Diversity Journal - Nov/Dec 2014

® NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

$5.95

All Things Diversity & Inclusion

WHAT TODAY’S

DIVERSITY LEADERSHIP LOOKS LIKE 25 Top DOs on the Evolution of the Role GEORGE RAMIREZ

Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer MUFG Union Bank, N.A. Hispanic Heritage Month stories from Bank of America, Century Link, and more

+

Gracias a ti,

we are transforming health care.

At WellPoint, the leading health benefits company covering over 35 million Americans, your diverse and innovative ideas can help transform health care. We have nine associate resource groups, including SOMOS, that are helping us develop diverse talent and promote unique perspectives in an inclusive work environment where we can all contribute to addressing the health care needs of our customers and our communities.

Join the transformation – what makes you unique makes us stronger.

Better health care, thanks to you.

For more information, visit: www.wellpoint.com/careers

® Profiles in Diversity Journal. ® Registered Trademark, WellPoint, Inc. © 2014 WellPoint, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

EOE. M/F/Disability/Veteran.

Since 1999

PUBLISHER'S COLUMN

®

All Things Diversity & Inclusion FOUNDER/CEO/PUBLISHER

James R. Rector

A Year of Change

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Kathie Sandlin COPY EDITOR

Teresa Fausey DESIGN & LAYOUT

Dave Potokar

The Profiles in Diversity Journal Diversity Leader issue is a special one. Each year, we recognize organizations that are taking steps to foster best-in-class environments for diversity and inclusion. This year, we’ve expanded our recognition to include someone who has had a tremendous hand in this work—the Chief Diversity Officer.

You see, over the past 16 years, work environments and markets have been transformed by globalization, technological advancements, and shifting demographics. Diversity leaders help the rest of us understand and respond to those changes. With their guidance, workplaces are continuing to evolve.

Our magazine is evolving too.

Throughout 2015, the Journal will explore the evolution of our roles as diversity practitioners in greater depth. We’ll also develop exciting new ways to support and highlight the diversity and inclusion efforts of our corporate partners. Our coverage is also becoming more inclusive. Case in point: our annual celebration of Hispanic Leadership, which you’ll find in this very issue.

For years, we’ve highlighted Hispanic business leaders as a way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month—and we’re doing that again in this issue. But this segment of our population has grown tremendously (43 percent since the last US Census), and we wanted to broaden our coverage. So, in this issue, you’ll meet Pedro Lichtinger, a huge success in the pharmaceutical industry, who is reaching out to help Hispanic teens and young professionals succeed; and Alvi Seda, who’s recruiting students from diverse high schools and colleges for opportunities with the National Park Service’s Student Conservation Association—and building a new generation of environmental leaders.

Evolving our editorial content to meet your changing goals and needs is one of the reasons our readership has already grown threefold since just last year—and why we’re so excited about the year ahead!

We’re proud to work with organizations like yours that champion diverse and inclusive cultures, and we look forward to sharing your stories of achievement and helping you connect with new audiences in 2015.

Have a happy and prosperous New Year!

James R. Rector, Publisher and Founder profiles@diversityjournal.com

VP OF OPERATIONS

James Gorman

HUMAN RESOURCES

Vicky DePiore

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Elena Rector

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Alanna Klapp Noelle Bernard

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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twitter.com/diversityjrnl scribd.com/diversityjournal facebook.com/diversityjournal linkedin.com/diversity-journal Profiles in Diversity Journal® is a bimonthly magazine dedicated to promoting and advancing diversity and inclusion in the corporate, government, nonprofit, higher education, and military sectors. For more than 16 years, we have helped to stimulate organizational change by showcasing the visionary leadership, innovative programs, and committed individuals that are making it happen.

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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IN THIS ISSUE

Since 1999

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®

06 | COVER STORY

Our 2015 Diversity

Leadership Awards

offers us a chance to

highlight extremely

effective ambassadors,

including MUFG Union Bank's George Ramirez.

All Things Diversity & Inclusion

REGULARS

01 04 76

| PUBLISHER’S COLUMN | EDITOR’S NOTE | CORPORATE INDEX

Photos by Melissa Jacobs.

A CELEBRATION OF HISPANIC LEADERSHIP

39| A TRADITION OF HARD WORK

AND ACHIEVEMENT

October was Hispanic Heritage month, and PDJ is celebrating by giving a number of outstanding professionals the opportunity to share their perspectives on leadership, giving back, and the values that help fuel their success.

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66| USING THE POWER OF YOU

56| HISPANIC YOUTH OUTREACH AND

DIVERSITY AS CORPORATE CULTURE

An interview with international pharmaceutical executive Pedro Lichtinger

61 | CULTIVATING RELATIONSHIPS

ACROSS COMMUNITIES

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39

One of New York Life’s highest producing Latina’s on the strategy that keeps her out front

BP grows its programs to connect with Hispanic professionals, customers, and vendors

71 | MORE THAN A MATTER

OF LANGUAGE

After 30 years of service,

CenturyLink’s Bilingual

Customer Service represents

more than a customer connection

70 | INVESTING IN THE

HISPANIC COMMUNITY

What Bank of America has learned in serving its 8.3 million Hispanic customers

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

NONPROFITS

60 | THE STUDENT CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION

One of the many ways the National Park Service is bringing new talent to the conservation field

7th Annual

06 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

54 | HOW BOARDS CAN REAP THE

REWARDS OF DIVERSITY

Catalyst on the 10 ways boards can include more talented women and minorities

58 | THE “R” WORDS

Nadine Vogel on the best way to recruit and retain individuals with disabilities

68 | THE MIDDLE MANAGEMENT CONVERSION

There’s a secret to better engaging middle management

EDUCATION

73 | PREPARING STUDENTS FOR SUCCESS

International students find a

world of opportunity at

Niagara University’s College

of Hospitality and Tourism Management

75 | DEVELOPING THE NEXT

GENERATION OF CDOS

Oliver Tomlin on why continuity in this role is important, especially in higher education

DIVERSITY LEADERSHIP AWARDS 08 | Army & Air Force Exchange Service (The Exchange) Major General Joseph S. Ward 10 | Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Amal Berry-Brown 16 | Citigroup, Inc. Ana Duarte McCarthy 12 | Coca-Cola Enterprises Thais Compoint 19 | Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Joseph Searles 26 | Ingersoll Rand Nereida (Neddy) Perez

31 | PNC Financial Services Marsha Jones 32 | Reed Smith LLP Tyree P. Jones, Jr. 33 | Ryder System, Inc. Kirk Imhof 14 | The Walt Disney Company Paul Richardson 34 | United Rentals Lizabeth Czepiel 35 | Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield John Forsyth SMALL TO MID-SIZED COMPANIES (UNDER 3,000 EMPLOYEES)

21 | Government of Manitoba Sam Grande 23 | HARMAN International, Inc. Christi Downes 24 | Health Care Service Corporation Anuradha Hebbar

09 | Ballard Spahr LLP Mark S. Stewart 20 | Fennemore Craig, P.C. Phillip F. Fargotstein 22 | Fish & Richardson Ahmed Davis

27 | KPMG LLP Kathy Hannan

15 | IHS Automotive Marc Bland

28 | Latham & Watkins LLP Nadia S. Sager

29 | Legg Mason Joyce L. Ulrich

13 | MUFG Union Bank George Ramirez

37 | WilsonHCG Marisol Hughes

30 | New York Life Insurance Company Joanne Rodgers

36 | WilmerHale Kenneth Imo

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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EDITOR'S NOTE

Missing a BEAT You don’t need Dickens’s ghosts to clarify your life for you.

A heart attack will do it.

Like many of the businesses we serve, we run a pretty lean operation here at Profiles in Diversity Journal.

Smaller, leaner organizations like ours represent a tremendous portion of our economic engine.

In fact, according to the US Small Business Administration, they provide 55% of all new jobs each year—and 66% of all net jobs since the 1970s.

These small and lean organizations are like tightly balanced ecosystems. In each, the energy created by its team—and the interdependency of its members— keeps it vital and alive.

But I hadn’t thought fully about the organic nature of our success, or the importance of the way we interconnect, until I had a heart attack in October. To say it was a clarifying event (on a lot of levels) is an understatement.

It wasn’t a big one, and I fully intended to “be just fine.” However, for awhile, it left me broken and confused. The more I struggled to get back into the swing of things, the worse things got.

Many of you who have spoken with me over the past year know my story, and are not surprised that there was a cardiac event on

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my horizon. The year had not been kind to me: the week I joined the Journal as its Editor in Chief, I lost my daughter to a stroke. I spent the large part of 2014 trying to put my life back together, while I simultaneously finding my way in this new role. This magazine became my focus and therapy, two things I sorely needed.

One year later—on the first anniversary of my daughter’s death—my body reacted by finally shutting down, heart first.

But I wasn’t the only one that re-felt the loss.

Unfortunately, when one team member languishes and loses his or her energy, the entire ecosystem of the organization suffers. For two long months, my staff members watched and waited—and continued to encourage—as I wrestled with the effects of this event on my mind and body. It had brought my life to a standstill, and unfortunately, our work nearly to a halt.

It could have crushed us as an organization, but it did not. Here we are—the magazine late, but published.

So what does this have to do with workforce diversity?

Everything.

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

Diversity is so much more than the colors, gender identities, or other physical variations within the vast human rainbow that we usually think of when we use “diverse” to describe our workforce. It goes far beyond the “boxes”—those hard and fast social constructs by which we often categorize individuals. Diversity is elastic. It stretches to embrace our experiences, our strengths, and our weaknesses—our challenges and our victories—and all the invisible differences that make us, and our perspectives, unique.

My perspective has certainly been altered by the experiences of 2014. I believe those of my team members have been, too. I also believe this shared experience will help make us a more focused, inclusive, and much stronger team in 2015.

And we hope to never again miss a beat!

Kathie Sandlin, Editor in Chief ksandlin@diversityjournal.com

PEOPLE. PASSION. PURPOSE. At Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our long-term success. We believe that diversity of experiences, ideas, cultures and beliefs enable us to deliver on our promise of exceptional service to our members. Integrity is the basis for everything we do, and when we make a commitment to promote an inclusive culture — we work hard to deliver on our word. By focusing on our people, their passions and our shared purpose, we can do great things. We are proud of our workforce, and will continue to be an employer where differences are welcome.

Wellmark.com Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield is an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Š2014 Wellmark, Inc. 4814

Who is Leading

The 7th Annual Diversity Leader Award

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ach year, Profiles in Diversity Journal recognizes organizations that are advancing the evolution of diversity and inclusion with our Diversity Leader Award.

These companies continually use the expertise of their diversity team in new ways to help them meet the challenges of today’s business environment.

Our 2015 Diversity Leader Award also celebrates outstanding diversity officers and chief diversity ambassadors whose work to leverage the power of their companies diverse workforce is instrumental to their busines’s success.

