davis

SHRM

The Office of Diversity and the The Diversity Advisory Council (DAC) collaborate on strategy.

The D&I Initiative is also included in our Balanced Score Card, which tracks and measures our success against goals. A percentage of incentive compensation is tied to the achievement of these goals. Our D&I efforts have largely been U.S.-focused as that’s where the majority of our membership needs have originated. However, SHRM recognizes that we are in a global marketplace. In fact, we implemented an internationalization strategy several years ago. Currently SHRM has offices in China and India and has plans to continue to explore business opportunities in additional global markets. How do you keep diversity a priority throughout the organization? Specifically, how do you energize people or get their buy-in for diversity?

In all of our strategic efforts, we have found that the best way to sustain employee engagement and buy-in is to include them in the development of the efforts up front, solicit their ongoing input, recognize their efforts, celebrate successes, and keep them informed. We keep diversity as a priority at SHRM by making it part of our business operating plan, meaning every division is responsible for some aspect of diversity in their business goals. These goals are tied to our organization’s Balanced Score Card and tracked. On a monthly basis, in our all-employee meetings, our CEO, Sue Meisinger, provides updates on our progress towards goals. On a quarterly basis, our diversity efforts and progress is presented to the SHRM Board. Additionally, our internal communications department ensures that our strategic initiatives are clearly communicated and accessible to all employees via our intranet site.

Here are some additional tactics we employ to keep diversity a priority: • Each year the Employee Engagement Survey or a Pulse Survey is administered to all employees. It assesses their satisfaction and engagement in a wide range of areas, including respect, inclusion, and diversity. Staff training is an ongoing event with leadership training occurring each year for senior leaders. • The Office of Diversity works very closely with the Diversity Advisory Council (DAC), which is made up of employees representing all divisions within SHRM, and our Chief Financial Officer, Hank Jackson, who acts as executive sponsor. • We continue to provide diversity-related programming designed to build a more inclusive culture. For example, in 2007 the DAC hosted several panel discussions on “hot topics” that were important to our employees. We also hosted events with guest speakers on topics such as people with disabilities, lesbians/gays in the workplace, cultural competence, leader52

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The DAC represents employees from all divisions across SHRM.

ship styles, and generational diversity. Additionally, we built awareness and recognition of the various cultures and countries represented by our employees at our annual International Day, and celebrated our employees with military service on Veteran’s Day. An intranet site houses diversityrelated articles and resources for employees, and members of the DAC participated in external events on behalf of SHRM. These activities, while educational, are also designed to build employee engagement, support, and buy-in for SHRM’s diversity efforts. According to employee feedback, these events are thought provoking, lots of fun, and at times, they push the envelope by addressing highly charged and sensitive topics in a carefully crafted way that preserves employee respect. Evaluations from these activities continue to inform us on how we can take our efforts to the next level. For our membership we keep diversity a priority in similar ways. We offer cutting edge research, thought leadership, tools, and strategies on diversity management and associated issues. Much of these offerings are accessible online 24 hours a day 7 days a week for our members worldwide. Additionally, we offer numerous professional development opportunities such as courses, seminars, HR certification and an annual Workplace Diversity Conference that enables our members to build an in-depth knowledge of the latest trends and competitive practices in HR and Diversity. As Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives for SHRM, I work with more than 260 state, chapter and regional diversity directors. They are provided the necessary resources and tools in order to develop and execute diversity strategies in their chapters. I also lead the SHRM

Interview

Shirley Davis

SHRM

Photos this page by Steven Purcell

Collaborating with SHRM’s Chief Operating Officer, China Gorman. Facilitating Diversity and Inclusion Training for SHRM’s Senior Leadership Team.

Workplace Diversity Expertise Panel, which is a group of 15 diversity experts, practitioners, and consultants from around the world who help us advance our diversity efforts conducting research, writing white papers, and developing strategy for both members and non-members alike.

CORPORATE LEADERSHIP What resources (financial and manpower) are allocated to diversity? How do these reflect SHRM’s leadership commitment to diversity?

The Office of Diversity consists of a full-time Director, a Project Coordinator, a Manager of Diversity and Inclusion (candidates are currently being recruited), and a part-time Intern. Additionally, more than 260 diversity directors (non-paid volunteer leaders) are appointed to lead diversity efforts in their state and local chapters, working collaboratively with the Office of Diversity. Each year, SHRM invests millions of dollars in its diversity efforts, including staff resources, conferences, seminars, marketing and advertising, sponsorships, research, reports, recruiting, training, and more. Does SHRM address diversity in its annual report? Is it important to talk about diversity with shareholders?

Yes. SHRM believes in the importance of keeping our members, Board members, staff, volunteer leaders, and the public informed on our important focus areas. Diversity is one of them. Facets of our diversity efforts are included in our annual report, in our annual Workplace Diversity Conference and in every major annual event we host. In Town Hall meetings facilitated by our CEO, Susan Meisinger, diversity is consistently addressed in her presentations and during member Q&As. In quarterly Board meetings, updates on SHRM’s diversity efforts are highlighted. Part of the SHRM Web site is devoted specifically to diversity and diversity-related topics and issues. Diversity is discussed during monthly employee meetings, executive and senior leadership meetings and is a featured section in the monthly SHRM HR Magazine.

Is diversity a compensable annual objective for the executive management team? How do you reward special initiatives? What accountability do you employ to meet objectives?

Yes. If SHRM achieves its objectives under the diversity initiative and the other strategic initiatives, a percentage of incentive compensation is awarded to staff. Additionally, Employee Engagement Survey results specific to leadership competencies and building an inclusive, respectful and diverse workplace are tied to senior leaderships’ incentive compensation. Do you have any programs in place to increase the cross-cultural competence of your senior management team? Can mid-level managers acquire similar training?

In 2007, SHRM employed a consulting firm to assess the senior management team’s cultural competence. The firm identified specific behaviors that high performing leaders demonstrate when building inclusive high performing organizations. In a three-hour session, we outlined specific techniques and strategies that our leaders could use to increase their effectiveness. For example, leaders are encouraged to mentor others who are different from them and to keep an open mind for allowing mutual learning. As a result of the training, SHRM is instituting a learning community process that enables monthly discussions in small groups to explore issues related to Diversity and Inclusion and other leadership practices. Additionally, training is provided for all SHRM employees throughout the year as well as through professional development opportunities outside of the organization. When hiring or promoting people, how do you ensure that the individual selected was chosen from a diverse group of candidates?

Our ultimate objective in hiring, selecting, and promoting people is to ensure that we’ve been prudent, fair, inclusive, and consistent in our practices. That means in addition to seeking the best skills, qualifications, backgrounds, education, and work experiences, we also value and appreciate diverse ideas, thoughts, personalities, communication styles, and approaches to work. We continue to examine the makeup of our organization to deterP ro f i l e s i n D i v e r s i t y J o u r n a l

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Interview

Shirley Davis

SHRM

Interviewing one of the pioneers in the field, Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr. Photos this page by Ralph Alswang

mine where we have opportunities to increase diversity, and we go to great lengths to ensure that our recruitment and selection processes are enhanced as needed. We pride ourselves on having a diverse staff. We encourage our employees and members to refer the best talent for open positions; we calibrate our decisions internally to ensure that the best and fairest decision is made; we partner with external organizations to expand our reach to a more diverse workforce (through recruitment, sponsorships, advertisements, marketing, partnerships/alliances, outreach, etc.); and we participate in a number of other external activities that build on our company brand. How are decisions about diversity made in your organization? Is there a diversity council and who heads it up? Who participates?

The strategic direction (including staffing and budgeting) of SHRM’s diversity initiative is made in a collaborative way among the senior and executive teams and the Board. Operational decisions about diversity are shared among division heads across the organization. For example, Bob Carr, our Chief Professional Development Officer, makes decisions regarding new business opportunities and educational programming, such as diversity courses, seminars, and conferences. Gary Rubin, our Chief Publications Officer, makes decisions regarding our publications online and in print. My role as Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives is to work closely with all of the division heads, our CEO and the Board to ensure that our diversity efforts are integrated, have continuity and are in keeping with our mission: Serve the Professional and Advance the Profession. What evidence makes you confident that you and your team have developed momentum for the organization in the right direction? What is the vision for SHRM in five years?

In the past year, we’ve seen tremendous momentum for our diversity efforts as evidenced by an increase in attendance and sponsorships at our SHRM Workplace Diversity Conference. We’ve also seen additional traffic online in the SHRM diversity focus area, including Webcasts, documents accessed and downloaded, and bulletin board participation. Diversity offerings at our chapter and state conferences around the country are increasing, as are requests for our senior staff to provide presentations and speeches on diversity-related topics through our speakers bureau. 54

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Davis and Jai Rodriguez, star of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

What’s more, survey and evaluation feedback we receive from members and staff on various diversity programs and events is overwhelmingly positive, and the number of requests for media interviews to discuss our Diversity Initiative and diversity-related issues continues to rise. We have received a lot of recognition and affirmation from colleagues and experts on the direction that SHRM is heading with its diversity initiative. SHRM’s vision for its diversity efforts is to be a recognized leader in providing thought leadership, strategies, competitive practices, resources, and professional development to business professionals.

EMPLOYEE INCLUSIVENESS How does your company gauge inclusion of employees? What are the tests, measurements and benchmarks (metrics) that indicate where the company is on the inclusion graph?

Each year the Employee Engagement Survey or a Pulse Survey is administered to all employees to assess their level of satisfaction and engagement in areas such as leadership, respect, inclusion, and diversity. How are employees’ opinions solicited and valued? Do you have a ‘suggestion box’ or other system, and who monitors and responds?