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PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

Congratulations to our

the Way? Army & Air Force Exchange Service (The Exchange) • Major General Joseph S. Ward, USAF, Deputy Director Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan • Amal Berry-Brown, Chief Diversity Officer Citigroup, Inc. • Ana Duarte McCarthy, Managing Director and Chief Diversity Officer, Citi Coca-Cola Enterprises • Thais Compoint, Associate Director, Diversity and Inclusion, Europe Excellus BlueCross BlueShield • Joseph Searles, Corporate Director of Workforce Inclusion Ingersoll Rand • Nereida (Neddy) Perez , Vice President of Global Diversity and Inclusion Government of Manitoba • Sam Grande, Manager, Diversity and Inclusion Unit HARMAN International, Inc. • Christi Downes, Vice President, Global Talent Management and Diversity Health Care Service Corporation • Anuradha Hebbar, Divisional Vice President, Center for Diversity and Inclusion

KPMG LLP • Kathy Hannan, National Managing Partner, Diversity and Corporate Responsible Latham & Watkins LLP • Nadia S. Sager, Partner, Chair of the Diversity Leadership Committee MUFG Union Bank • George Ramirez, Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer

2015 Diversity Leader Award Winners:

United Rentals • Lizabeth Czepiel, Leadership Development Specialist Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield • John Forsyth, Chief Executive Officer SMALL TO MID-SIZED COMPANIES (UNDER 3,000 EMPLOYEES) Ballard Spahr LLP • Mark S. Stewart, Chair

New York Life Insurance Company • Joanne Rodgers, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer PNC Financial Services • Marsha Jones, Executive Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer Reed Smith LLP • Tyree P. Jones, Jr., Director of Global Diversity and Inclusion Ryder System, Inc. • Kirk Imhof, Group Director, Culture, Diversity and Inclusion, and Engagement The Walt Disney Company • Paul Richardson, Senior Vice President, Human Resources ESPN and Chief Diversity Officer, The Walt Disney Company

Fennemore Craig, P.C. • Phillip F. Fargotstein, Chief Diversity Officer Fish & Richardson • Ahmed Davis, Principal and National Chair of Diversity Initiative IHS Automotive • Marc Bland, Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion Legg Mason • Joyce L. Ulrich, Managing Director and Chief Information Officer WilsonHCG • Marisol Hughes, Senior Director of Corporate Affairs and General Counsel WilmerHale • Kenneth Imo, Director of Diversity

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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2015 DIVERSITY LEADERS

For one of the largest retail organizations in the US, diversity is key to its mission to serve America’s military families, wherever they may be, says Deputy Director Major General Joseph S. Ward, USAF

Army & Air Force Exchange Service (The Exchange) Headquarters: Dallas, Texas CEO: Thomas C. Shull Employees: 29,000 civilian and

military personnel Recent Recognition Includes: • Military Times, Best for Vets: Employer, 2014 • MilitaryFriendly.com , Top 50 Military Spouse-Friendly Employers, 2014 • Military Spouse and G.I. Job, Top Employer of Military Spouses (Ranked #1), 2014 • LATINA Style, 50 Best Companies for Latinas, 2013 • U.S. Veterans Magazine, Top Veteran-Friendly Companies “Best of the Best,” 2013 • The State of Texas Office of the Governor, Lex Frieden Employment Award (for disabilities in the workplace), 2013 • Texas Diversity Council, Corporate Leadership Award, 2013 2014 Corporation of the Year

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The Exchange operates on military installations in all 50 states, five US territories, and more than 30 countries. The community we serve consists of active-duty service members, military retirees, and their families. When military members deploy to remote locations around the world, the Exchange is with them, offering products and services to bring troops a taste of home.

In the words of our CEO, Thomas Shull, “The Exchange is at its best when it draws on the talents of all associates. Diversity and inclusion are at the core of our culture and represent the strength of our organization. We must continue our journey to recruit, hire, promote, and retain a diverse and inclusive workforce in order to create business advantages and opportunities for growth.”

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

Our greatest opportunity for impact within our organization is at the field level. In today’s diverse and changing world, our customer base is diverse, as is our workforce. Our challenge is to drive associate behavior in our stores, using the lens of Diversity and Inclusion, to better serve our customers, regardless of race, gender or background.

Our mission is to go above and beyond in service, and to remain relevant in the minds and hearts of our customers. We see the most synergy when we recognize the diverse heritage and culture of our workforce worldwide, and when we push D&I Initiatives, which cultivate professional and personal growth and inclusion, out to our associates at the field level. PDJ

This law firm is taking a focused and farsighted approach to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and beyond, says Chair and Diversity Champion Mark S. Stewart.

Since becoming firm Chair nearly four years ago, my role in championing diversity has grown. More important, my motivation for doing so has evolved: In this position, I have come to realize that I will never understand the world unless I hear from people who see it differently. The drive to foster an inclusive environment is changing the way we think about and pursue diversity.

I encourage the firm to look at all aspects of our work, business development, and community involvement through a diversity lens. I direct our recruiters to look for diverse talent to ensure that a variety of perspectives is represented at all levels. Our partners make sure to include diverse associates in client meetings and business development activities. And, we are influencing the next generation.

Engaging diverse youth is key to creating a more representative profession.

I worked with colleagues on a team that partnered with the School District of Philadelphia, the National Constitu-

tion Center, and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History to open Constitution High School in 2006. Our groundbreaking pipeline partnership with this magnet school—the student body is 80 percent minority—offers lawyer mentoring, job shadowing, summer internships, mock trial coaching, and an annual scholarship given to a student interested in pursuing a career in law.

Ballard Spahr’s diversity and inclusion efforts don’t simply advance diverse lawyers—they elevate the entire firm. A diverse team is better equipped to generate creative solutions to complicated problems, because it will consider a variety of perspectives in handling complex class action litigation, determining the best way to defend a trademark, or closing a real estate development deal. I want our diverse lawyers to know that the perspectives and insights they contribute are uniquely valuable to all of us at the firm and to our clients. PDJ

Ballard Spahr LLP Headquarters: Philadelphia, PA Chief Diversity Officer: Virginia G. Essandoh Employees: 1,119 Recent Recognition Includes: • Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF), Gold Standard Certification, 2011–2014 • Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession, Honor Roll of Legal Organizations Welcoming Women, 2013 • The American Lawyer Survey of Women Equity Partners, Ranked No. 2, 2013 • Maryland Legal Aid’s Equal Justice Council Pacesetter Award, 2014 & 2013 • Justice William J. Brennan Jr. Award-Philadelphia VIP, April 2014 • Bright Beginnings - Pro Bono Champion for Children, 2013

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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2015 DIVERSITY LEADERS

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s Chief Diversity Officer Amal Berry-Brown has seen the organization take big steps in 2014 to meeting its long-term goals.

BCBSM has a long history of commitment to diversity and inclusion across all aspects of our Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Headquarters: Detroit, Michigan CEO: Daniel J. Loepp Employees: 7,651 Recent Recognition Includes: • DiversityInc, Top 10 Regional Companies List, #8 • SASHE, LLC, Great Companies for Women in Metro Detroit, #2 • DiversityBusiness.com, Top 50 Organizations for Multicultural Business Opportunities • Diversity MBA Magazine, 50 Out Front for Diversity Leadership: Best Places for Diverse & Women Managers to Work, #8 • Diversity MBA Magazine, Top 10 Best in Class winner in the areas of Representation, Succession Planning, and Accountability • DiversityBusiness.com, America’s Top Organizations for Multicultural Business Opportunities

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enterprise. Our opportunity for greatest impact is in the implementation of our long-term diversity and inclusion strategic plan.

We developed our three-year Corporate Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan (2014–2016) at the end of last year in collaboration with the Diversity Leadership Council—a team of executive staff from each division within our organization focused on delivering and executing D&I initiatives throughout BCBSM. The plan identifies three corporate objectives and includes five corporate diversity strategic pillars: Members, Leadership, Workforce, Culture, and Community.

Strategies, approaches, and metrics have been developed for each of the five pillars, which link to BCBSM’s long-term goals.

Over the past year, we also: • Delivered diversity training to over 1,000 employees. This included hosting four Diversity Learning Labs on topics such as Exploring Unconscious Bias and Network Level Communications.

• Held our Celebrate Diversity Expo

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

in the month of August. The month-long Expo gave us opportunities to celebrate the many distinct cultures, backgrounds and individuals represented throughout our company. An estimated 2,200 employees attended the event, which included 36 mini-workshops and webinars presented at nine different BCBSM locations.

• Started an internal mentoring program with 14 senior level executives serving as our inaugural mentors.

• Held more than 30 learning forums/events through our Employee Resource Networks (ERNs), and increased the number of ERNs we sponsor from five to seven.

Our Corporate Diversity Strategic Plan will continue to allow us to focus on opportunities to meet our objectives of tying diversity and inclusion to business outcomes, attracting and developing a diverse and culturally competent workforce, and helping to reduce health care disparities among diverse communities. PDJ

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Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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2015 DIVERSITY LEADERS

For the world’s third largest independent Coca Cola bottler, fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace has been the key to better engagement, says Associate Director Diversity & Inclusion Europe Thais Compoint.

Coca-Cola Enterprises Headquarters: Middlesex, United Kingdom CEO: John Brock Employees: 11,906 Recent Recognition Includes: • Best Place to Work in Belgium, 2013 • Best European Diversity Team of the Year, 2013 • Washburne Award for Innovation in Diversity (France), 2013 • Race for Opportunity Award (UK), nominated, 2013 • Profiles in Diversity Journal, Diversity Innovation Award, Honorable Mention, 2013

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My role as a D&I practitioner has definitely evolved in a positive way over the past five years. Before, the focus of the work was more on managing reputational risks and opportunities, and aligning with the increasingly demanding legislation related to D&I topics in Europe. The subject was seen as an HR or CRS topic, and programs were more one-shot and less interlinked with business challenges.

Today, with all the demographic changes that are taking place, the business case for D&I becomes more and more robust. The latest neuroscience research on unconscious bias explains why a diverse and inclusive workforce isn’t as “naturally occurring” as we’d like it to be. Social psychology research and change management techniques have helped us to create more effective tools to promote D&I. That’s why, at Coca Cola Enterprises, D&I is high on the business agenda.

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

We’re succeeding at creating a movement where business leaders see the benefits of (and take responsibility for) creating a diverse and inclusive working environment. We’re focusing our efforts more and more on fostering an inclusive culture, as opposed to just increasing diversity numbers. And we’re seeing a strong link between D&I and engagement.

While D&I in the workplace and in the community remains our major focus, we’re also starting to tackle diversity issues in our market place, and helping to strengthen our relationships with customers and suppliers, in particular with the temporary labor agencies.

Finally, as we make progress in gender diversity, we’re increasingly broadening the focus to other D&I strands, such as work-life integration and generational diversity. PDJ

For this global financial leader, diversity is its competitive edge, and creating a relatable D&I strategy across a growing global footprint will be its next big challenge, says Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer George Ramirez.

In July 2014, our parent company, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG) integrated operations in the Americas. We became MUFG Union Bank, and my role changed dramatically. I now have the opportunity to guide the overall direction of the bank’s global D&I strategy.

Today, my focus is on intentional inclusive behavior at all levels. This means that decision-makers and leaders within the organization have an opportunity to develop talent through an inclusionary lens. For example, at MUFG Union Bank, we take pride in our diverse workforce. Of the nearly 14,000 employees who make up our vast organization, 56 percent are women and 56 percent are ethnically diverse. Within those two groups are many other dimensions of diversity— culture, religion, sexual preference, and so on. We’re definitely diverse, but what’s important is how we leverage that diversity. By applying intentional inclusive behavior, our executives are

taking the time to ask themselves, “Who should I focus on, who is ready for the next big assignment, or a promotion.” It’s an opportunity to help develop talent even more and prepare employees for their next career moves.

Another example of how we intend to examine more challenges through a D&I lens was crystallized during a recent gathering of our HR colleagues from around the world. Our purpose was to discuss the issues faced by various regions, and identify D&I challenges and opportunities on a global scale. What we discovered in the course of our meeting—the real resounding message—was that we need to be regionally relevant in our work.

The next phase in our company evolution must be to create a D&I strategy that is relatable to tens of thousands of employees on a global scale.

It’s an exciting time for MUFG Union Bank. There is so much potential to make a difference in how we shape our future as a company, and the

future of diversity and inclusion in general. PDJ

MUFG Union Bank Headquarters: New York, New York CEO: Katsumi Hatao Employees: Approximately 13,700 in the Americas Recent Recognition Includes: • San Francisco Business Times, Best Places to Work in the Bay Area (#9), 2014 • DiversityInc magazine, Top 10 Regional Companies for Diversity (#3, fourth consecutive year on list), 2014 • Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, Corporate Equality Index, 100 percent (perfect score) and Best Places to Work recognition, 2014 • Profiles in Diversity Journal, Diversity Leader Award, 2014 • Elevate National ERG Summit, Top 10 Best ERGs, 2014

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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2015 DIVERSITY LEADERS

The entertainment heavyweight has a comprehensive, integrated approach to diversity that is driven from the very top and rooted in valuing the people they serve, sell to, engage, and employ, says SVP of Human Resources for ESPN and Chief Diversity Officer, The Walt Disney Company, Paul Richardson.

The Walt Disney Company Headquarters: Burbank, California CEO: Robert A. Iger Employees: 175,000 Recent Recognition Includes: • Fortune’s Most Admired Companies, 2013 • HRC, Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality, past 8 years • Families and Work Institute, Veterans Employment Transition (VET) Award, past 2 years • Diversity Inc., Top 50 Company for Diversity • Taproot Foundation, Golden Root Award, 2014 • Women Business Enterprise Council–West, 2014 Corporation of the Year

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The Walt Disney Company (TWDC) understands the benefits of leveraging the business insights and perspectives of a diverse, highly engaged workforce in driving business results. To understand and meet the needs of diverse consumers, guests, fans, and viewers, our opinions, products, and perspectives must include a multitude of ideas, sensibilities, and experiences. As a company, we work intentionally to attract and retain employees who reflect the diverse world we live in and serve.

Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO of TWDC states, “Diversity is not only important, it is a core strategy for the company. In order for the company to thrive, we must fully reflect the people of this world and the places where we do business…. The company’s success is tied in so many ways with its ability to succeed with diversity.”

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

Our team of talented and motivated employees enables TWDC to respond more quickly and instinctively to marketplace trends and consumer demands shaped by demographic shifts, be first to market with creative assets and entertainment products that appeal to every family—regardless of background, and enhance our reputation as an “employer of choice” among best-in-class diverse talent.

One of our greatest challenges is the ongoing competition for talent. Our workforce is constantly changing. So, the challenge to deliver to prospective and current employees an employment proposition that helps us attract, develop, and retain the best and the brightest talent requires us to continually evolve our service offerings and add fresh, new, and more personalized programs to the mix. PDJ

Leaders are the ones who move beyond and share these best practices with other colleagues and professionals to create broad awareness, says Marc Bland, Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion.

IHS Automotive Headquarters: Southfield, Michigan Sr. Vice President–Automotive: Edouard Tavernier Employees: 730

At IHS Automotive, we recognize data is helping drive increased awareness, focus, investment, and execution in expanding diversity and inclusion across the entire automotive industry.

We also realized early on that the best way to get traction on the topic of diversity and inclusion was to demonstrate how these efforts improve revenue through increased sales or via new product innovation.

We are truly blessed to have a leader like Edouard who “gets it” and shows his support for diversity in many ways, including stepping up and serving on panels to promote the benefits of diversity and diversity data. A frequent topic at our quarterly Town Hall meetings, diversity also comes up as a top sales concern, including a strong demand from our automotive partners for our diversity data.

To make sure that our diversity and

inclusion efforts are present everywhere inside and outside HIS Automotive, our Vice President of Diversity does the following: • Heads up the sales of all ethnic, gender, LGBT, and Military data • Works closely with our Vice President of HR to ensure that there is a strong pipeline of diverse candidates for open colleague opportunities • Works with our VP of HR to ensure that domestic partner benefits are made available to IHS Automotive colleagues • Works with IHS leadership to ensure that corporate sustainability efforts touch diverse communities Of course, here at IHS Automotive, we believe that regardless of title, diversity and inclusion is everyone’s job within an organization. PDJ

Recent Recognition Includes: • Michigan Business and Professional Association (MBPA), 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For, 2014 • Sisters Achieving Success, Harmony & Empowerment (SASHE), A Great Company for Women, 2013 & 2014 • CORP Magazine, Salute To Diversity–Marc Bland (VP of D&I), 2013; Deb Young (VP of HR), 2014 • Diversity Global Magazine, Diversity Executive of Distinction–Marc Bland, 2013 • Profiles in Diversity Journal, Global Innovation Award Winner, 2013 (for providing Hispanic/ Latina sub-culture new and used vehicle buying data that is helping drive increased awareness and focus across the auto industry of the growing consumer power of the Hispanic/Latina auto buyer); 2014 (for providing LGBT auto buying statistics for the U.S. and large markets across the Country)

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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2015 DIVERSITY LEADERS

Citigroup Managing Director and Chief Diversity Officer Ana Duarte McCarthy on the diversity strategy providing the company a competitive edge in the global marketplace.

Citigroup, Inc. Headquarters: New York, New York CEO: Michael Corbat Employees: 250,000 Recent Recognition Includes: • Working Mother Magazine, named one of the 100 Best Companies 24 times, and among the Best Companies for Multicultural Women • Latina Style Magazine, one of the 50 Best Companies for Latinas To Work For in the U.S. • DiversityBusiness.com, one of the Organizations for Multicultural Business Opportunities • Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Corporate Equality Index, has scored 100% since 2004 • Diversity MBA Magazine, 50 Out Front Best Places for Diverse Managers and Women • US Veteran Magazine, Top Veteran Friendly Company

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At Citi, we believe that the key to business success is diversity of thought.

This is only made possible by having a workforce with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and skills.

Our company—operating in more than 140 countries—has a rich diversity. However, we know that our size and scale creates challenges to ensuring that our core value of diversity is upheld everywhere we do business. We are committed to a journey of continuously improving diversity in our company and are joined on this mission by colleagues around the world who are working hard to lead and implement our efforts.

Balancing respect for local customs, values, and legislation with our principles as a company that views diversity as a business imperative can be a

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challenge in some communities where we are located. To ensure global awareness of our policies and practices, we are working to establish more diversity training, councils, and committees at the local and regional level.

In 2013, one of the priority objectives we set for ourselves was to increase the percentage of women and minorities in senior management. To do so, we needed to find more ways to develop and retain female and minority talent. Citi’s CEO introduced a scorecard that includes a diversity metric that considers the percentage of female candidates for all senior management positions globally and the percentage of both female and minority candidates for such openings in the US. PDJ

We’re committed to helping people on their path to better health.

To honor this commitment, CVS Health is building a workforce that is as diverse as the communities we serve. It’s simple: we believe that when we truly reflect our customers, we can better serve them. That’s why we’re inviting you to explore a world of careers in everything from pharmacy to retail where your unique skills, talents and abilities are welcome. Join us in helping people on their path to better health.

cvshealth.com/diversity

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The greatest opportunity for corporate diversity, says Corporate Director of Workforce Inclusion Joseph Searles, is still very personal at its core.

The greatest opportunity for our organization is to continue the work of modeling specific inclusive behaviors to help build awareness and accountability for personal action. It is important for all employees to understand the company’s inclusive strategy and the behaviors needed to demonstrate it consistently.

One behavior in particular we encourage is to ask employees to get to know their coworkers and deliberately look beyond the exterior when doing so. In fact, it is something that we are all focused on. We all agree that there are visual cultural differences that set us apart. But there are many other characteristics and experiences that are not so obvious that we can learn about by being more inquisitive. What we learn about each other may identify more similarities than differences and

give life to deeper relationships and employee engagement.

Another area that our organization intends to make a part of our diversity and inclusion training and education program is the concept of unconscious bias—understanding it and mitigating its negative effects in the workplace.

We do not tolerate any biases that could lead to any inequities in the treatment of our employees.

In addition, diversity is central to our community health engagement strategy. We have several employee resource groups that are serving as ambassadors for our company and working alongside many community agencies to help their populations stay healthy. I see these synergies as having tremendous impact on our company and the health of the communities we serve. PDJ

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Headquarters: Rochester, New York CEO: Christopher C. Booth Employees: 3,555 Recent Recognition Includes: • Democrat & Chronicle, Our Voice Magazine, The Empty Closet magazine, and the Greece Post, recognized for Community Engagement Programs

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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2015 DIVERSITY LEADERS

In order for law to remain relevant, says Chief Diversity Officer Phillip F. Fargotstein of Fennemore Craig, it must be fully reflective of our great diversity.

Fennemore Craig, P.C. Headquarters: Phoenix, AZ Managing Partner: Tim Berg Employees: 408 Recent Recognition Includes: • AZ Business Magazine, one of the Most Admired Companies, 2014 • Phoenix Business Journal, Arizona Corporate Excellence (ACE) Award, 2014 • Phoenix Business Journal, one of the “Valley’s Healthiest Employers,” 2014 • DLA Inclusive Workplace award, 2012 • The Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF), Gold Standard Certificate, 2012.

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All organizations, especially professional services organizations such as law firms, must reflect the communities they serve and the communities in which their clients need representation. Everyone brings a unique perspective to issues and problems.

This is why I believe the greatest opportunity for diversity is the everchanging demographics of society and the legal profession. The increase in women law school graduates over the last 40 years is but one reflection of that change. As society changes, the law—and those responsible for applying the law—must also change. Diversity in the legal profession will help ensure that laws remain relevant and reflect the society of the future.

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The role and goals of The Diversity Council at Fennemore Craig have changed and will continue to evolve in the future. While efforts to address the historically underrepresented in the law have always been a focus, there has developed more recently a greater awareness for other varieties of diversity, including sexual orientation and religion. It is this greater scope of diversity that will be the future challenge. PDJ

Over the past five years, the Government of Manitoba has adapted its programming and approach to meet the realities of today’s civil service, says Sam Grande, Manager, Diversity and Inclusion Unit.

I have seen diversity and inclusion become more relevant to discussions of how we operate as civil service. We are starting to understand the importance of diversity, not just for the sake of equity and fairness, but also for the added capacity it offers to the organization.

I’ve seen an evolution in our activities in recent years, from a primary focus on recruiting diversity into the organization, to now also fostering a culture of inclusion and respect within the organization. We know from external research and our own internal analysis that openness to different perspectives, different life experiences, and different approaches actually strengthens an organization, with positive links to performance factors like innovation and engagement. So, although we established a diversity strategy in 2008, we’re now looking to update with a new diversity and inclusion strategy that has a broader scope, and ties in with organizational performance measures like engagement and retention.

I’ve also seen the emphasis of our efforts shift somewhat to different groups as we’ve progressed in the past few years. For example, we have less need to focus on women as an employment equity group because we have now largely achieved our representation goals for this group, though we know there is still more that can be done in other respects.

Meanwhile we are putting more of our efforts into initiatives supporting other groups, such persons with disabilities, where we still see gaps between where we are and where we want to be. And, as we talk more about inclusion within the workplace, we’re realizing that it’s not just designated employment equity groups that are facing diversity-related challenges. There are many other dimensions of diversity impacting our workplaces that warrant our attention, such as sexual orientation diversity, generational diversity, and religious diversity.

Five years ago, we created the Diversity and Inclusion Unit (DIU) within the Civil Service Commission—

a very significant development for us. Today, with dedicated resources and staff, we’re able to offer better programming and learning opportunities, do more outreach to connect with more people, and incorporate a diversity lens into more areas of government operations. PDJ Government of Manitoba Headquarters: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Premier: Greg Selinger Employees: 14,815 Recent Recognition Includes: • Globe and Mail, Canada’s Top 100 Employer Awards, Manitoba’s Top Employers, 2013 and 2014; Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, 2013 and 2014; and Canada’s Top Employers for Young People, 2013 and 2014 • SCE Lifeworks, Employer of the Year Award, 2014 • Disability Employment Awareness Month Community and Government Committee, Champion of Diversity, 2014

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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2015 DIVERSITY LEADERS

In intellectual property law, serving the most innovative companies requires diverse talent with different viewpoints, says Ahmed Davis, Principal and National Chair of Diversity Initiative.

Fish & Richardson Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts CEO: Peter Devlin Employees: 928 Recent Recognition Includes: • American Lawyer Diversity Scorecard, Top Law Firm for Diversity, 2013 and 2014 • Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Corporate Equality Index, Top Rating of 100 percent, 2014 • Vault.com, Inc., Best Law Firms for Diversity: Top 25 List for Disability Diversity, 2013 and 2014 • Minority Corporate Counsel Association, “Do Good, Do Well” List, 2013

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At Fish, our diversity and inclusion imperative is two-fold. As the largest IP law firm in the country, we must first provide legal services to our clients that are of the highest quality. To do so, we must recognize that our clients are themselves extraordinarily diverse organizations, comprising people from very different backgrounds, who are often located in foreign countries.