We have a very collaborative culture and, as a result, we seek input from employees on a consistent basis. A suggestion box, located in HR, allows employees to provide new ideas and ways to improve business processes and policies and is reviewed on a monthly basis.

Interview

Shirley Davis

SHRM

Shirley Davis, Ph.D. Organization Society for Human Resource Management Title Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives Years in current position 1.5 Education Bachelor’s degree in pre-law; Master’s degree in Human Resource Administration; Ph.D. in Business and Organization Management First job Front office receptionist in a doctor’s office; Model Philosophy Better to be prepared for an opportunity and never have one, than to have an opportunity and not be prepared. Treat every opportunity as a God-given gift to either be a blessing or to receive a blessing. What I’m reading Articles on HR and Diversity to stay abreast of the latest research and trends; Reposition Yourself, by T.D. Jakes; What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, by Marshall Goldsmith. Family A 13-year-old daughter and three siblings. I’m the oldest; I have three brothers. I’m a daddy’s girl and mom is my best friend. We have a very close-knit family. Interests My personal motto is to live life with purpose and passion and to leave this life (when it’s time) with no regrets of what I should have or could have accomplished. I love motivational speaking, and I’ve had the opportunity over the past ten years to speak across the country and internationally. I spend quality time with my daughter whose interests include soccer, debate team, singing competitions, plays, and modeling. She’s a real chip off the old block! I’m a pageant buff at heart. I started competing in pageants at age 13 at the local, state and national levels and was fortunate enough to win several state and national titles in the Ms. America United States, Model Star Searches, Miss Petite International, Miss USA and Mrs. America pageants. Today, I still watch, attend, and judge pageants. I also commit quite a bit of time to church, community and civic activities; I’m a leadership coach; I’m writing two books that I hope to release later this year; and I love traveling for leisure (day spas, beach resorts, etc.). Childhood hero Parents and grandparents. “Best” picture (film/art) Too many to name. My music Oldies-but-Goodies R&B of the ’70s and ’80s; gospel and jazz. Favorite game Spades, Scrabble Desk-drawer munchies Snickers, Oreo cookies Favorite charities The SHRM Foundation. I’m a Board member for the Metro DC chapter of Dress for Success. My church (missions and women’s group). Person (historical/fictional/actual) I’d like to get to know over lunch Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. P ro f i l e s i n D i v e r s i t y J o u r n a l

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Interview

Shirley Davis

SHRM

One exciting part of my job is getting to meet wonderful people, such as Chris Gardner, the inspiration behind the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, starring Will Smith. Photos this page by Ralph Alswang

Welcoming a conference attendee who traveled from Bulgaria.

Additionally, each month all employees attend a meeting hosted by the CEO. This is an open forum for employees to ask questions and hear company updates. However, at any time, employees are encouraged to bring suggestions to HR, the CEO, the COO, or any senior leader. They can do it face to face, via e-mail, or through the company’s intranet site. How do you deal with those who perceive inclusion programs for underrepresented groups as being exclusionary for others? Have you encountered this attitude?

I have dealt with this resistance throughout my tenure in the diversity management field, and I’ve seized the opportunities to bring clarity to what diversity and inclusion is and is not. While it is important to ensure that our organizations reflect a diverse society, I also recognize that diversity already exists. Even when you have a very homogeneous group, you have diversity in terms of backgrounds, thoughts, religions, experiences, family status, sexual orientation, etc. But it’s also important to have a visibly diverse organization. Since we are operating in a global marketplace where we sell to and buy from diverse customers, we must be able to meet their individual needs. Having a talented and diverse workforce that understands these needs can be a competitive advantage and key differentiator for organizations today. Regarding Employee Network Groups, research has revealed over and over that employees need and seek out a sense of belonging through networking and building relationships. They want to know how to be successful in the organization and how to navigate through the unknown land mines. Oftentimes, if one is in a minority group in the organization, the dominant groups tend not to share this information with them. Having informal networks among people who have mutual needs and interests builds that sense of belonging, support, and camaraderie that is needed—not just to survive but, more importantly, to thrive in an organization. Where the inclusion 56

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comes in is that all Employee Network Groups should have open membership and encourage all employees to participate. Diversity and Inclusion programs, like any business strategy, should always look at where there are gaps in the organization and how those gaps might affect the organization’s ability to compete in the marketplace, recruit and retain good talent in the workforce, and to reinvent itself over time. If one of those gaps is that there is a lack of men, women, people of color, people over 40, people with good management skills, people who speak multiple languages, Generation Y, engineers, people with technical skills, or different personalities (I can go on and on), the organization should make the necessary adjustments to ensure that it has the right balance and alignment to be successful in a global marketplace. When you define diversity and inclusion the way I do, which is not limited to just race and gender, it is not exclusionary at all. It is clearly about everyone. Can you name specific ways SHRM supports upward development toward management positions?

Through a succession planning process, SHRM identifies potential talent for open and future management positions. Our internal posting process, which posts all internal director and below openings, allows employees to express their interest in management positions and also encourages senior leaders to identify great talent. And, of course, performance management and the calibration process is an opportunity to identify potential talent for immediate and long term staffing needs. In 2007, SHRM supported its entire leadership team in attending leadership training and taking leadership assessments. A number of our leaders attended the Center for Creative Leadership. Additionally, SHRM allocates a generous budget for both internal and external employee development. And the tuition assistance program, which covers all employees including those who work part time, also includes master’s and doctorate degrees.

PDJ

October 27-29, 2008 Atlanta, Georgia

Inspiration in Atlanta The 2008 Workplace Diversity & Exposition Conference Here’s what some of the 2007 attendees had to say about the conference: “Since I come from an employer that is not very diverse, I questioned what I would learn from this conference. I came home with a lot of useful information – great conference!” Jan Souder, Heritage Medical Group

“Great material was discussed and the opportunity to collaborate with other HR professionals was completely outstanding.” Michael Miller, Schwans Consumer Brands

SHRM’s 2007 Workplace Diversity & Exposition Conference Was Exciting! Marlee Matlin, Grace Odums, Jai Rodriguez and Chris Gardner electrified audiences with their thought provoking messages. And 2008 Workplace Diversity & Exposition Conference promises to be even better! Save the dates of October 27-29, 2008 for this important conference being held this year in Atlanta, Georgia.

The SHRM Diversity Initiative The SHRM Diversity Initiative, established in 1993, seeks to foster awareness and appreciation of workplace diversity issues among HR professionals, their employers and other business leaders. The primary purpose of the initiative is to assist SHRM members in managing a diverse workforce by providing diversity-related research materials, workplaceapplicable tools, publications and linkages with other organizations. Making the business case for diversity and valuing individual differences are the cornerstones of SHRM’s Diversity Initiative.

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For more information visit www.shrm.org/diversity.

viewpoint

The Journey of the Diversity Field By American Institute for Managing Diversity, Inc. Founder Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr. and President Melanie Harrington

The American Institute for Managing Diversity (AIMD) is pleased to join the ranks of those who serve the diversity field through their columns in Profiles in Diversity Journal. Over the coming months, AIMD will examine our unique perspectives on diversity, inform you about our current programs and activities, and bring you the ideas of other thinkers who are advancing the diversity field. We will also explore issues with which AIMD’s collaborators, educators and researchers are grappling. This column begins with a closer look at the diversity field. Although there are individual and organizational contributors who are doing great work in the diversity arena, we still hear concerns about the field being stuck, needing clearer future direction, lacking innovation, etc. Perhaps these concerns bode well for the sustainability of the field. If people are voicing apprehension about the field’s direction, perhaps it will be perceived as an opportunity to fill a gap in the market. However, the real challenge for the field is whether it will build on its credibility and relevance in a time of globalization, intense competition, shrinking margins and greater ROI demands. Therefore, if the field is stuck, how do we unstick it? Why should we care whether the field advances, remains stagnant or even regresses? At AIMD, we believe that people struggle daily with diversity management issues. What is a diversity management issue? It is an issue that requires a quality decision in the midst of differences, similarities, tensions and complexities. These types of issues challenge each of us constantly. As

Profiles in Diversit y Journal

long as these issues exist, we will need individuals and organizations willing and able to address them as well as the unforeseen diversity issues of tomorrow. One of the challenges we face has to do with the differences and similarities among those of us toiling in the field. Diversity practitioners are not monolithic in their views. Practitioners have different opinions on what language we should use, what issues diversity management should tackle and what approaches should be applied. Some feel that we must work to resolve the traditional “isms,” such as racism and sexism. Others argue for the inclusion of a few more dimensions of diversity. Still others are using broader definitions of diversity. Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole once stated, “We (diversity practitioners) have got to learn how to walk and chew gum at the same time.” Stated differently, life rarely, if ever, presents you with one challenge at a time. We must address multiple issues at once and constantly innovate. This means that we must leverage the legacy of the field’s pioneers and foster its continuous evolution. The end game in diversity management is not the destination but the JOURNEY! In 2003, AIMD formed an alliance with the Diversity Collegium, a think tank of diversity professionals. We are exploring whether the diversity journey would be improved if the field had a common terminology, common definitions, established theories and concepts, accepted bodies of knowledge, and standard practices. The questions of whether to professionalize the field and how to do it are not new. There are people and institu-

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tions trying to develop certification and degree programs. Others, including members of the Diversity Collegium, have attempted to catalog the prevailing terms and definitions. Additionally, there is a growing number of academics conducting research studies examining language, practices and long term results. How do we come together and reach common ground on those essential factors that will advance the field, serve the community and address the needs of the marketplace? What do we lose if we do not reach common agreement, and what do we lose if we do? AIMD is committed to strengthening our communities and institutions with the great work that has emerged from the diversity field. But the journey is ongoing, and new and persistent diversity challenges must be addressed. We hope you will read our columns in the coming months as we share our experiences on the diversity journey.