To serve our clients in the best way that we possibly can means we must be attuned to diversity issues. Simply put, diversity in the legal profession is not merely the right thing to do, it makes good business sense.

There is also an important internal rationale. At Fish, we are a diverse group, where every single person— principals, associates, staff—brings unique experiences, capabilities, and talents to the team. We recognize that these diverse backgrounds provide

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unique perspectives that can lead to new and better solutions.

The greatest opportunity for synergy comes from creating and supporting diverse teams that allow us to draw upon our collective experiences and wisdom. Our greatest challenge is making sure we promote a creative, respectful, and inclusive culture, so we can draw out and benefit from those diverse viewpoints. Toward that end, Fish is involved in a broad range of efforts to further the diversity of our firm and the legal community.

For example, our Diversity Initiative links together a variety of programs and offerings related to recruitment, professional development, retention, and outreach in the legal and business communities. We also support many organizations devoted to issues of diversity, and support our professionals in these activities. PDJ

HARMAN’s new D&I initiatives are helping us better meet critical talent needs, maximize performance, and serve our customers, says Christi Downes, Vice President, Global Talent Management & Diversity

HARMAN’s D&I initiatives, and the Diversity Leader role, are newly formed and created to more formally address the needs of our evolving workforce, customers, and consumers. They were launched in November 2013, after critical talent gaps were identified by our Chairman, CEO & President, Executive Committee, and Board of Directors.

Through these initiatives, we seek to employ a customer-focused orientation to designing and implementing people strategies. In this way, we will build an inclusive culture to fully engage all employees and stakeholders, and maximize individual and organizational performance.

HARMAN’s D&I strategy offers key opportunities to make a significant impact by implementing the following: • Mandate diverse slates for all open requisitions to aid in filling roles in

areas that are more traditionally male dominated (e.g., engineering, operations, general management) • Assess policies and practices around sourcing, slate composition, candidate selection, and onboarding to address unconscious biases and beliefs • Engage senior leaders and boost accountability • Conduct a workforce analysis to identify workforce patterns • Deliver training for managing to an inclusive environment • Increase global engagement and communications (e.g., LISTEN UP! in Asia) • Create effective governance structures (layout strategic direction, identify regional objectives and accountability) • Establish strategic partnerships PDJ

HARMAN International, Inc. Headquarters: Stamford, Connecticut Chairman, President and CEO: Dinesh C. Paliwal Employees: 16,000 (including contractors)

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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Given the demographic tsunami we are in, diversity and inclusion is critical to being viable and competitive as a business, says Anuradha Hebbar, Divisional Vice President, Center for Diversity & Inclusion.

Health Care Service Corporation Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois CEO: Patricia Hemingway-Hall Employees: 22,000+ Recent Recognition Includes: • National Business Group on Health, Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles, 2012 & 2013 • Computerworld, Best Places To Work in IT, 2012 & 2013 • Training Magazine, Top 125 (organizations that excel at employee development), 2014 • Diversity MBA, 50 Out Front for Diversity Leadership: Best Places for Diverse & Women Managers To Work, 2013 (ranked #11), 2014 (ranked #6, #1 regional company) • DiversityInc, Top 10 Regional Company for Diversity, 2013 (ranked #2), 2014 (ranked #7); Top 25 Noteworthy Company for Diversity, 2013 • GI Jobs, Top Military Friendly Employer, 2012, 2013, 2014 • National Black Data Processing Associates (NBDPA), Top Company for Blacks in IT, 2013; Epsilon Award Recipient, 2012, 2013, 2014 • DiversityInc, Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity, 2009, 2011–2013 (ranked #3) • U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Business Civic Leadership Award Finalist, 2012

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At Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) has been an integral part of the way we do business since 1995. Today, D&I strategies drive our business, as we continue to expand access to health care through the Affordable Care Act. Our workforce serves as a bridge to our marketplace, especially as we become a more consumer-based business, providing insurance to those who are underinsured.

Recognizing our worldview, and the worldviews of others, enables us to solve problems, make decisions, and resolve conflict in ways that optimize cultural differences. We must bring our whole selves to work and demonstrate inclusive behaviors daily in our interactions. So it’s not just what we say, but also how we act. Building an inclusive work environment is a journey over time, not a destination to reach.

D&I initiatives and progress are communicated to our employees

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through our FYI Blue newsletter, department newsletters, our corporate blog and D&I calendar, the employee intranet and external website, and our many Business Resource Groups (African Americans in Motion, Latinos for Advancement, Asian-American Resource Group, HCSC Pride Alliance, In-Abled, Supporters of Military Veterans, and Women Improving the Strength of the Enterprise), as well as in regular business meetings with leaders.

We understand the business value of having a diverse and inclusive organization. Diversity alone is not sufficient. We must create an environment where diversity thrives at HCSC—where all of our employees feel respected, connected, and valued.

If we succeed, our employees can then do their best to stand by our members in sickness and health, which is our purpose here at HCSC. PDJ

We owe our veterans a great debt of gratitude, and PNC is committed to supporting their professional success.

We actively recruit and hire former servicemen and servicewomen, and are committed to building and maintaining supplier relationships with veteran owned businesses. We’re also helping veterans meet their personal financial needs with a full line of Military Banking products and the PNC Military Employee Business Resource group, which helps them achieve their aspirations as they transition to civilian life.

2014 recipient of the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.

Š2014 The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. All rights reserved. PNC Bank, National Association. Member FDIC

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In today’s global environment, workplace diversity develops talent, opens markets, and results in a healthier ROI, says Nereida (Neddy) Perez, Vice President of Global Diversity & Inclusion.

Ingersoll Rand Headquarters: Swords, Ireland CEO: Michael W. Lamach Employees: 40,000 Recent Recognition Includes: • Latina Style Best Places to Work, Honorable Mention, 2014 • Workforce.com, 100 Best Places to Work • Diversity Careers Magazine, Best Places to Work • Diversity/Careers in Engineering and

Information Technology Magazine, Best Diversity Companies • National Business Group on Health, Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles • Winds of Change Magazine, Top 50 Workplaces for Native STEM Professionals • Military-Families.org, Military Friendly Workplace • Achievers, 50 Most Engaged Workplaces

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At Ingersoll Rand, we have taken our D&I efforts beyond senior leadership to middle management and the frontlines in the past four years. We have focused on building a common language and understanding of what diversity and inclusion looks like for us, and have leveraged one of our core values, respect, to engage in the conversation.

We have also focused on unconscious bias—how it manifests and the impact it can have on trust. So far, more than 12,000 Ingersoll Rand employees have completed certification courses in values training, and these programs are now part of our introductory coursework for new hires.

We have also asked our businesses to identify their specific diversity needs,

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and built D&I metrics into our business scorecard, making this work a true business priority. The more we understand each other’s differences and leverage them for positive business results, the more each of us will grow professionally and the business will grow financially. Our businesses are now reaching out to partner on matters like generational awareness, supplier diversity goals, cultural coaching, niche recruiting of diverse talent, and the diversification of distributors.

Diversity is also now an integral part of our talent and business review discussions. Each of our businesses has action plans in place that link to growing talent, supplier diversity, and market connectivity. PDJ

We’re building a diverse talent pipeline by investing in key programs at every educational level, says Kathy Hannan, KPMG’s National Managing Partner, Diversity and Corporate Responsibility.

At KPMG, we believe our intellectual capital must be as diverse as the clients we serve and the communities in which do business. We also know that our ability to leverage the diverse experiences, talents, ideas, and perspectives of all our people is linked to our success in the marketplace.

To support a diverse talent pipeline, we invest in programs that span the educational continuum, beginning with KPMG’s Family for Literacy program, which has provided more than two million books to children in need. We partner with Junior Achievement USA and the National Academies Foundation to advance financial literacy for middle and high school students. Our Future Diversity Leaders program provides internship and mentorship opportunities to college students, and our PhD Project supports doctoral candidates, who will become business professors and mentors to the next generation of diverse professionals.

Internally, the firm provides an extensive network of mentors, sponsors, and programs. KPMG’s Associate Credentialing program ensures that ethnically diverse associates gain experience with our most important client engagements. Our “Career Life Strategies, Looking Ahead” program provides guidance and support for women. Leaders Engaging Leaders connects members of our Board of Directors and Management Committee with high-performing diverse partners.

The firm’s inclusive culture is further fostered by seven diversity networks, including KPMG’s Network of Women (KNOW), pride@kpmg, Abilities in Motion, and our African American, Asian Pacific Islander, Hispanic Latino, and Veterans networks.

Our Diversity Advisory Board ensures that leadership is in tune with the needs of our diverse employees and able to enact changes and initiatives for their benefit. PDJ

KPMG LLP Headquarters: New York, New York CEO: John Veihmeyer Employees: 26,231 Recent Recognition Includes: • Asia Society, Overall Best Employers for Asian Pacific Americans, (Distinguished Performance, 2nd), 2013 • Human Rights Campaign, Best Places to Work For LGBT Equality (100 out of 100 score), 2013, 2014 • National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), Top Companies for Executive Women (Top 10), 2013, 2014 • Working Mother, Top 100 Companies for Working Moms, (Top 10) 2013; Best Companies for Multicultural Women (Top 5), 2013, 2014 • DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Employee Resource Groups(4th) and Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees (7th), 2014

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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2015 DIVERSITY LEADERS

Our Diversity Leadership Committee is helping Latham become a global diversity leader, says Nadia S. Sager, Partner and Chair of the Diversity Leadership Committee.

Latham & Watkins LLP Headquarters: N/A Chair & Managing Partner: Robert M. Dell Employees: 4,543 Recent Recognition Includes: • Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers, Best Law Firms for Women, 2014 • The American Lawyer, A-List, 2003–2014, (#6 in 2014) • Women in Law Empowerment Forum, gold standard certification, 2014 • Human Rights Campaign Foundation, Corporate Equality Index (scored 100 percent), 2014 • InsideCounsel, Transformative Leadership East Award, “firm-wide policies” category • Lawcareers.net, Training & Recruitment Awards, “Best Trainer—US law firm in the City” • VAULT law 100 (#10) • Euromoney’s Legal Media Group (LMG), Women in Business Law Awards, “Most Innovative International Law Firm,” 2014 • Equality Illinois, a “top Illinois law firm for LGBT inclusiveness and equality.”

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At Latham & Watkins, our commitment to D&I is exemplified by our Diversity Leadership Committee (DLC), whose mission is to strengthen and promote the firm as a workplace where the best and brightest attorneys from all groups, including those traditionally underrepresented in our profession, will find the opportunity and support they need to fulfill their potential and become industry leaders.

To achieve our goals, D&I must be considered and supported in every facet of the firm’s operations. With 31 offices in 14 countries, employing more than 4,500 people, this is a massive undertaking. The DLC leads the global diversity effort and collaborates with members of the firm’s Executive, Associates, Recruiting, Training, and Equal Employment Opportunity Committees, as well as the firm’s Attorney Development, Human Resources, and Business Development departments.

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To maximize the effectiveness of our programs, the DLC supports and coordinates with our Multicultural Promotion & Attainment Coalition, an associate-driven initiative supporting the recruitment, retention, and progression of diverse lawyers at Latham, as well as our Women Enriching Business Committee, which focuses on professional development, mentoring, and networking.

As a firm, we have embarked on a strategic initiative focused on becoming the industry leader in talent diversity. In 2013, we launched our highly acclaimed global Women’s Leadership Academy, which provides women with professional training in the areas of leadership, self-promotion, communication, and business development. And in 2015, we will be launching a global Diversity Leadership Academy, with a similar focus, for our diverse associates. PDJ

ERGs are the key to the success of Legg Mason’s Diversity & Inclusion initiatives, says Joyce L. Ulrich, Managing Director, CIO, and Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Council.