PDJ About AIMD The American Institute for Managing Diversity, Inc. is the nation’s leading nonprofit think tank dedicated to furthering the field of diversity management. Founded by Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr. in 1984, AIMD conducts educational programs including leadership education through the Diversity Leadership Academy®, does cutting edge research, and hosts an array of conferences around the world. AIMD creates unique learning environments for the public and produces research, tools and information that facilitate diversity management among its organizations, communities, and the general public.

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t is not unusual for us to spend part of Black History Month thinking about all the great, influential leaders who have made their mark in the world. No one can dispute the legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Sojourner Truth, Booker T. Washington, and scores of others who pioneered civil rights in America. Certainly, these and many more have been role models for African Americans in all walks of life, from the city streets to the board room. But think about this question: Who else was important to your own journey? That’s the question we posed in mini-interviews with more than two dozen business leaders. The responses to our questions give us a panoramic view of the socialization process as it relates to the leaders you’ll discover in the next 27 pages. Each one is fascinating. What’s the common thread that ties all of them together? A commitment to helping others, as evidenced by their community involvement. But there’s more. Between the lines are glimpses of pride for the road one has traveled—often a very hard road, indeed. Just by participating in this feature, the individuals profiled here are giving an example of black leaders leading.

Who are/were your mentors?  What were the lessons learned from them?

My father. He had a medical practice in Harlem for almost 50 years. He taught me to treat everyone with respect and to view every interaction with a person as a learning experience. Vernon G. Baker II Senior Vice President & General Counsel

ArvinMeritor, Inc.

Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

Not different, but slightly more enhanced. I urge those I mentor to follow their own paths. My path is but one example.

Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

Both my mother and father. They stressed the value of a good education. They both graduated from Howard, and they insisted that my sister and I get the best education available to us. My grandfather also influenced me. He graduated from college and worked as a Pullman porter. When I was very young, he constantly told me that times were changing and a well-educated “colored” boy could really do something.

effort to promote diversity in our profession. I have sponsored a number of 3-on-3 basketball tournaments to raise money for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

I would ask the President, “Why haven’t you called me? I may be able to provide you with some additional ‘color’ on various topics of interest.” What is your philosophy of life?

Each one teach one. We must be present and accounted for in the community. We received help, and we need to make sure we are helping others. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Having a wife and 2 sons who love and respect me. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

Not a darn thing.

Baker sponsors several basketball tournaments annually to raise money for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

I have read the Autobiography of Malcom X over a dozen times. The evolution of this man fascinates me. No matter the obstacles—be it racism, politics or the apparent lack of opportunities—the strength of the human spirit can prevail. How are you involved with your community?

Through my position at ArvinMeritor, I have been very active with the American Heart Association and the March of Dimes. I spend a lot of my personal time mentoring young African-American lawyers and reaching out to the legal community in an 62

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The rear cross-car chassis module (foreground) is a key product at ArvinMeritor’s Detroit manufacturing facility, which employs a highly diverse workforce, with over 50% female and 80% Hispanic and African-American employees.

Who knows where the next great dream will find its voice. Where future leaders might find their inspiration. We salute those who inspire the great minds of today so that they can become the great visionaries of tomorrow.

Who are/were your mentors? What did you learn from them?

Early in my career, the chief HR officer at my company—a white male— took me under his wing. He taught me the unwritten rules of the organization and gave me significant projects that prepared John Kirksey me for my next job, which was chief human resources Senior Vice President and officer at an Illinois state Chief Diversity Officer university. I was just 27. AXA Equitable Life In 1971 when I started Insurance Company at the university, I met an African-American PhD who had been teaching college-level business courses since the late ’50s. He helped me as a young AfricanAmerican senior executive at a time when there just weren’t very many people of color in those positions. Do you teach anything different to those you mentor?  If so, what is it?

As a mentor, I try to pass on what was given to me and to do it in an inclusive way. I have mentored women and men of various races and religions. I have tried to instill in them that they have a responsibility to pass on their knowledge and experience to others. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My father. He taught me that the only real obstacles that exist are those that you acknowledge—the rest you can go under or over or around. I still think about him when I run into difficulties. What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

Crime and Punishment, by Feodor Dostoevsky. This book impressed upon me that whatever you do in life,

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you will live with the consequences, even if you are the only one who knows your crime. The other is Moby Dick, by Herman Melville. It symbolizes the struggle with not just external nature, but human nature and the inner struggles we have. How are you involved with your community?

I serve on the board of the Old Barracks Revolutionary War Museum in Trenton, New Jersey, which is best remembered for its role in the 1776 and 1777 battles of Trenton during the Revolutionary War. I believe in this organization’s mission. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

“What is your ultimate vision for world peace?” What is your philosophy of life?

Each of us is put here to make the world a better place. I believe it was Benjamin Mayes who said we each have a unique song to sing, and most of us will go to our graves having never sung it. We have to sing our song and share it with the rest of the world. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Working with my wife, Helen, to raise two children who care about people. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

I would have hugged my father more often and told him more frequently how much I loved him.

Who are/were your mentors? What did you learn from them?

Clarence Wright began his career as a financial advisor with the company and moved from branch operations to a senior management role at corporate headquarters. I learned a lot from him—most importantly, how to play the corporate game. Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

To stay consistent. I mentor a lot of people inside and outside of the company. I try to teach them that it is okay to make mistakes; that is how we learn the best lessons. What is important is to learn from your mistakes and not repeat them. Many people are afraid to take risks, because they are afraid of making the wrong decision. But you’ll never know what could have happened if you aren’t willing to risk. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My mom and grandmother raised me. Their contribution to my manhood is immeasurable. What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

It’s Your Ship, by Captain Michael Abrashoff, is a great leadership book. This book has helped me be a better leader both at home and at work. Good to Great, by Jim Collins, has taught me to take my performance level from good to great. I am good at leading my team, but this book inspires me to be a great branch manager.

If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

Put the needs of this great nation before the needs of the world. What is your philosophy of life?

Never give up on your goals and aspirations. If you give up, you will lose out on great accomplishments. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Lyndall Medearis Executive Vice President of the Western Division Branch Manager—Houston, TX

AXA Equitable

My greatest accomplishment in my career occurred last year when the Houston Branch earned the company’s President’s Trophy. We placed sixth place out of more than 60 branches—Houston’s best finish ever. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

I have relocated twice in my career due to promotions. Each time I was separated from my family for 11 months. If I would ever relocate again, we would do it together.

How are you involved with your community?

Both of my kids are in public school, and I support their activities. I’m involved in my church, I’m a board member for the South Central YMCA in Houston, and I am an avid contributor and member of the United Way Tocqueville Society.

Medearis in the Rockets Run 2006.

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Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

My parents were my early role models and mentors. My mom taught me about independence and being self reliant. My dad taught my brother and me about commitment and corporate politics. I learned about Gina Wolley the importance of being comfortable in a variety of situations with a diverse Executive Vice President group of people, especially Bank of the West at work. From one of my corporate bosses, I learned to be selective in the pursuit of what’s important.

How are you involved with your community?

I’m involved with the National Association of Black Accountants. As NABA’s national chair of the Financial Literacy Initiative, I’m passionate about teaching financial literacy and giving people the tools to make smart financial decisions. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

I would ask him to break down the bureaucracy among local, state and federal governments which impedes meaningful reform. I would also ask him to bring home the troops. What is your philosophy of life?

Family comes first. I believe in working hard and playing hard. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

My 21-year daughter is my most rewarding accomDo you teach anything different to those you mentor?  plishment. I look forward to her graduation from UCLA with a degree in world arts and culture. If so, what is it? I think we have a responsibility to give back, to I also receive strokes from young people whom I’ve pass along what we’ve learned and to be a role mentored throughout my career. When they send me model for those coming after us. When I mentor notes about the job or promotion they landed, they college students, I encourage them to mentor high tell me how much I have touched their lives. Believe me, it works both ways. school students. No one gets noticed if they’re shy; they must be If given the chance, what would you do differently? active contributors to their company. I would have learned to play golf sooner, so I could What are your two favorite books/authors and have shared the enjoyment of the game more with my what impact have they had on your career and father today. Career-wise, I would love to have been personal life? a professional sportscaster for football, basketball or I enjoyed Song of Solomon, by Tony Morrison, even golf. especially the character named Dead. He lived his life metaphorically that way, not taking risks, just existing, unnoticed, as if he were really dead. I’m currently reading Lions Don’t Need to Roar, by D.A. Benton. Although its overall focus is around executive presence, it reinforces for me the need for effective communication techniques.

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PepsiCo Celebrates the Life of Edward F. Boyd 1914 – 2007 Edward F. Boyd helped place Pepsi in the hearts and hands of many Americans. And in doing so, he became an innovative leader and true pioneer in marketing. It’s been 60 years since Ed was hired to form the very first team of African-American marketers, opening up African-American communities across the nation. He defined target marketing — the way many businesses today meet consumer needs with products and services. Brave, distinguished and endearing, Ed Boyd helped move America and business to greater racial equality. Today, his spirit still inspires us. To learn more about Ed Boyd and all his accomplishments, read The Real Pepsi Challenge by Stephanie Capparell or visit careerjournal.com, go to the left column under Article Search and type in: Ed Boyd.

Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

Three people stand out in my mind. They are the Hon. Clifford Scott Green, with whom I served as law clerk for two years; the Hon. A. Leon Higginbotham Jr., and Arthur Makadon, who is the chairman of Ballard Charisse Lillie Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, VP, Human Resources LLP, where I was a partner Comcast Corp. prior to joining Comcast. Senior VP, Each of these men Human Resources Comcast Cable taught me the value of hard work and the importance of being an expert in whatever you do. Furthermore, each of them had an extraordinary way of dealing with people. I learned the importance of treating every person, regardless of their place in the organization, with respect and humility.

My all-time favorite book is In The Matter of Color, by A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. I worked as a research assistant for him and did legal and historical research on a chapter of the book. I also enjoy the series of books and poetry by Sonia Sanchez. Her love of the African-American community and the words and rhythm of her poetry truly speak to me.

Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

I’m fortunate to mentor women and men of all ages and who are in various stages of their careers, and I stress to them the importance of balance and taking care of themselves. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My father and mother, as well as both sets of my grandparents, stressed the importance of education and hard work. In my house, you were not congratulated for an “A,” you had to explain a “B!”

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How are you involved with your community?

I’ve been a member of many civic commissions, including the Independent Charter Commission, the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Task Force, the MOVE Commission and the Philadelphia Election Reform Task Force. I also serve on several boards and am the former president of the Board of the Juvenile Law Center. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

I’d like to know why the Federal Government isn’t spending more on the education of our children. I truly believe that the way to fix our country’s troubles is to increase resources so that our children feel hope. Education is the solution. What is your philosophy of life?

Family is paramount. Also, I feel that as blessed as I am, I should give back. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Leading the American Bar Association’s Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

I finished college in three years, so if I had the chance, I would have taken a fourth year to study abroad.

I connect the dots differently. That brings value to the work I do. I have a passion for marketing, and I love what I do. At Hallmark, I have the opportunity to be a great marketer in an industry I believe in—one that enriches people’s lives. I work in a collaborative environment that celebrates the individual and values me as a whole person. Our multiple perspectives make our work stronger. It’s a rewarding opportunity to be part of a brand that helps people define and express the very best in themselves. aviva ajmera hebbar customer strategy and planning director

l i v e yo u r pa s s i o n . l o v e yo u r wo r k .

Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

My first mentor, from afar, has been Ken Chenault, chairman and CEO of American Express. I met him when I was in college. He has always concentrated on results, which is critical for success in the Bill Tompkins business world. Today, I no longer conGeneral Manager & VP centrate on one person. I Motion Picture Film Group, Entertainment Imaging count on Michael Jordan to Vice President remind me to smile more Eastman Kodak Co. often, my mom to remind me to never give up, and a former colleague to remind me to take time to smell the roses. Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

I practice what I preach. I follow my own advice to keep me keeping on. The difference would be that I have the benefit of providing to others lessons learned from mistakes I have made in my career. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My father. He was a physician by day but also a successful businessman. He pushed us to try harder and not give up. What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

My favorite author is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. When I read his speeches I think about hope, opportunity and a better path forward for all of us.

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The second author and book are Michael Porter and his book Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors. I first read this book 26 years ago, but I still use it today as a reference and tutorial on how to compete more successfully. How are you involved with your community?

Over the last twenty years I have served on about 12 non-profit boards primarily focusing on youth, the arts and healthcare issues. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

I would ask two things. Why do politics sometimes get in the way of good decision-making in our government? And what can he do to make a superior education an imperative for our country? We are headed down a disastrous path, especially among people of color. What is your philosophy of life?

Two things come to mind. The first is work hard, play hard. The second item relates to aspiration. I wake up each day wondering what I can do better. There is always room for self-improvement. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Graduating from Tufts University with honors, no debt and an entry ticket to Harvard Business School. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

I wish I had learned to play basketball and the piano. For the piano, its probably not too late, but I think I have passed my prime for dribbling down the court.

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Bank of the West and its subsidiaries are equal opportunity/affirmative action employers. M/F/D/V Bank of the West and its subsidiaries are equal opportunity/affirmative action employers. M/F/D/V

Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

Mike Goodwin Senior Vice President, Information Technology

Hallmark Cards, Inc.

Ray Powers, Hallmark Cards’ former vice president of manufacturing, gave me insights into the new organization I was supporting in my role of business development director for the Supply Chain Group. This is advice that I still use today in forging good relationships. Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

There are three things I impart to those whom I mentor. The first is that you are the best at managing your career. You cannot delegate it. Second, surround yourself with good people whether you directly manage them or through a networking circle. Third, ask yourself, “How is the organization better because I have been in this role?” You should test this question periodically so you can ensure you have left a good legacy.

How are you involved with your community?

I serve on several nonprofit boards that provide a range of services, from affordable youth camps to providing a safety net of medical and dental services for the uninsured and under-insured. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

I would express great concern for the numerous social issues growing in our country. Basic issues such as access to medical care, malnutrition, racial/cultural tensions, and acceptable living conditions. We need to address the basic needs in our country. What is your philosophy of life?

I try to live by a quotation made by O.W. Holmes. “The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving.” What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Being elected president of the board of directors for Wildwood Education Center. The actual election was not the most rewarding part. It was the time I spent at the youth summer camps where I saw kids of families who could not afford it still experience an outdoor educational life experience. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

If I had the chance, I would get involved in the community a lot sooner than I did in life.

Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

I would have to say my dad. He has been a man of strong faith, values, and entrepreneurship. He gave me core values, such as commitment to excellence, integrity, compassion, and faith in God. What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

The Power of Positive Thinking, by Norman Vincent Peale, showed me I have available what is needed to face life’s challenges. The other is How to Succeed in Business Without Being White, by Earl G. Graves.

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Mike Goodwin at work during the United Way Day of Caring. He and others were helping to construct a community center.

Diversity. It Enriches Us. Strengthens Us.

DeďŹ nes Us. At Highmark, we value and celebrate the diversity that makes this world we share a better place. For our employees, our customers, and the suppliers we partner with throughout the many communities we serve. Together, we are building a great workplace.

Highmark, an equal employment opportunity employer, strives to capitalize on the strengths of individual differences and the advantages of an inclusive workplace.

Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

Aaron Walton Senior Vice President Corporate Affairs

Highmark Inc.

During my time at Highmark, I have been privileged to work for two individuals who shared their values and life philosophies with me. The first was Peg Ireland, who taught me patience, to learn all that I could from those around me and to listen first and then respond, but not react. The second was Dick Conti, who taught me the importance of honesty and integrity.

Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

I believe that a high energy level is essential for success. Those around you will feed off of your intensity and positive attitude. I also remind people not to take things too personally. In a business environment, it is important to use criticism to better yourself and your work rather than letting it discourage you.

If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

I would talk about two of Coveyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Seven Habits. The first is Habit #4: Think Win-Win. The second is Habit #5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood. If the President took a moment to reflect on these two philosophies, the attitude in our country may be very different right now. What is your philosophy of life?

My philosophy is to maintain balance and look for the best in every situation. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

I was proud to serve as the chair of the 1997 NAACP convention in Pittsburgh. In this position, I had the opportunity to work with community leaders to host what has been one of the NAACPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most successful conferences to date. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

I would try to do a better job of following my first instincts about people and work to correct my mistakes in a timelier manner. Most importantly, I would make more time to be with my family and friends. I would think about what is important today, rather than putting it off for tomorrow.

Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My father. Not only was he the most humble person Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever met, but he also showed me to be bold and take risks. Above all things, he taught me to study human nature and to fear no one. What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

The Bible. I am a firm believer in its philosophies and teachings and use them to better myself every day. And The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey. How are you involved with your community?

As a leader, it is important to give back to the community. I have served on the board of directors for more than 30 organizations during my career. 74

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Aaron Walton, with Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, holds the finish line at the 2006 City of Pittsburgh Great Race, an annual event of which Highmark has been a long-time sponsor.

Bring out the best in everyone,

and you can achieve great things. The men and women of Lockheed Martin are involved in some of the most important projects in the world. Though naturally diverse, our team shares a common goal: mission success. Our differences make us stronger because we can draw on the widest possible range of unique perspectives. Resulting in innovative solutions to complex challenges. Lockheed Martin. One company. One team.

www.lockheedmartin.com ÂŠ 2007 Lockheed Martin Corporation

Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

I’ve had several mentors share their knowledge with me. Gwendolyn P. Taylor, vice president of HR for Telcordia Technologies, taught me how to maintain poise and composure in the face of adversity. Tara Allen taught me to celebrate Loria Yeadon strengths and challengChief Executive Officer es because both contribute to greatness. Professor Honeywell Intellectual Lawrence Bershad, formerly Properties Inc. (HIPI) of Seton Hall Law School, demonstrated substantive legal theory through realworld events, showing how law is inextricably linked to the world. Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

Each of us is responsible for defining our own destiny and career success. If you’re not happy with your career path, change it!

Iyanla Vanzant. Recently, I’ve been intrigued by The Innovator’s Dilemma, by Clayton Christensen, which is about the impact innovation and disruptive technologies have on business. How are you involved with your community?

I serve as Honeywell’s Howard University Campus Executive, allowing me to introduce students to job opportunities and to help Honeywell build its candidate pool with diversified and highly qualified candidates. At the University of Virginia, I serve on the Industrial Advisory Board for the Electrical and Computer Engineering departments. Recently, I supported Seton Hall Law School in the launch of their giving campaign and made a presentation to students about corporate intellectual property licensing. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

I’d like to know what our nation’s five-year plan is and where I can get a copy. China is executing its 11th five-year plan, and has recently brought more than 400 million of its citizens out of poverty. Does the United States have a documented plan? What is your philosophy of life?

When people tell you who they are, believe them. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

Growing up, I had a family and home life that encouraged me to succeed. Despite lacking college degrees, my parents were both self-starters and insistent on the value of education. My dad was the most intelligent businessman I have ever known, and my mom actually went back to school later in life to become a nurse. What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

My favorite books and authors are Reposition Yourself, by Bishop T.D. Jakes, and various books from

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What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

During my tenure at HIPI, we’ve revamped our management team, developed a solid growth strategy, expanded our customer base, launched a license agreement compliance program and more. Today, IP licensing at Honeywell is run as a customerfocused, growth business. I’ve accomplished a lot in my current role, but I’m optimistic that the best is yet to come! If given the chance, what would you do differently?

I’d take more risks and make more mistakes, but never be in doubt.

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Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

Eric Hardaway Vice President Global Customer Support Global Technology

IHG

My grandmother instilled in me strong core values to do the right things the right way and success will follow. Her wisdom helped shape my character. Bonnie Manzi, a former executive with AT&T, taught me to not look too narrowly at each situation, but instead to look at the big world perspective. Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

I believe and teach that success in life is not measured by the number of times you fell, but how many times you got back up, what you have learned from the experience and how you have grown. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

I have to say my grandmother. She had a strong work ethic that helped her make a better life for herself and her family. She found a way to stay the course with her spirituality and work ethic despite what she faced growing up in the Deep South. She had a great love for people and was a great role model. What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

The message of Gifted Hands, by Dr. Ben Carson, is that if you believe you can do something, then you can. It’s a message that needs to be passed to young kids today. The Making of a Leader, by Dr. J. Robert Clinton, taught me how to bring spiritual values into the business world.

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How are you involved with your community?

I’m on the board of a nonprofit called Project Healthy Grandparents that helps grandparents who are raising their children’s children. I also sing in the choir at my church. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

There is so much misunderstanding among the people in the country. Many people don’t understand the challenges their fellow citizens are going through and if they did they could help pull them through. I believe the President sets the tone for the nation and needs to lead the healing this requires. What is your philosophy of life?

Success does not come without putting the sweat equity or work into it. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Helping raise my nephew after his father passed away when he was young. Today my nephew is successful and responsible in life and has a family of his own. He has incorporated in his life the values that I was taught and passed on to him. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

I wouldn’t change a thing. I truly have been blessed. All the challenges helped build my character and made me who I am today.

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Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

Nicole M. Lewis Vice President and Industry Manager, Global Marketing

Kelly Services, Inc.

A network of mentors have taught, coached, counseled, humbled, and uplifted me over the course of my career. One of my favorite lessons was taught to me by my cousin, a retired senior vice president. He told me a story about traveling with his bosses earlier in his career, and how they expected him, as the junior professional, to “carry the luggage.” By this he meant, do your part and never think that you’re above some of the small stuff as you move up the corporate ladder.

Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

I require those I mentor to write down their personal non-negotiables and professional aspirations. Then I ask them to compare the two lists and eliminate all conflicts of interests. The result is an “ah-ha” moment for the person, and a true career path reveals itself. The goal of the exercise is be true to yourself, personally and professionally. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My parents are the keys to my success, but my maternal grandmother was the most confident person that I’ve

ever met. She met every challenge head-on. I try to mirror her poise and self-assurance. What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

Maya Angelou is my favorite author. I’ve spent half of my career in sales, and I know that beyond the relationships you build are the words you convey. Her works have been an inspiration to my career and to the relationships I’ve built along the way. A favorite book is Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America, by Charisse Jones and Kumea Shorter-Gooden, PhD. This book is more confirmation that black women are amazing, complex multitaskers. It’s a great read. How are you involved with your community?

My favorite activity is the work that I do as a board member with GM2CDC, a community development corporation that focuses on low-income housing and after-school programs for the north-end communities in Detroit, Michigan. Currently, three housing development projects, totaling over $22 million, are underway. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

I would ask him to explain his plans to ensure that our nation’s children will be able to compete and succeed globally. What is your philosophy of life?

“If not now…when?” I’m always trying to capture the moment and make things happen. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

The confirmation that I’m raising two great children, 13 and 8, who are confident, funny, smart, loving, respectful, and proud of who they are. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

I would spend more time reading at least three newspapers daily. (l to r) Charlotte Allen; Minister David Akins; Lisa Thorington; James Perkins, Executive Director; Norris Polk, MD; Nicole Lewis; Reverend Betty Pulliam; Deborah A. Johnson; Ethan Vinson, Attorney; Geraldine Garry. 80

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at e D e th ve Sa

National Diversity and Inclusion Event August 10 – 12, 2008 Fairmont Hotel, Chicago, IL THE 2008 MFHA TALENT DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT Join food and hospitality industry leaders for MFHA’s annual event where attendees will have the opportunity to engage in a genuinely unique learning experience. Topics will include: • Talent Acquisition, Development and Retention • Career Enhancement for Diverse Talent • Coaching Multicultural Talent • Leading Minority Talent • Developing Culturally-Competent Leaders Visit www.mfha.net for ongoing event updates

French Taylor

Tax Partner, Dallas

KPMG LLP

Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

While growing up, my parents and my pastor, as well as my high school principal, were all very influential in my life. As an adult and at KPMG, I have been mentored by many successful businessmen and women. I have learned from them to love and celebrate the greatness of the human spirit.

Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun, by Reginald Lewis, taught me that anything is possible professionally. The Millionaire Next Door, by Thomas J. Stanley, taught me to respect the power of money, not for how others view you, but for how you view yourself.

Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

I teach more flexibility of thought and passion. I work very hard to not make people look like I think they should look. I want them to find their own way, using my life’s experience as a guide. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

Without exception, that would be my parents. I was blessed to have two college-educated parents, so the bar was set pretty high in the Taylor household. My mom is a passionate and committed, but fierce, competitor who taught me that everything is possible and how to balance strength with passion and compassion. My dad’s work ethic was unbelievable. He set the example by making the sacrifices day in and day out. They both taught me how to deal with adversity and how to navigate a storm when times are hard. I love them for that.

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How are you involved with your community?

I have loved teaching sports to young men. I am actively involved with helping high school kids understand how to tackle life issues while never giving up on their dreams. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

Simple: just tell me the truth about everything, regardless of how you think it might change, alter, or taint my view of the world. What is your philosophy of life?

I remember from some childhood readings the sentence, “Walk with kings but never lose the common touch.” That stuck with me. I want to be exceptional spiritually, professionally, intellectually, culturally, and socially, but I never want to forget where I came from. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Making partner at KPMG is my most rewarding accomplishment because of all the family, friends, and colleagues who supported, mentored, loved, and sacrificed so I could achieve this milestone. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

First, spend more time with my family and friends, and second, travel the world during my professionally formative years.

Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

What is your philosophy of life?

My parents are my mentors. They taught me to respect others, be honest and to work hard. They also taught me not to take anything for granted and to give back to my community.

To whom much is given, much is required. I have been blessed in my life and feel that I have a responsibility to give back to the community that is a part of who I am today. I also believe that you should treat others better than you want to be treated.

Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

No. The lessons I learned from my parents are timeless, relevant and very important. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My parents and grandparents had the most impact on my upbringing and success. They encouraged me to believe in myself and my abilities. They desired for me to accomplish more than what they had accomplished in their lives. What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

My favorite book is the Bible. It provides guidance for all matters in my career and personal life. How are you involved with your community?

What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

LaShawnda Thomas Audit Senior Manager, Pittsburgh

KPMG LLP

My most rewarding accomplishment is being able to work with youth and tell them of my life experiences and various accomplishments. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

I cannot think of anything that I would do differently. Everything that has happened in my life has happened for a reason and contributes to the person that I am today.

I am involved in Amachi Pittsburgh, which is a program devoted to mentoring children who have incarcerated parents. As part of the program, I mentor a 13-year-old young lady. I am also involved with the Career Literacy for African American Youth program, where I serve as a career mentor to a young lady in high school. In addition, I just completed a two-year term as the Director of Community Affairs of the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants, which is a leader in helping to expand the influence of minority professionals in the fields of accounting and finance. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

I would suggest that each child have access to quality education. Having access to quality education would improve the life opportunities of many children.

LaShawnda Thomas with the 13-year-old girl she mentors through the Amachi Pittsburgh program.

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Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

Two mentors from my days at Goodyear were Larry Schlosser and Jim Kruse. Larry encouraged me to fight through the obstacles I would encounter in corporate America. Jim taught me the ins and outs of the Maurice D. Markey Goodyear business. At Kraft Foods, former Vice President Marketing, senior executives Paula Grocery Sneed and Todd Brown Kraft Foods Inc. were particularly influential. Paula encouraged me to have a broad-based network throughout the organization. Todd Brown taught me to “never let them see you sweat” and always maintain my composure. Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

Many of my messages are similar. I encourage my mentees to have a plan for their careers and not to measure their success through others. I may differ in my delivery, as I am much more candid and frank to ensure they receive the message. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My parents, Napoleon and Mary, with eight kids and sixty-plus years of marriage. They instilled in me a strong work ethic, to be consistent and accountable, and to have a passion for something. What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

The Bible and Colin Powell’s My American Journey. There hasn’t been a situation, either professionally or personally, where I have not found guidance from the Bible. 84

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Colin Powell’s story is both fascinating and inspirational. I have incorporated several of his leadership principles into my professional approach. How are you involved with your community?