Legg Mason’s multi-location Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Council is led by our Chief Information Officer and sponsored by a member of our Executive Team. The Council has more than 40 members and includes leadership from each of our six Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), as well as a Steering Committee/ERG Advisory Group, which includes senior-level employees from across the company.

Approximately 300 employees participate in our six ERGs. Leadership and development opportunities offered through the firm’s diversity and inclusion initiatives have enormous impact on our organization.

By participating in ERGs, employees have opportunities to step outside their regular roles to learn new skills, work with global colleagues at all levels, and lead. In turn, the company has been able to develop, and perhaps retain,

valuable talent. The ERGs function as an ongoing business resource— weighing in on the firm’s benefits program, for instance. But most important, participating employees have raised our awareness of diversity and inclusion at Legg Mason and in our communities.

The firm’s ERGs create leadership opportunities for those historically underrepresented in management.

These volunteer leadership roles increase self-confidence, visibility, and opportunity for individual Legg Mason professionals; their growth translates to greater success across the whole enterprise.

Diversity and inclusion is a journey and we are sometimes not as far along as we would hope to be, but we are proud to say we continue to make significant progress. PDJ

Legg Mason Global Asset Management Headquarters: Baltimore, Maryland CEO: Joseph A. Sullivan Employees: 3,000 Recent Recognition Includes: • Baltimore Mayor’s Award, Legg Mason/Patterson High School/Big Brothers Big Sisters Workplace Mentoring Program (sponsored via the Diversity Council), 2013 • 2 awards, Board Leadership Program (also sponsored via the Diversity Council), which matches Legg Mason professionals with nonprofit board service opportunities • Securities Industry Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), Diversity Award, 2012 • Profiles in Diversity Journal, Innovations in Diversity Award, 2014

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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2015 DIVERSITY LEADERS Understanding unconscious bias enables us to hire smarter, manage better, and create a truly inclusive workplace, says Joanne Rodgers, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer.

New York Life Insurance Company Headquarters: New York, New York CEO: Ted Mathas Employees: 8,551 Recent Recognition Includes: • Fortune magazine, “World’s Most Admired Companies,” 2014 • Asia Society, Best Practices Award–Market Opportunities, 2014; Best Company for Support of the Asian Pacific American Community, 2012 • CAREERS & the disABLED Magazine, “Top 50 Employers,” 2013 • Diversity Inc, “Top 50 Companies for Diversity,” 2013 and 2014 • Working Mother Media: “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers,” 2012, 2014 • WMM, “Top 25 Companies for Multicultural Women,” 2012–2014 • NAFE, “Top 50 Companies for Female Executives,” 2012 and 2013 • Dave Thomas Foundation, “Adoption Friendly Workplaces,” 2012–2014 (#1 in Insurance industry) • Latina Style, “Latina Style 50,” 2012–2014 • Profiles in Diversity Journal, Diversity Leader Award, 2014; Innovations in Diversity Award, 2013 • SIFMA: Sustained Diversity Leadership Award, 2013 • Hispanic Business: “Best Companies for Diversity”, Rank #41 (2012-2013), Listed in 2014 • Human Rights Campaign: “Corporate Equality Index”, score 85% (2012-2013); score 90% (2014) • Work Life Matters: “Top Companies for LGBT Equality Award Winner” (2012-2013)

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Diversity in an organization is not just about numbers. Strong representation only gets you halfway there. Once you have a diverse workforce, you must provide an inclusive environment where every employee can thrive. It’s what makes diversity work. Educating our people leaders about bias, both conscious and unconscious, helps New York Life overcome obstacles to achieving a truly diverse workforce.

From our hiring process to the way we develop and promote our people, we’re raising awareness with this multifaceted approach: 1.Unconscious Bias Awareness New York Life’s Executive Officers, including our CEO and Executive Management Team, attend a halfday workshop with Dr. Mazharin Banaji of Harvard, an expert in the field of unconscious bias. And, using Dr. Banaji’s research, we designed a training series for people managers, titled Managing for Inclusion, which explains unconscious bias, explores how it affects decision making, and

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demonstrates how to recognize and mitigate it.

2.Behavioral Based Interview Training Our Behavior Based Interview Skills program teaches interviewers to focus on skills and behaviors, while mitigating potential bias regarding characteristics that are superfluous to the requirements of the job. We are working with Talent Acquisition to up-skill all recruiters and make this integral to the interviewing process.

We are also working with our executive officers and hiring managers to ensure that they understand how to conduct behavior based interviews.

3.Diversity & Inclusion Education New York Life also provides training that covers areas where bias may exist, such as gender and generations.

We believe this multifaceted, holistic approach, which focuses on eliminating root causes that inhibit the creation of a diverse and inclusive environment, will have the greatest positive impact going forward. PDJ

At PNC, Diversity and Inclusion is an enterprise-wide strategy and an integral part of every aspect of our business, says Marsha Jones, Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer.

Although Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) have always played a critical role at PNC—it’s one of our core values— over the past five years, we have experienced significant progress in moving our D&I efforts from establishing an enterprise strategy to implementing, measuring, and evaluating our initiatives. With the support of PNC’s senior executive leadership team, we have created an enterprise-wide strategy aimed at integrating D&I into every aspect of our business.

Our first priority was to develop and pilot our “building block” initiatives, including Employee Business Resource Groups (EBRGs), Line of Business (LOB) D&I Councils, and Regional D&I Councils. In just five years, EBRG membership has grown to include 20 percent of our 54,000 employees. Our LOB Councils integrate D&I’s mission into their respective businesses to enhance employee recruitment, engagement, and retention. And Regional Councils extend our D&I strategy to each of PNC’s 34 markets and help us customize business

opportunities based on the unique demographics within each region.

Our D&I Business Roundtable includes key leaders from Supplier Diversity, PNC University, Government Affairs, Diversity Recruiting, Multicultural Marketing, Diverse Segment Marketing, Community Development, and the PNC Foundation, who meet and discuss how to better leverage business outcomes.

The organization’s Creating a Culture of Inclusion (CCI) training program is required for every manager of employees. An abbreviated version has been completed by nearly every employee. CCI is also part of the onboarding process for every new hire.

Because the journey to inclusion is long, and can be challenging, PNC has created a recognition program to acknowledge D&I champions for their hard work, determination, and contributions. And our World-Class-Inclusion Manager program recognizes managers who exemplify behaviors that promote an inclusive work environment. PDJ

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. Headquarters: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania CEO: William S. Demchak Employees: 54,000 Recent Recognition Includes: • Human Rights Campaign, Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality, 2014 • Gallup, Great Workplace Award–Employee Engagement, 2014 • NAFE, Top 50 Companies for Executive Women, 2011 • DiversityInc, Top 10 Regional Companies for Diversity, 2014 • Working Mother magazine, 100 Best Companies, 2013 and 2014 • National Business Group on Health, Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles, 2014 • Association of Diversity Councils, Diversity Council Honors Award, 2013 and 2014 • U.S. Veterans Magazine, Top 100 Veteran-Friendly Companies, 2013 • Goodwill Industries, Power of Work Awards, Southwestern Pennsylvania, 2013 and 2014

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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Led by its Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Reed Smith is taking a global approach to creating a truly inclusive work environment, says Tyree P. Jones, Jr., Director of Global Diversity & Inclusion.

Reed Smith LLP Headquarters: N/A Managing Partner: Alexander Y. “Sandy” Thomas Employees: 3,118 Recent Recognition Includes: • Legal Week Employee Satisfaction Report, UK’s Best Legal Employers, 2014 • Human Rights Campaign Foundation, Corporate Equality Index (CEI), score of 100 out of 100, and named to CEI’s list of “BEST Places to Work for LGBT Equality,” 2014 • Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers, “Best Law Firms For Women,” 2011–2014 • Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF), Gold Standard Certified, 2011–2014 • Chambers USA, Women in Law Awards, Top 10 Most Innovative Gender Diversity Initiatives, 2014 • Personnel Today Awards, Innovation in Recruitment, 2013

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Reed Smith’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee stands at the forefront in the firm’s commitment to advocate, instill, and uphold a workplace culture that values all employees and provides opportunities for their success. The Committee comprises partners and associates at all levels from our US and EMEA offices, and meets regularly to ensure that the firm’s core business objective of promoting diversity and inclusion is implemented throughout the organization.

To ensure that diversity and inclusion have the greatest possible impact within our organization, we focus on raising awareness regarding implicit bias and micro-inequities. Such training is effective in helping people realize how unconscious biases can influence their decision-making and developing

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techniques to “interrupt” those biases.

Additionally, our focus on mentoring, developing sponsorship programs, and actively managing the growth and advancement of diverse attorneys benefits the whole organization.

Reed Smith’s global approach to inclusion is a particularly innovative way to increase awareness among our attorneys and staff of the variety of cultural influences present in our workforce and how they impact our business. The firm provides regular D&I communications, firm-wide diversity training, and recognition of the accomplishments of our minority and women attorneys worldwide. We believe that cultural competencies are at the core of inclusion, making development of that awareness and skill set vital to our business. PDJ

Ryder System, Inc. Headquarters: Miami, Florida CEO: Robert Sanchez Employees: 28,900 Recent Recognition Includes: • CivilianJobs.com, Most Valuable Employers for Military, 2013 and 2014 • Office of the Secretary of Defense, Employer

Led by our Diversity and Inclusion Council, we’re creating an inclusive workplace where all talent can thrive, says Kirk Imhof, Group Director, Culture, Diversity & Inclusion, and Engagement.

Ryder fosters an inclusive culture, where leaders engage employees and embrace diversity in order to innovate, pursue the mission, and build on company values. Our Diversity and Inclusion Council, established in 2009 and led by Chairman and CEO Robert Sanchez, consists of senior and executive leaders from across the company. The Council’s mission is to recommend diversity and inclusion initiatives that attract, develop, and optimize best-in-class talent, while supporting the achievement of Ryder’s business objectives.

The Women’s Leadership Forum (WLF), another example Diversity & Inclusion leadership at Ryder, holds quarterly regional events open to male and female managers and above. The WLF also hosts a two-and-a-half-day event, where Ryder’s female directors

and above come together to network, participate in interactive workshops, and identify career development resources. The vision of the WLF is to support an environment that attracts talented women and empowers them to develop and thrive. WLF programming focuses on optimizing a culture of inclusion, mentoring/sponsoring, networking, career development, and work/life balance.

Ryder also has a strong commitment to hiring veterans, demonstrated by its partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring Our Heroes initiative. As of June 2013, 10 percent of Ryder’s employee population consisted of veterans. This reflects an increase of 25 percent since Ryder began its partnership with Hiring Our Heroes in November 2011. PDJ

Support of the Guard and Reserve, 2014 • GMSHRM, Diversity in Action Award, 2012 • Florida Diversity Council, Most Powerful and Influential Woman Award (CMO Karen Jones), 2014 • Florida Diversity Council, Florida Glass Ceiling Award (VP of HR Amparo Bared), 2014 • Legacy Miami Magazine, South Florida’s Most Powerful Black Professionals in Business and Industry (Group Director Samuel Johnson), 2014 • Legacy Magazine, Black Leaders of Today & Tomorrow (Senior Financial Analyst Gershon Blyden), (2014) • Legacy Magazine, 50 Most Powerful Black Professionals in South Florida (VP of Maintenance and Quality Operations Mel Kirk), 2013 • Hispanicbusiness.com, 50 Influentials (VP & Controller, Finance Cristy Gallo-Aquino), 2013 • Poder, Top Hispanic Executives (Chairman & CEO Robert Sanchez), 2013 • Hispanic Executive, Top Leaders (Robert Sanchez), 2013 • Profiles in Diversity Journal, Women Worth Watching, (VP & General Counsel Flora Perez), 2013

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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2015 DIVERSITY LEADERS

In an industry not known for its diversity, United Rentals is proud to be leading the way to a more diverse and inclusive future, says Lizabeth Czepiel, Leadership Development Specialist.

United Rentals Headquarters: Stamford, Connecticut CEO: Michael J. Kneeland Employees: 12,500 Recent Recognition Includes: • STEMconnector®, 100 Diverse Corporate Leaders in STEM, 2014 • Profiles in Diversity Journal, Women Worth Watching Award, 2014 • Women’s Enterprise Magazine, Top 100 Leaders in Corporate Supplier Diversity,2014 • MilitaryTimes.com, Best for Vets: Employers, 2014 • G.I. Jobs, Top 100 Military Friendly Employer (#12), 2014 • CivilianJobs.com, Most Valuable Employers for Military, 2011–2014

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As a leader in the construction industry, United Rentals has an opportunity and a responsibility to set the standard for how diversity and inclusion is leveraged in an organization. It can be challenging to establish a career in construction, an industry not known for its diversity, for anyone who doesn’t fit the traditional mold.

At United Rentals, we’re working to shift perceptions of what our employee population should be, and we’re seeing results. Employees across our organization, from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and skill sets, have successfully established careers in this industry and found a home at United Rentals.

Our approach to Diversity & Inclusion is comprehensive. With immense support from our Board of Directors and executive team, we drive D&I initiatives across the company via our

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

employee resource groups (ERGs).

Like all other aspects of our business, we approach D&I through a lens of continuous improvement. Our ERGs allow us to not only reach the entire employee population—many of our efforts begin there.

Regardless of the industry, service, or product, success in any organization begins with its people. Driving D&I initiatives and leveraging employee strengths will build greater differentiation in thought and leadership, create stronger teams, and allow for greater customer engagement. In a service industry, customer satisfaction is critical to our success. Enhancing employee engagement will help us make sure that our customer needs are met.

D&I supports this mission; it’s good business sense. PDJ

Inclusion is an organizational core value— at the heart of who we are and what we do; Inclusion is foundational for us, says John Forsyth, Chair and CEO, Chair of the Inclusion Council.

Wellmark is nationally recognized as a leader in health insurance, and we know our achievements are the result of the diverse talents, skills, and contributions of our employees. We know that trust is earned, one member at time. And we believe we succeed because we have a culture that fosters inclusion, respect, and an ongoing commitment to our community.

Inclusion permeates everything at Wellmark—it’s an organizational core value, and at the heart of who we are and what we do. Inclusion is foundational for us. Our Chairman and CEO is also the Chair of our Inclusion Council. He invests in resources dedicated to educating our workforce, enhancing our workplace, and being involved in our community. Here are some of the tools we use to develop our workforce and enhance our culture: • Required diversity and inclusion training

• Seven diversity- and inclusion-focused courses • Mandatory ethics and conduct training • An intranet site that features employee spotlights, a calendar noting multicultural dates of observance, and community events • October is dedicated to raising diversity awareness through education, activities, speakers, and lunch and learns • A dedicated Inclusion webpage, containing educational materials, articles, and presentations • National cultural awareness months are spotlighted, featuring employees, cultural café specials, and local activities and events We don’t view our journey as presenting challenges, but rather, opportunities, and we focus on appreciating the individual differences that each of us brings to work every day. PDJ

Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Headquarters: Des Moines, Iowa CEO: John Forsyth Employees: 1,800 Recent Recognition Includes: • ESGR, Employer of Choice for Veterans, 2014 • Black EOE Journal, Top Diversity Employer, 2013 and 2014 • Professional Woman’s Magazine, Top Diversity Employer, 2013 and 2014 • DiversityBusiness.com, Champions of Diversity Award (Chairman/CEO John Forsyth), 2013 • DiversityBusiness.com, Top 50 Multicultural Business Opportunities, 2012

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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2015 DIVERSITY LEADERS

At Wilmer Hale, an unwavering commitment to the principle of diversity guides our thinking, informs our actions, and influences everything we do, says Kenneth Imo, Director, Diversity.

WilmerHale Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts,

and Washington, DC

Co-Managing Partners: Susan Murley and

Robert Novick

Employees: 2,268 Recent Recognition Includes: • Human Rights Campaign Foundation, Corporate Equity Index, scored 100 out of 100, 2009–2014 • Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers, Best Law Firms for Women, 2007–2014 • American Lawyer, “A-List,” 2003–2014 • Crain’s New York, Best Places To Work, 2014 • Washington Post, Top Workplaces, 2014 • Boston Business Journal, Leaders in Diversity, 2013 • Multicultural Law Magazine, Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity and Top Law Firms for Women, 2008–2012 • Yale Law Women, Top Ten Family Friendly Firms, 2008–2012

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A commitment to diversity is one of WilmerHale’s guiding principles. It influences how we recruit and train our lawyers and staff, the type of pro bono cases we undertake, and our philanthropic endeavors in the community.

To help the firm develop strategies and launch initiatives that will achieve its diversity goals, and communicate both issues and progress to attorneys and staff, we have created a Diversity Committee for lawyers that reports directly to firm management and a Staff Diversity & Inclusion Council that reports directly to the Chief HR Officer. The firm’s Director of Diversity provides strategic guidance and advice to both.

Our firm-wide diversity committee is chaired by six partners from our Boston, New York, Palo Alto, and Washington, DC, offices. Each office, in turn, has its own diversity committee consisting of 10–15 lawyers.

The Director of Diversity works with

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

Diversity Committee chairs to create and implement firm-wide and office specific initiatives. The Staff Diversity & Inclusion Council comprises senior administrative professionals across the firm, and is chaired by the Managing Director of HR and the Director of Diversity.

The Diversity Committee provides annual diversity reports to firm leadership that include demographic data, goals and objectives, and a reporting of the previous year’s accomplishments.

Firm leadership communicates diversity initiatives and progress to employees through Managing Partner Updates (weekly emails that include notable firm updates) and by posting diversity-related information on the WilmerHale intranet site. The firm’s Diversity Speaker Series program provides a forum to raise awareness about various D&I issues. PDJ

To be successful, no firm can afford to waste talent, stifle creativity, or turn a deaf ear to a new idea, says Marisol Hughes, Senior Director of Corporate Affairs and General Counsel.

Diversity and inclusion inform our long-term strategy and daily activities at WilsonHCG. We know that each and every employee can bring new ideas to the table, and that a diversity of ideas is necessary for innovation and growth. The talented people who make WilsonHCG what it is are constantly encouraged to voice their opinions and share their ideas. And we have many initiatives and projects in place to stimulate these ideas and facilitate the sharing process.

We encourage employees to be active participants in the firm. By choosing to join one or more of our many committees, employees have endless opportunities to expand their professional portfolios and help determine the firm’s direction. They include committees that deal with diversity recruiting, university recruiting, veteran

recruiting, and employee engagement, as well as a brand ambassador and subject matter expert program, a mentor program, and more.

While these groups foster engagement and diversity, there will always be questions that arise. To ensure that everyone’s voice is heard, our CEO holds periodic companywide conference calls, where employees can ask any questions and share any ideas.

An online portal is also available to employees who may prefer to share questions or concerns anonymously.

WilsonHCG’s employees, from executives to interns, are all involved in diversity and inclusion work. To support and encourage that universal participation, our employee engagement team develops initiatives that encourage diverse thinking and involve everyone. PDJ

WilsonHCG Headquarters: Tampa, Florida CEO: John Wilson Employees: 300 Recent Recognition Includes: • Tampa Bay Business Journal, Best Places to Work, 2013 and 2014 • Florida Trend, Best Companies to Work For in Florida, 2013 and 2014 • Tampa Bay Times, Top Workplaces, 2014

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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At BAnk of the West, We vAlue the individuAl.

Different perspectives generate fresh ideas. That’s why at Bank of the West, we value diversity and equal opportunity for all our employees. We’ve grown stronger thanks to our unique blend of people. After all, in today’s competitive banking environment, it is our employees that keep us a step ahead of the rest. For career opportunities, visit us online at bankofthewest.com.

Bank of the West and its subsidiaries are equal opportunity/affirmative action employers.

Member FDIC. ©2012 Bank of the West.

A Tradition of HARD WORK and

HIGH ACHIEVEMENT

Celebrating

H is pa n ic

Each year, Profiles in Diversity Journal recognizes Hispanic professionals who are making their mark in a wide range of disciplines and helping shape organizations across the US and around the world.

This year, we asked a number of professionals to talk about how the values intrinsic to their Hispanic heritage—family, hard work, perseverance, and education—have

H e r it a ge

2014

shaped their personal and professional lives, and contributed to their success. They were kind enough to tell us their stories, and offer valuable insights and career advice.

We’re pleased to celebrate Hispanic Heritage 2014 and share the thoughts and experiences of these high achievers with all of you. PDJ

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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BDO USA, LLP

HISPANIC HERITAGE

Madeline Elias Tax Office Managing Partner BDO USA, LLP I am today—particularly my belief that anything is possible through hard work and perseverance, and my belief in working together. The great people I’ve worked with have provided opportunities for advancement, and my strong professional relationships give me support when I need it.

How My Heritage Values Fuel My Success: Family and hard work are values at the root of my Cuban heritage.

My family left communist Cuba with nothing to come to America and build a better life. My parents, who didn’t speak English when they arrived, grew and triumphed by supporting each other, accepting change, and working hard. Their example shaped who

How My Company Supports Me…and How I Pay it Forward: BDO has great organizational values. One of its core values, People First, provides a framework for creating true partnerships—both within the organization and with clients—for the good of all involved. Committed to providing the best person for the job, the firm invests in its people through training and mentoring programs, as well as a women’s initiative, that provide space to share ideas and identify role models within the firm.

I participate in BDO’s programs and

initiatives, and in mentoring programs across the Miami community—a location that gives me a unique opportunity to mentor many Hispanic professionals.

The Best Career Advice I’ve Received and the Advice I Offer Others: Early in my career, a mentor told me that to advance, you have to prove you can do the job first. I took this advice to heart, and have always put in extra time and work—even if it didn’t always result in immediate rewards. My advice to someone looking to advance in his/her career is this: 1) Don’t fear change, embrace it— you’ll gain new perspective, learn new skills, and meet new challenges; 2) Never set boundaries for yourself— if you work hard, you can achieve any goal you set for yourself; and 3) Surround yourself with people who share your values. PDJ

ERNST & YOUNG LLP Ted Acosta EY Americas Vice Chair–Risk Management Ernst & Young LLP How My Heritage Values Fuel My Success: Perhaps the most important value or principle I’ve embraced from a young age is to lead with the achievements resulting from my hard work and to never rest on my laurels or expect favorable treatment. My formula for both academic and professional success has been to be judicious about learning. I am tireless in this endeavor, and believe in applying myself to each task with the intent of doing the best job possible. I make sure not to make recognition or rewards my goal. To my surprise, rewards and recognition have come my way.

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PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

The Best Career Advice I’ve Received and the Advice I Offer Others: The best advice I received was to network—to get to know different people within the organization, the client base, the industry, and the community. My advice today would be similar, but I would add that one should network with integrity and substance. The most compelling people I’ve ever met, and still remember, were authentic and knowledgeable about their craft. Not everyone is a natural, social expert. Confidence comes from within and from one’s accomplishments and values. PDJ

AT LOCKHEED MARTIN, WE’RE ENGINEERING A BETTER TOMORROW.

© 2014 LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION VC377_156

BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON

HISPANIC HERITAGE

Eric Martinez Principal Booz Allen Hamilton

How My Heritage Values Fuel My Success: Faith and family are at the forefront of my values. I also believe in being truthful to yourself and others, and in having morals above reproach. I appreciate that Booz Allen has given me a sense of fulfillment—the feeling that I’ve accomplished something, and that I’ve helped many people, directly or indirectly. The firm also has given me tools that I can use to guide not only my career, but also my life.

How My Company Supports Me…and How I Pay it Forward: During my 17 years at Booz Allen,

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many programs and initiatives helped me grow. And the firm’s diversity agendas—such as the Latin Forum and the Hispanic Agenda—provide me with opportunities to help others. I serve on our Hispanic Agenda Leadership Team, sponsor the firm’s relationship with Great Minds in STEM, and help shape strategy for recruiting Hispanics on campus. I’ve also served on the board of Safety, Awareness, Resources, Change, a nonprofit that works to end domestic and sexual violence and stalking, and aid victims of abuse, and as a mentor with the Boys and Girls Club of Harford County.