I participated in a tutoring project led and funded by my church, which prepared third graders in an economically disadvantaged area for their first standardized test. While in Asia, my daughter’s first grade project led to an amazing experience for my entire family in which we adopted a school in Cambodia. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

Failing a portion of our population in education and health care is not a sustainable model. These two areas need to be addressed if we hope to maintain our leadership position in the world. What is your philosophy of life?

“To whom much is given, from him much will be required.” Luke 12:48. This scripture keeps me grounded. It is a constant reminder of my obligation to others. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Professionally, my assignment in Singapore was a highly rewarding accomplishment. My family and I were able to rise to the challenge of moving to the other side of the world, and thrive in a different environment and culture. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

It’s natural to want to erase the mishaps, but those were the times when I learned and grew the most; as such, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

How are you involved with your community?

I have had many mentors throughout my career, both in- and outside of the workplace. My single most influential mentor remains my husband; he challenges me to think big and never allows me to be my own worst critic. He always encourages me to embrace my strengths, learn from my mistakes, and celebrate my accomplishments.

I have always tried to serve as a mentor for young women and girls in the African-American community. I do this with various Chicago-based community organizations.

Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

If you had lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

As a mentor I try to encourage young marketers to be courageous and not afraid to make mistakes. If nothing ever goes wrong, you are probably not pushing yourself far enough. The difference between good and great is not what happens but how well you anticipate and respond to what happens. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

I would ask if he is proud of his terms as President, and if given the chance what decisions would he like to go back and change?

Katie Williams Marketing Director, Pizza

Kraft Foods Inc.

What is your philosophy of life?

I come from a very artistic family. Most of my youth was spent in performing arts schools and activities. With all those performers under one roof, you had to be very comfortable both in the spotlight and in the audience cheering others on.

My philosophy is to be open to whatever comes your way. I always try to remember that in periods of doubt, fear, or adversity, you learn how to live life to the fullest.

What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

My most rewarding accomplishment has been maintaining and nurturing happy and healthy relationships with my friends and family.

Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People serves as a manual for me that I return to whenever I need a little refresher. Much of my career has been spent working with and leading teams. The book offers insight on how to maximize your interactions with people by bringing out the best in yourself. Dr. Seuss’s The Butter Battle is another favorite. My mother gave me this book as a young girl and it was very powerful. It showed me the importance of tolerance, and how easy it is for people to get so carried away in their own beliefs that they are willing to sacrifice everything for something as simple as how to butter their bread.

What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

If given the chance, what would you do differently?

Nothing—I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.

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Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

My mentors include Dr. Sherman Beverly, Jr., a now-retired professor of African American History at Northeastern University; Dr. Don N. Harris, a research scientist and community activist in Somerset County, NJ; and Gary Cooper, a three-star Marine William M. Phillips III General who I worked with when he was Ambassador Director, Office of to Jamaica in the 1990s. Counterintelligence George Simcox, a masLos Alamos ter in Ki Aikido, taught National Laboratory me the way of mind and body coordination. George died in 2002, but his impact on me for 13 years will last a lifetime. Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

One must always take pride in his/her work and strive to excel. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My parents, Dr. W.M. Phillips, Jr. and Marie Beverly Phillips, helped me to understand the importance of personal discipline and that service to community was critical to one’s well-being and blackness.

How are you involved with your community?

I serve as an Assistant Scout Master for a local troop and as a Merit Badge Counselor for the Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge. I am active in my church, participating in the Outreach Committee and I ‘chair’ the global advocacy subcommittee therein. I also am a mentor in our church confirmation program for teens. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

I would ask that he attempt to get a better understanding of the core of American values, the diversity of those values and not just be attached to the values of his own party, or political supporters. What is your philosophy of life?

I believe that we are here on God’s earth for an extremely short time. There is no time to procrastinate. Love, kindness and mindfulness are also rare in today’s world. I try to bring those ideas into every contact I have with a human being. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

To have been involved in the eradication in a South American country of over 220,000 acres of coca whose derivative, cocaine, was bound for the U.S. and Europe during the course of my work with the Federal Government. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

I would have spent more time in helping people understand the preciousness of the time we have on Earth.

What are a few of your favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

The Dhammapada and The Panther and the Lash, by Langston Hughes, and Proflective Poetry, Volume IV, by Waldo Bruce Phillips. Phillips uses poetry to describe the plight of African Americans in the United States. I think The Collected Poems and Plays of Rabindranath Tagore is a book many more people should read from a literary point of view. William Phillips talking with the headmaster of a school for Tibetan refugees in Dharmshala, India. 86

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Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

Gary Mayo Vice President of Energy and Environmental Services

MGM MIRAGE

I have two mentors, both from Ford Motor Company: Mr. Elliott Hall, former VP, Government Affairs, and Mr. Ron Goldsberry, former VP, Customer Service Division. Each provided invaluable insights on leadership and professional development as a corporate executive. Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

My advice for those I mentor focuses on work ethic, continuous learning, and holding oneself to the highest ethical standards possible. I also talk with them about responsibility, accountability and giving, as well as expecting, excellence. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

Both my mother and my father had a tremendous effect on my life. My dad kept me grounded and taught me about leadership, developing a solid work ethic and my responsibilities as a father. My mom taught me understanding, compassion, how to be a giving person, and, of course, politeness. What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

The Fifth Discipline, by Peter M. Senge. I have known Peter for a number of years, and through personal interaction and reading his books, I have honed my personal leadership skills in the area of organizational learning. Synchronicity, the Inner Path of Leadership, by Joseph Jaworski, is another. As a friend and informal mentor, Joseph has helped illuminate some ambiguous situations. 88

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How are you involved in your community?

I have been a volunteer of the Civil Air Patrol for approximately 35 years as a pilot. I hold the grade of Colonel, and most recently served as the Wing Commander for the State of Michigan. Civil Air Patrol is a volunteer, nonprofit, benevolent organization, dedicated to humanitarian activities. It is also, by law, the official auxiliary of the United States Air Force. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

I would ask questions to better understand his approach to key domestic issues, especially as it involves one of our most precious assets, our children. I would also inquire about policies related to sustainability and future generations. What is your philosophy of life?

I lead a principle-centered life based on the pursuit of excellence in all that I do, with a mindset that I can accomplish anything I set out to do. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Raising my two daughters (14 & 16) to be the beautiful young ladies that they are today far outweighs any of my professional accomplishments. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

I never regret my past actions and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look back second-guessing things I cannot change. I am on the exact path that I was destined to be on. I learn from my past experiences and apply those learnings moving forward.

Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons you learned from them?

My long-time mentors are Dr. Verdun Trione and fellow MGM MIRAGE Human Resources executive Miriam Hammond. From both I have learned that good leaders are humble and very diverse in their skills and knowledge. Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

I continue to teach a version of the same, adding that a true leader must first serve in order to lead. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My father. He is a very kind man, a saint on earth, who has a very special relationship with God. This relationship allows him to meet, interact with, and accept others where they are, physically and emotionally. No one is a stranger to him. What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

The Bible—the older I get, the more I understand and believe that its words do contain all the answers we seek. My favorite author is Dr. Wayne Dyer, who has become more spiritual as he has matured in life and practice. Both of these have touched my life, because both reinforce for me that being passionate means taking risks. They both help me better understand and live my life with the knowledge that if I change my thoughts, I can change my life and the lives of others. Both provide me with inner peace.

If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

I would ask that he strongly reconsider his views on the subjects of our position in Iraq, his position on our environment, and his position on the state of health insurance for our lower income families, especially those with children. All of these have great impact on our future.

Debbie Thomas Vice President of Human Resources

MGM Grand Detroit

What is your philosophy of life?

Go out on the skinny branch. Eleanor Roosevelt said we gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience when you really stop to look fear in the face. “You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Giving birth to my two daughters and watching them grow into incredibly wonderful human beings. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

I would have faced my fears earlier. I believe I have lost some ground, both professionally and personally. That being said, I don’t look back; I only go forward.

How are you involved in your community?

Recently moving to my new assignment in Detroit, Michigan, has not yet afforded me the opportunity to become involved. I do support our team member efforts in my community and look forward to working with youth programs, especially those related to literacy.

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Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

Lauren Gardener General Manager of North America HR

Microsoft

My last formal mentor was Tanya Clemons, corporate vice president of People and Organizational Capability. Tanya helped me learn how to navigate the inner workings of Microsoft when I first joined the company. Tanya also gave me career guidance, especially in helping me craft my own path. Do you teach anything different to those you

mentor? If so, what is it?

I believe strongly in reverse mentoring. That is to say, I believe it is important to learn as much from the mentee as the mentee learns from me. What is their story, both personally and professionally? How can I use this information to improve myself as a leader and to better educate them?

How are you involved with your community?

I tend to focus most of my personal efforts with my local church. My husband and I are currently leading its capital campaign, which is a new and exciting effort for us. Moreover, Microsoft’s Math Matters is a personal passion of mine since I believe we are letting too many children graduate without adequate math skills. I think that programs like Microsoft’s are absolutely vital to ensuring that high standards remain in place with better teaching techniques so that our children are equipped for the future marketplace. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

I believe that we need to reexamine our budgetary priorities. Personally, I am very concerned that we are spending too much on foreign endeavors instead of building a better domestic infrastructure. I think we should focus more on education and health care. What is your philosophy of life?

I would say my life philosophy is learn, have fun, and get things done! I do believe in the power of prayer! What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

Indirectly, my maternal grandfather had a large impact on me. As an African-American physician born in the 1890s, he inspired me to reach for the stars. Whenever I doubted my career ambitions, I remembered him and how daring he was for his time. What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

I’m a big fan of Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison, and in particular the Song of Solomon. Books with biblical overtones and deep irony have helped me reexamine my thinking of the African-American community. I’m an avid reader of the Bible and I constantly seek new ways to examine it. 90

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Personally, it’s being a proud mother and being blessed with a wonderful family. Professionally, it’s building a solid career at Microsoft. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

I would do very little differently. My mistakes have taught me more than my successes.

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Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

Lisa P. Jackson Commissioner

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

Two role models that I remember fondly were Dr. Bertha Wexler, a Jewish woman and my family pediatrician, and Fr. Dudley Darbonne, a black priest from my parish church. Simply by her presence, Dr. Wexler opened my eyes to the possibilities of life. Fr. Darbonne taught me that to fail is not the end of the world. Rather, it is an opportunity to learn and to experience the power of love and forgiveness.

Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

I try to impart the same lessons I learned: Do not fear failure, and keep an open mind about the possibilities in your life. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My mother, Marie Perez Rieras. Her faith in the power of a good education and her refusal to accept the notion that my race or sex would hold me back from accomplishing anything put me firmly on the path to my present success.

How are you involved with your community?

Most of my community involvement revolves around my sons. My husband Kenny and I stay engaged with their schoolwork and athletics. I also participate and help organize activities for my local Jack and Jill club. While I appreciate the diversity of my hometown’s population, I also think it’s important for Marcus and Brian to gain an understanding of and appreciation for our cultural and ethnic heritage. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

My first instinct would be to ask how his administration could so miserably fail the people of my hometown of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. But I suspect my concerns, like those of so many others, would fall on deaf ears and so I would probably respectfully decline the invitation. What is your philosophy of life?

“There, but for fortune, may go you or I.” What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Without a doubt, the fine young men my two sons have become. If given a chance, what would you do differently?

I don’t know that I’d do anything differently. Why would I want to tempt fate by changing anything?

What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

The top of the list is Toni Morrison’s Beloved. I relate to it on many levels—as an African-American, as a woman and, most particularly, as a mother. Another favorite is The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein. While described as a children’s book, it is an ageless lesson in what it means to love, and it gave me a great appreciation for the sacrifices my parents made as I was growing up.

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Commissioner Jackson speaking at a bill-signing ceremony this past summer. The gentleman in the background is New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine.

Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

I have always tried to adopt the highest qualities of individuals that cross my path, so my mentoring has been mostly an amalgamation of many professional traits and influences. I honestly can’t point to any individual mentor, but have enjoyed many people across many interests. Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

I believe that the Emotional Quotient (EQ) is one’s most important professional attribute. Sure, topflight education and training are important, but the application of what an individual has learned in the workplace is what makes one successful. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My late father John S. Watson was a statesman and community leader. He taught me the importance and value of giving to your community. With regard to my passion to protect New Jersey’s environment, I give credit to my uncles, who had me in the forest, along a stream, or out on a bay constantly. Those exposures make you understand the responsibility of individuals to be good stewards of our planet’s limited resources. What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold, is considered to be a landmark book in the conservation movement and integral in framing a “land ethic” as we still understand it today. Another is The Lorax. Though a children’s story written by Dr. Seuss nearly forty years ago, its applications ring true for anyone conservationminded today. The story has been a popular metaphor for those concerned about the human impact on the environment. How are you involved with your community?

I serve on a number of community organizations. The one that I am most involved with currently

is a mentoring program designed to expose high school students to practical applied sciences and relevant environmental issues and potential careers. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

How is it that, in just a few years, you have lost the goodwill of so much of the world toward our country?

John S. Watson Jr.

What is your philosophy of life?

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

Deputy Commissioner

I try my best to treat others like I expect to be treated. Seek personal excellence. Work hard. Play hard. Most often that is a good formula for everyday living. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Professionally, it is being appointed Deputy Commissioner of NJDEP, working under the first African American to serve as New Jersey’s top environmental official. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

I think that I would probably have taken advice better as a young man when I thought I knew everything. Looking back, now I know that I didn’t!

Deputy Commissioner Watson with a bald eagle monitored as part of New Jersey’s Threatened and Endangered Species Program.

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Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

George Nichols III Senior Vice President, Office of Governmental Affairs

New York Life

I would say my mentors include Jesus Christ, who showed us to lead by example and to serve others; my mother, who with a fourth grade education taught me that common sense was more important than book sense; my wife, who helps me find the good in everyone; and my previous bosses, who challenged me to be the best professional and taught me the importance of focusing on the details.

Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

I do not teach anything different than mentioned above, but the focus with those I mentor is how they apply those principles within their own lives. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My parents have had the most impact. My motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s philosophy was that it is better to be of good name than of great wealth. My father taught me the importance of personal responsibility.

If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

I want the President to understand that with great power comes great responsibility, and that our leadership should not be dictated by political philosophy, but instead be based on a humanitarian view, whereby all people should be respected for their cultural and social differences. I believe in a strong United States guided by the principles of our Constitution. We should use our power and resources to lift all boats of those who are of good intentions, and we should govern by faith and mutual respect. What is your philosophy of life?

Proverbs 3, 5 and 6: Trust in God with all thine heart and lean not to your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all that you do and he will direct thy path. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

It is the small contribution that I have made to the lives of my wife, children and people whom I have met and worked with. I pray I have helped make them better. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

The path that my life has taken has been wonderful. I believe my life is preordained, and with that comes happiness and an inner peace about my place in the world.

What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

The Bible provides direction for both my personal and professional life. Books that have had an impact on my career are Good to Great, The Art of War and Who Moved My Cheese? Each one provides approaches on how to navigate todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s workplace. How are you involved with your community?

I am actively involved in church and as a volunteer with community organizations. I also am in oversight roles with colleges and universities from which I hold degrees. 94

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George Nichols III visits Morristown Neighborhood House, an agency providing child-care and other services for families. It is one of the many nonprofit organizations that will benefit from the annual fundraising campaign at New York Life.

Robes St. Juste,

African-American BURGER KING ® Franchisee

WHO’S THE KING? Burger King Corporation is built on its employees and franchisees – their diversity, hard work and vision. From my first day on the job in the restaurant, I dreamt of owning my ® own business. I never realized BK restaurants would hold the answer to making my dream come true. Today, after 17 years as a franchisee, ® I own 15 BK restaurants and my relationship with Burger King Corporation continues to grow.

Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

Isobel Anderson

Sergeant

Ottawa Police Service

My first mentor was Phyllis Agnew, an elementary school teacher who saw an injustice being done to me. I was made to sing behind a curtain while a lighter skinned child mimed on stage. Phyllis’s words (“Never ever let anyone put you behind the curtain again.”) have stayed with me to this day. My mother taught me to seek the lesson behind every event and not only to learn from it but guide others.

Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

Ever since my daughter asked why God did not allow us to forget when we forgive, I answered that history would continue to repeat itself. I teach others that forgiveness takes the sting out of remembering. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My parents taught us to take pride in being ourselves and that one of the best ways to effect change is from within, by being educated.

How are you involved in your community?

I currently serve on three boards: Ontario Women In Law, Ottawa Community Immigrant Service Organization (OCISO) and Leadership Ottawa. I believe that in order to police effectively, you must have a relationship with the community. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

That he should find more balance in his approach. People who chose to live in North America should not suffer for resembling people who are trying to harm Americans. What is your philosophy of life?

I do not allow the world to define what I should be as a person. I have a choice as to how the new chapters of my life will be written, and how I will respond to what happens to me. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

In 1978, I crashed the gate of apartheid to become the first black police officer to join the white ranks of the Rhodesian Police Force; in those days there were two rank structures—one for whites and one for blacks. I led my community into an arena where they had never had a voice before. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

I cannot think of anything I would do differently. Life to me is a gift, and I try to live every day without regret, using life’s lessons to help me navigate the future. If we leave large enough footprints, others can follow without faltering.

What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

Two recent favorites are The Book of Negroes, by Lawrence Hill, and The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell.

Sergeant Anderson mentoring community members.

Pro f i les i n Di ve rsit y Journal

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Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

My mentor was and still is my mother Phyllis. She taught me that I could achieve anything I wanted, as long as I pursued it with passion and dedication. She led by example, earning her nursing license at the age of 50. Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

I teach those I mentor that they and only they set the standard for how others will treat them. We need to take pride in ourselves. Stand tall! This will allow us to remember that the prize is straight ahead and within reach. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

we proudly serve. When I am not speaking or mentoring youth, I am out recruiting co-workers, community members and family to participate in community fundraisers. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

I would suggest to the President that our number one priority is the family unit. A healthy family positively changes our world.

Debbie Miller

Sergeant

Ottawa Police Service

My mother had the most impact on my life. As a new immigrant and single parent raising four young children, she made sure that all of us understood the importance of getting a good education.

What is your philosophy of life?

What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

One of my favorite books is The Book of Negroes, by Lawrence Hill. This book allowed me to appreciate and understand the struggle and perseverance of my people. It showed that giving up is never an option. My second favorite book is Leadership Wisdom from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, by Robin S. Sharma. This book provides insight into becoming a visionary leader inspiring others to want to make a difference.

We are all responsible for our own destiny, and giving up is not an option when things get hard. I have been blessed with several important and rewarding accomplishments. My family, my promotion to the rank to the rank of Sergeant and lastly, being awarded the 2007 Ontario Women in Law Enforcement (OWLE) Mentorship award. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

I would have taken the time to enjoy being a youth, instead of having to grow up so fast.

How are you involved in your community?