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

The Best Career Advice I’ve Received and the Advice I Offer Others: The best advice that mentors have given me is to always be yourself, and to listen first, listen more, and talk less.

You can learn a great deal about what to do, and what not to do, from watching others. It’s critical to build a great network and to mentor others. One of the first things I recommend to anyone coming to Booz Allen is to find a mentor. I have several, and they’ve been instrumental in my professional growth. Having mentors outside your team and confidantes you can talk with about career issues is very important. PDJ

CVS HEALTH Lou Mercado VP of Inventory Management CVS Health How My Heritage Values Fuel My Success: My parents, who are both of Dominican descent, have taught me that having a strong work ethic and treating people fairly are extremely important. Those values have allowed me to shape who I am in business, as well as in life. I have been able to be successful due to my own hard work and the great people I surround myself with.

How My Company Supports Me…and How I Pay it Forward: CVS Health is a strong supporter of Hispanic professionals. Our company emphasizes the importance of hiring diverse colleagues and offering continuing development opportunities.

Our Strategic Diversity Management team provides tremendous support

throughout the organization to ensure that we are executing on that strategy.

I personally pay it forward through incorporating diversity across my team.

We are committed to hiring qualified and successful leaders and, more important, making sure that they have a clear path to succeed in our company.

The Best Career Advice I’ve Received and the Advice I Offer Others: The best advice I received from a mentor is to understand your company’s cultural strategy. Don’t be afraid to make decisions, and make sure that you build a team that can work well with others to achieve success.

The best career advice I can offer is this: Develop a personal and professional plan. Make sure you are flexible and willing to change, since business

changes constantly. Mentor and develop future leaders—your success will always depend on the success of your team. Think in terms of global diversity, since we operate in a global economy. And always, always work hard. The rewards will be tremendous. PDJ

DISNEY ABC TELEVISION GROUP Marla Provencio Executive Vice President, Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer, ABC Entertainment Group Disney ABC Television Group How My Company Supports Me…and How I Pay it Forward: Mentorships are key in our company, and I have been lucky enough to be part of the executive mentorship program. My mentor, Anne Sweeney, has given me guidance and has included me in corporate meetings, conferences, and seminars that have spurred my development. Other programs have helped me improve my management skills and public speaking. I offer a mentorship program in my own department. I’m a board member of Promax/BDA and belong to its diversity council, which mentors entertainment marketing talent. I have participated in Cal State Fullerton’s

roundtable meetings, which focus on providing students with high-value internships and helping recent graduates find jobs.

The Best Career Advice I’ve Received and the Advice I Offer Others: The best advice I was ever given about career advancement is this: Move out of your comfort zone and seek opportunities that will challenge you. That advice has stayed with me throughout my years at ABC. Additionally, my advice is to be proactive, not reactive. Challenge yourself to question, explore, and create change where it is needed to benefit you and others. PDJ Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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FORDHARRISON LLP

HISPANIC HERITAGE Fred Gaona III Partner FordHarrison LLP

law attorney, I am often faced with having to learn all aspects of another profession, as well as the processes and procedures of a business, in a short time. My work ethic helps me to press on when the hours get long and the work gets tough.

How My Heritage Values Fuel My Success: I am a Mexican-American from San Antonio, Texas. My culture is a large part of my identity. My parents and grandparents instilled a strong work ethic and taught me that education was the key to success. As an employment

How My Company Supports Me…and How I Pay it Forward: FordHarrison has supported my efforts to promote diversity inside and outside the firm. For instance, from day one, the firm has backed my work with the Texas Minority Counsel Program and the Dallas Hispanic Law Foundation—not only with sponsorship dollars, but also by actively participating in these worthwhile programs.

I try to pay my blessings forward by being a mentor to other Hispanic and minority attorneys. We all need sound advice and a helping hand from time to time. I have also raised scholarship

monies, through the Dallas Hispanic Law Foundation, for Hispanic students pursuing legal careers.

The Best Career Advice I’ve Received and the Advice I Offer Others: My mentor has always been Steve Wakefield, an attorney with whom I worked at my first law firm. His approach to the law reflected a philosophy of how we should interact with the court and other attorneys.

His best career advice to me was to become expert in my area of law. From a personal standpoint, his best advice was to make time for the people and things that are important to you. I would share Steve’s philosophies and approaches with anyone looking to advance his or her career—become an expert in your field, build relationships, and treat others with dignity and respect. PDJ

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER Maria Alma Rodriguez, MD Vice President, Medical Affairs The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center How My Heritage Values Fuel My Success: Major values of my heritage are placing priorities on family and friends, and respect for all persons. These values have helped me build positive relationships with people from all walks of life, including my patients, my peers, and staff at all levels of the organization.

How My Company Supports Me…and How I Pay it Forward: I have been supported by our institution’s program for women faculty, peer networks, and mentorship. I pay

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PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

it forward by making myself available as a mentor to others.

The Best Career Advice I’ve Received and the Advice I Offer Others: Two valuable pieces of advice I received early in my career were: First, never compromise your core principles for the sake of advancement, because in the end you have to be able to live with yourself, not your advancement; and second, if a door of opportunity opens, and it is of interest to you, don’t be afraid to step through it, because it will likely lead to other opportunities. PDJ

KPMG LLP

Manuel Fernandez Managing Partner of KPMG’s Dallas Office KPMG LLP

How My Heritage Values Fuel My Success: At the age of eight, I immigrated to the US from Cuba with my family. My parents instilled in my sister and me the values of hard work and perseverance. They championed education and stressed the important part it would play in my future success. They also encouraged me to lead by example and treat everyone with respect.

Remaining true to these values has brought me opportunities to work internationally, lead national recruiting efforts, and join three KPMG offices

across the US. Throughout my 30 years with KPMG, mentors and sponsors have made the difference in my personal and professional growth.

How My Company Supports Me…and How I Pay it Forward: I belong to KPMG’s nationwide Hispanic/Latino network. We mentor high performers to help them advance into management. Each year, we match 40 to 50 senior managers and directors with partner mentors and sponsors.

KPMG also sponsors a leadership program for diverse students. Annu-

ally, we identify 75 high-performing college freshmen and sophomores, and host them at a two-day Future Diversity Leaders conference, where they learn work and leadership skills.

I’m a member of KPMG’s National Diversity Advisory Board, as well as these boards: Boys Scouts Circle Ten Council; Dallas Regional Chamber; Dallas Citizens Council; United Way of Metropolitan Dallas; and Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA). PDJ

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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L-3

HISPANIC HERITAGE

Sandra Aldana Program Manager, L-3 Electron Technologies, Inc. L-3 How My Heritage Values Fuel My Success: The major values of my heritage—a strong work ethic, family, and respect for others—are the backbone of my life. In my career, I have found that people appreciate being treated with respect and will take extra steps to help a person they can trust. Also, knowing what is truly important to you is imperative when working in a high-stress environment. If we don’t know what’s

46

important to us, we spend a lot of time wondering what we should be doing or, worse yet, regretting our decisions.

The Best Career Advice I’ve Received and the Advice I Offer Others: The best advice I ever received was this: “Take nothing personally, even when it is intended.” This mantra helps me stay focused on the job at hand and not the get sidetracked with negative energy.

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

My advice to anyone looking to grow a program management career is to build a reputation for being dependable, professional, and cooperative. The ability to work cooperatively, and find win/win solutions, not only creates an environment of collaboration, but also results in better solutions and decisions. Pushing your agenda at all costs, and not addressing valid objections, takes time and energy away from the tasks that really count. PDJ

“

Omar Taymes Director ...ACKNOWLEDGING OUR UNIQUE DIFFERENCES OPENS THE DOOR Legg Mason Global Asset Management

OF INCLUSION WHILE EQUALITY DEMANDS DIVERSITY.

How My Heritage Values Fuel My Success: Education, discipline, respect services uniquelyand tailored to are the major values of my heritage. address the increasingly diverse Born andneeds raisedofinmulticultural Panama, my brothers and I individuals. were taught these values by my mother.

We believed in them and 4. Promote practices, policies, procedures put themand in practice, andthat theyinclude have been the an keyunderstanding to our success. of others’ worldviews.

Living in the UnitedDevelop States ofan of cultural America understanding has presented many obvalues in a way that stacles, such as language andappreciates cultural thewell importance multicultural barriers, as as manyofopportuniidentities in the world today. ties. The values I learned as a child Stimulate multicultural helped me overcome the obstacles and knowledge through without educational be a successful professional training and experiences renouncing my Hispanic heritage.that improve everyone’s understanding of cultural differences.

“

LEGG MASON GLOBAL ASSET MANAGEMENT

The Best Career Advice I’ve Received and the Advice I Offer Others: During my career, I have been in 5. Promote an environment Mastery of appropriate techinfluenced by differences people within, which are as well as niques and strategies is a purposely outside,respected the company.

They gave me and included. results-driven process designed to the courage to face difficultthat situations Develop approaches better support the business proand have contributed to my success. reflect an understanding of cess through cultural competence.

The best advice that Ivalues received from multicultural in the Entities that embrace diversity and business Actively seek inclusion provide superior services a mentor in the process. company was “maxito empower diverse individuals for their customers. When diversity mize your strengths and minimize with unique and inclusion are present, trust is your weaknesses. ” needs by creating a nurturing enhanced, customers are more willWhen employeesenvironment ask me how they in which all members ing to seek services, and employees can advance in their careers, feel I tell authentically valued benefit from a highly engaging them that they have to overcome the andthey integrated. obstacles face, and offer examples work environment. PDJ of successful people who never stop in develop the skill set necessary to face of obstacles, butConsultant work harder to accomplish their PDJ of Maria Collar is Chief of Serendipity Consulting Services andgoals. is the author “Acting as One: Unleashing our Collective Creativity.” To learn more about her work, visit www.serendipityconsultingservices.com.

Work that makes a difference.

Teammates who value individual aspirations and experiences.

At Booz Allen Hamilton, our people provide clients with inspired thinking—to help solve some of today’s most important and complex challenges and achieve success in critical missions.

We believe unique perspectives contribute to innovative ideas, which drive better results not only for our clients, but for the world around us. At Booz Allen, diversity is central to who we are and what we do. Our commitment to an inclusive environment means facilitating understanding and awareness, and creating initiatives to improve the quality of work life for staff.

If you’re looking to do work that makes a difference at a firm that’s committed to helping you achieve your professional and personal goals, Booz Allen could be what’s next for you. To find out more, visit boozallen.com/careers to create and submit a profile.

www.boozallen.com/careers We are proud of our diverse environment, EOE/M/F/D/V.

HISPANIC HERITAGE

Julio A. Portalatin President and CEO Mercer

MERCER

Making a Difference in People’s Lives.

How My Heritage Values Fuel My Success: At Fannie Mae, we value every employee’s contributions, and are committed to My dad came to the United States from the Dominican Republic because he believed in democracy. tion and foster an inclusive workplace, me can be summarized as follows: in our workforce, our workplace, and the marketplace.

He taught my siblings and me to stand where the most talented people want • Working hard is not enough; by our positions and—with logic andsourcetoof work. market, you have work hard at the As the leading residential mortgage credit in the U.S. secondary FannietoMae is supporting today's economic recovery and Ilaying foundation better housing finance system. guarantee and purchase loans from peaceful, intelligent means—make a

rightWe things. am athe member of for thea Global mortgage lenders families can buy homes, refinance, or rent a good home. difference in the world. Growing up, to ensure • Surround yourself with people Diversity Council and co-chair of Our workforce is a diverse and talented groupInitiative of people for who welcome the be on you the front line of change. Join I realized I was different—both opportunity who willtomake better; the Veterans Talent ourI team and put yourMercer’s unique talents to good use & asMcLennan we work to advance our challenge nation's housing recovery. ethnically and personally. embraced

yourself by hiring parent, Marsh my differences, and they became people who know more about the Companies. I am also the global factors in my success. job than you do. chair for Mercer’s Global Diversity We’re looking for qualified and ambitious professionals To apply online� go to ����fanniemae�com�careers� I work to create an environment • inWake up of each day, thinking about Council and speak at D&I events at all levels a variety roles – including: and connect with us via: where no one is advantaged or how to make a difference. You across the MMC companies.