I am an avid community volunteer. I mentor schoolaged kids by teaching them to read and being a guest speaker on topics such as peer pressure, bullying, drugs and alcohol abuse. I also volunteer my time as an Ottawa Police Outreach Recruiter. I truly believe that our police service should be a true reflection of the community Volunteering at Jaku Konbit kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; summer camp 2007, in Ottawa. Prof iles in Div er s it y Jou r na l

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Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

What are your two favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

Father Thomas Swade, the founder of Link Unlimited and a Catholic priest, was instrumental in the development of my moral compass. I was mentored by Dr. Adrienne Bailey as part of the Link Unlimited program, which Tracy Carmen-Jones got me thinking about proVice President, Retail fessions. Community Marketing From a professional and Involvement standpoint, Carla Hills, the Reliant Energy Inc. managing partner at the law firm Latham, Watkins, and Hills where I worked while attending Georgetown, was also a mentor. Key lessons I’ve learned include the need to put in the work to create high impact results, being true to oneself, treating people genuinely and being willing to evaluate things from multiple perspectives.

In Search of Satisfaction, by J. California Cooper, is one of my favorites. This fictitious story shows how the definition and pursuit of satisfaction differs greatly from one person to another. From Good to Great, by Jim Collins, is another favorite. Collins teases out the drivers and concepts behind some of the most successful companies in American and how to apply the concepts in the workplace. How are you involved with your community?

As the leader of Reliant’s community marketing efforts, I create and implement programs for ethnic groups, seniors and low income persons throughout Texas. I mentor a new student as part of the Link Unlimited program, and I’m involved in mentoring as part of the Texas Executive Women organization. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

I would suggest that we develop a strong educational Do you teach anything different to those you mentor?  emphasis to provide high quality instruction and resources to all schools, irrespective of the tax base and If so, what is it? I impart lessons that are similar to those I learned attentiveness of the parents. from Father Swade and Carla Hills. I also include lessons about being clear on what you want and having What is your philosophy of life? Live life as a demonstration that God is alive the will to make things happen. and walking among the living. Go after what you Who in your family had the most impact on your want out of life with an unwavering focus and commitment. upbringing and success? My grandmother, mom and dad have had the most impact on my upbringing. My grandmother and What is your most rewarding accomplishment? mother taught me the love of life and the ability to be Being a part of a strong family that loves, nurtures and supports each other. positive, even in the face of adversity. My dad fostered a strong work ethic, perseverance and the ability to keep pushing forward that lives with If given the chance, what would you do differently? Worry less, laugh more and genuinely contribute me today. more fully in every interaction.

Pro f i les i n Di ve rsit y Journal

january/February 2008

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Who are/were your mentors? What were the lessons learned from them?

My father was my mentor. We used to talk every Sunday morning, and after he passed away, I learned that he kept notes from our conversations. In addition to many other parts of my life, he chronicled my career and kept notes on all Ginny Clarke my bosses, important meetings and presentations that Partner, Global Leader, I had. He was helping me Diversity Practice drive my career by staying Spencer Stuart in touch with the details. My father taught me to tell people what I want. Don’t assume that doing a good job is enough. You have to say what it is that you are seeking and tell people what you can bring to the table. Do you teach anything different to those you mentor?  If so, what is it?

I tell them that every aspect of your life is about communicating. You have to assess yourself and your current position and tell your manager what kind of job or assignment you want next. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My mother had a huge impact on my life and my success. She was a bold, confident woman who balanced her professional life with motherhood and parenting. She was an incredible role model and supporter. What are your favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

One of my favorite books is The Fifth Discipline, by Peter M. Senge. It talks about the corporation as a learning organization and how it must be adaptable, like a living organism, in order to truly optimize its talent. 100

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How are you involved with your community?

I support a handful of different charities, including my alma maters. However, my involvement in my community begins at home with my son. If I bring my son into the world as someone who is discerning, kind, fearless and committed to serving others, then that’s the greatest gift I can give my community. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

I would ask why we haven’t been able to eliminate hunger in America and genocide in other parts of the world. Given that we are the global power, we should be able to influence these and many other world ills. What is your philosophy of life?

I create my own choices for my life and I try to live without fear. So whatever comes to me, it is to some extent of my own making. I own it and I deal with it without being afraid. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Becoming a partner at Spencer Stuart. I work with a high quality and very committed group of people. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

Early in my career, I sometimes felt the need to hold back so I could get by and be included. Now my view is, “Let me tell you what I think and how I feel.”

Who are/were your mentors?

I am fortunate to have interacted with numerous individuals who provided me with guidance. The one who perhaps served more as a mentor than the others is a gentleman who recruited me to Pennsylvania Blue Shield named Robert L. Owens. A retired U.S. Air Force Major, Mr. Owens provided me with lessons that were obvious; and some that were not so obvious. Do you teach anything different to those you mentor?  If so, what is it?

Those that I assist receive the same messages I did. The delivery mechanism is different, but the message is the same. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My parents had the biggest impact on my development. However, when she passed at age 104, my maternal grandmother was the oldest living graduate of South Carolina State University. Both sets of grandparents strongly endorsed the concept of education. As a result, I have numerous aunts and uncles whose successes I tried to emulate. What are your favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

My reading patterns are quite eclectic. I list among my favorite authors James Baldwin, Alex Hailey, James Clavell, Robert Ludlum, Walter Mosely, W.E.B. Griffin and John Sandford. In truth, the list could go on and on. How are you involved with your community?

My community service activities have been varied. Past activities include coaching youth and club soccer, vice chairman of a community college’s board of trustees, chairing the local American Red Cross chapter’s board of directors, and chairing a regional United Negro College Fund telethon. Currently, in addition to being a member of the local United Way board and conducting free dental clinics for economically challenged children,

I have elected to take a behind the scenes approach by directing corporate funds to those groups I believe are the most deserving. If you were to have lunch with the President of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

I would suggest his administration develop a means to reduce the economic stress currently being endured by an overwhelming majority of United States citizens. What is your philosophy of life?

Harlon L. Robinson Corporate Vice President, Human Resources & Administration

United Concordia Companies Inc.

Work hard. Be ethical. Enjoy life. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

In addition to being a responsible husband and father, I am happy to have been effective in corporate America without sacrificing my personal values. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

I would have worked harder on my natural science courses and pursued admission to medical school.

United Concordia’s Harlon Robinson (second from right) joins Phoenix colleagues to plan one of many free clinics offered throughout the country each year for uninsured and underinsured children and adults in need of dental services. Prof iles in Div er s it y Jou r na l

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This year, resolve to…

Learn your co-workers’ MicroTriggers!

icroTriggers are those subtle behaviors, phrases and inequities that trigger an instantaneous negative response. Here are some samples for you to consider.

“None of the Above” Recently, I was pulled over by a police officer for a minor traffic violation. In writing my citation, the officer needed to specify my race. He asked, ‘What ethnicity are you?’ I replied, ‘I am biracial.’ He completed the form, gave me my copy and I was off. “I reviewed the form when I got home and noticed in the ethnicity box the officer checked Black. That was not my trigger, because that is what I would have checked. However, I was triggered by the fact that the officer made that assumption instead of just asking me my preference or simply checking Other.” —Anonymous, Richmond, VA

“

Rush to Judgement I work as an administrative assistant for a high-end construction company, and I am the only minority in the company. I come to work every day, and I am always reliable and professional. “One day last week, a coworker approached me and asked if I had seen the hot chocolate. I replied no, and that I really didn’t care for hot chocolate.

“

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“But the part that angers me most is the constant comments that ‘my position here is helping the company to meet their diversity quota.’” “She then asked if I was sure that I had not seen the hot chocolate. Again, I said no, and as she walked away, she said that the Mexican cleaning ladies must have stolen it. That is what set me off—her assuming that all minorities steal.” —T. M., Bethesda, MD Following are some thoughtprovoking stories from a recent MicroTriggers workshop held for female managers at a manufacturing company in Memphis, Tennessee: What About the “Jerk” Quota? I am a female manager in a maledominated industry. I work in a plant environment and, unfortunately, it is exactly what people say plants are like. There is foul language, offensive jokes—all of that. But the part that angers me most is the constant comments that ‘my position here is helping the company to meet their diversity quota.’ I worked hard to get here, and I work even harder to tolerate this woman-unfriendly environment.” —Anonymous, Memphis, TN

“

january/February 2008

Because I Said So… It burns me up when people do not accept my decision until my manager or someone with more authority states that they agree with my decision.” —Anonymous, Memphis, TN

“

No One Notices a Job Well Done... Hard work and long hours have become commonplace for me. I have put in 12-hour days for two months straight without any time off. But recently I was one hour late to a 6 a.m. meeting, and someone commented, “Day shifters have got it good.” It makes me want to scream when people only track the rare times that you are late, but do NOT acknowledge the majority of the time that you work your butt off for the company.” —Anonymous, Memphis, TN

“

PDJ Janet Crenshaw Smith is president of Ivy Planning Group LLC, a consulting and training firm that specializes in diversity strategy and leadership. Her book is titled, MicroTriggers: 58 Little Things That Have a Big Impact. Have a MicroTrigger story to share? Send it to: JSmith@ivygroupllc.com

In 2007 our difference

made a difference.

Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to

Ivy Planning Group : Strategy and Training : www.IVYGROUPLLC.com : 877.448.9477

Bank of the West. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 www.bankofthewest.com

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Wal-Mart. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 49 www.walmart.com

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Inside Front, pg 1

Owens & Minor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 www.owens-minor.com

Waste Management . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back www.wm.com

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PepsiCo, Inc. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 67 www.pepsico.com

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Pfizer, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 www.pfizer.com

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True Power Is Wielded Quietly. When I look in the eyes of the people, I feel their arms wrapped around me. Every day is a gift and I never forget that.

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