Business Analysts • Loan Servicing Specialists disadvantaged, everyone’s opinion Credit won’tRisk always reach your goal, I believe that for every critical Analysts • Developers matters, and employees feel valued

but you will train yourself to hire we must find the best qualified Operational Risk Analysts • Project Managers and believe they can succeed. Bringing candidate who also meets our

think about making a positive General Accountants • Reporting Analysts • IT Auditors Testers • Financial Analysts • Governance Analysts out each person’s best makes us better difference. diversity criteria. It’s not enough to HR Professionals • Systems Engineers as a whole. I am passionate about this I offer these same three pieces of say this, we must also encourage it philosophy—it has served me well. © 2014, Fannie advice to others when asked about and act on it.

Mae. All rights reserved. Fannie Mae and the Fannie Mae logo are registered marks of Fannie Mae. Fannie Mae is an equal opportunity employer. career advancement. PDJ How My Company Supports Me…and The Best Career Advice I’ve Received How I Pay it Forward: and the Advice I Offer Others: At Mercer, we aim to build an There are many people who were interculturally competent organizainfluential in my life. What they taught

diversity and inclusion

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PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

Making a Difference in People’s Lives.

At Fannie Mae, we value every employee’s contributions, and are committed to Making a Difference in People’s Lives.

diversity and inclusion

in our workforce, our workplace, and the marketplace.

At Fannie Mae, we value every employee’s contributions, and are committed to

As the leading sourceand of residential mortgage credit in the U.S. secondary market, Fannie Mae is diversity inclusion supporting today’s economic recovery and laying the foundation for a better housing finance system. in our workforce, our workplace, and the marketplace.

We help people buy, refinance, or rent a home.

As the leading source of residential mortgage credit in the U.S. secondary market, Fannie Mae is supporting today's Our diverse and workforce thefinance opportunity toguarantee be on the lineloans of change. economic recovery andtalented laying the foundation for welcomes a better housing system. We andfront purchase from mortgage lenders to ensure families can buy homes, refinance, or rent a good home.

Join our team to put your unique talents to good use as we work to advance our nation’s Our workforce is a diverse and talented group of people who welcome the opportunity to be on the front line of change. Join housing recovery. our team and put your unique talents to good use as we work to advance our nation's housing recovery.

To apply online� go to ����fanniemae�com�careers� and connect with us via:

for qualified and ambitious professionals We’re We’re lookinglooking for qualified and ambitious professionals at all in levels in a of variety roles – including: at all levels a variety roles –ofincluding: • Loan Specialists Servicing Specialists BusinessBusiness Analysts Analysts • Loan Servicing Credit Risk •Analysts • Developers Credit Risk Analysts Developers Operational Risk •Analysts • Project Managers Operational Risk Analysts Project Managers Accountants • Reporting GeneralGeneral Accountants • Reporting Analysts • Analysts IT Auditors• IT Auditors QA Testers •Analysts Financial Analysts • Governance Analysts Testers • Financial • Governance Analysts HR Professionals Systems Engineers HR Professionals • Systems•Engineers

© 2014, Fannie Mae. All rights reserved. Fannie Mae and the Fannie Mae logo are registered marks of Fannie Mae. Fannie Mae is an equal opportunity employer.

To learn more about Fannie Mae’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, please visit: http://www.fanniemae.com/portal/about-us/company-overview/diversity-inclusion.html © 2014, Fannie Mae. All rights reserved. Fannie Mae and the Fannie Mae logo are registered marks of Fannie Mae. Fannie Mae is an equal opportunity employer.

HISPANIC HERITAGE

NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION Don Chavez Vice President, Associate General Counsel, and Technical Services Sector Counsel Northrop Grumman Corporation

How My Heritage Values Fuel My Success: Hard work and determination have been the hallmark of my family since the first generation settled in northern New Mexico while it was still a US territory. Although they never went to

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#

college, my parents were determined that each of their three children would earn a college degree. And while school work never came easily to me, I knew that through hard work and determination I could accomplish anything.

Education opens the door to other opportunities. You must constantly learn and grow, adapt to change, continue to pursue new experiences, and learn to use the latest technology.

Otherwise, you’ll be left behind.

The Best Career Advice I’ve Received and the Advice I Offer Others: My mentors encouraged me to be flexible and willing to take risks, and to pursue and embrace opportuni-

ties, even if they require moving to a new department, business unit, or geographic location. Taking risks will provide you with a diversity of experience that will make you more valuable to the company, provide greater job satisfaction, and bring opportunities for advancement.

Collaborate with your colleagues. A diversity of ideas and expertise enriches the discussion and leads to better results. Collaboration exposes bad ideas and strengthens good ones.

Adhere to the highest level of ethics and integrity. Our customers expect this of us, and we should expect it of ourselves. PDJ

Take time to recognize the good around you.

At New York Life, we recognize that employees’ unique qualities often lead to innovation, positive change, and a more productive and dynamic workplace.

For more information about New York Life visit us at www.newyorklife.com/diversity © 2014 New York Life Insurance Company, 51 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010 Keep Good Going® is a registered trademark of New York Life Insurance Company, all rights reserved.

Life Insurance. Retirement. Investments.

KEEP

MUFG UNION BANK, N.A.

Barbara Peña Director MUFG Union Bank, N.A.

How My Heritage Values Fuel My Success: Throughout my life, I’ve been driven by three guiding principles—be proud of my culture and heritage, work hard, and always maintain the highest ethics.

Because of my tireless work ethic and strong sense of personal responsibility, I have been recognized at MUFG Union Bank, and was recently selected to take on a newly created role as human resources business partner for the company’s Consumer and Business Banking group.

MUFG Union Bank has a deep commitment to doing what’s right and a

sincere respect for people and diversity. Being part of a global company that shares my values is gratifying.

The Best Career Advice I’ve Received and the Advice I Offer Others: The best advice I received from a mentor was to always remain flexible and learn from every project, because that new knowledge might unlock a door to greater opportunities.

I would share that same advice: Be flexible, remain open to learning new things, and accept constructive feedback. While feedback can be hard to accept, there is no question that it will

enhance your skills and your overall ability to be a stronger professional.

Also, find a company that matches your values and ethics. I am proud to be part of MUFG Union Bank, an institution that much like my own heritage has rich traditions that have withstood time. PDJ

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

51

NEWELL RUBBERMAID

HISPANIC HERITAGE

Maria Gomez-Soler Vice President, Consumer and Marketing Insights Newell Rubbermaid How My Heritage Values Fuel My Success: Family is the most important aspect of many Hispanics’ lives, and that tends to condition us to be very nurturing people. I’ve tried to replicate this nurturing family environment with my teams at work. It is important to me to create a team environment where employees feel safe in sharing their accomplishments and dreams— as well as their mistakes and fears— with me.

Another value that has shaped me is humility. I come from humble beginnings and have little patience for people with a sense of entitlement.

Instead of waiting on someone to hand me what I think I deserve, I work hard to identify and earn opportunities.

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How My Company Supports Me…and How I Pay it Forward: As a Latina at Newell Rubbermaid, I’ve never felt that diversity is a special exercise, but rather, is embedded in all of our people practices. One of the most rewarding parts of my job is spotting people with potential and developing them—irrespective of their backgrounds.

Newell Rubbermaid has several programs that support diversity and inclusion. I am a member of the Hispanic Organization for Latinos (HOLA), an employee resource group that supports individual growth and business initiatives promoting the richness of the Hispanic culture. Additionally, we identify better ways to attract, retain, and engage Hispanic employees.

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

The Best Career Advice I’ve Received and the Advice I Offer Others: Be authentic—people can tell when you are faking it. If you share your mistakes with your team, they are far more likely to show their true selves to you. When I achieve this level of trust, it opens the door for more meaningful coaching and development.

My favorite saying is “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.”

It’s a phrase I use often at work. Once we reach the other side of that fear, we can take risks, make mistakes, and learn valuable lessons. But more often, we find great success. PDJ

WILMERHALE Ken Salazar Partner WilmerHale How My Heritage Values Fuel My Success: The importance of family and a good education were values that my parents instilled in all eight of their children.

Growing up on the family ranch in the San Luis Valley in Colorado, we did not have electricity until the early 1980s. My father always told us that an education was the most important thing we could obtain.

How My Company Supports Me…and How I Pay it Forward: Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working with more experienced attorneys, who have

offered me advice and encouragement; I strive to be that person for up-andcoming professionals.

The Best Career Advice I’ve Received and the Advice I Offer Others: The best advice I have offered to young professionals is to work harder than the average person in order to be successful; and that it is important to offer those who come after you good advice and mentoring. PDJ

BALTIMORE GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY Alexander G. Núñez Vice President, Governmental and External Affairs Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, an Exelon Company How My Company Supports Me…and How I Pay it Forward: My company invested in developing my leadership skills and exposed me to new ways of looking at the world.

As a result, I have led complex initiatives and projects, as well as teams, and shared my learnings with those I lead and coach.

I serve on the boards of Leadership Maryland, the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education, and the Maryland–DC Audubon Society.

At BGE, I’m a charter member our Diversity and Inclusion Council, as well as the executive sponsor of the Organization of Latinos at Exelon (Maryland Chapter), where I bring leadership development and community engagement to Hispanic professionals and others interested in our Hispanic communities.

The Best Career Advice I’ve Received and the Advice I Offer Others: The best advice I received regarding career advancement was to focus on performing today’s work with excellence, but to have a vision and plan to reach future goals. Also, I would advise others to: • Build a network of support by supporting others. If you have genuinely served the needs of coworkers and others, they will help you when you need them.

• Listen to the customers and community you want to serve, so you can better align your strategy to their needs.

• Measure the impact of your work, so you can track success and failure, and demonstrate your value to others. PDJ Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

53

How Boards Can

REAP THE

Rewards OF DIVERSITY From Catalyst

T

he United States is one of the most diverse countries in the world. Our diversity is a strength that leads to innovation and ingenuity. US corporate boards should be tapping into that strength by recruiting qualified women and minority directors with varied talents, backgrounds, and perspectives.

Unfortunately, most of them are not.

This problem is hardly unique to the United States; women’s underrepresentation on boards is a global phenomenon. However, the United States is rapidly falling behind other economic leaders such as France and the United Kingdom. South African women currently enjoy better representation on boards than their US counterparts.

Several pervasive myths continue to impede women’s progress in this area, including the myths that CEO experience is required for board service, that there are too few qualified women to narrow the gender gap, and that women are already entering corporate leadership at a pace that will eventually eliminate the gender imbalance. But

54

Catalyst research shows this simply isn’t true: You don’t need CEO experience to sit on a board; there are plenty of well-qualified women out there; and, given the current rate of change, women will not achieve parity by sitting around and waiting for it.

So how can senior leaders with the power to make change wield that power most effectively? Catalyst’s CEO Summit yielded a number of important insights from F500 CEOs and senior leaders who are doing just that.

Here are some practical tips: • Demonstrate intentional leadership. Don’t just talk about change; set measurable goals, establish meaningful timelines, and follow through.

• Cast a wider net. Talented directors come from a variety of backgrounds.

• Sponsor a talented woman (or two or three!) you believe in, and help her succeed.

• Insist on diverse candidate slates, and mandate that both women and men have seats at the table.

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

Diverse boards enhance public trust by representing the interests of a company’s many stakeholders, from its shareholders and suppliers to its employees, customers, and the residents of the communities in which it operates.

Corporate boards in the United States and around the world must make a conscious effort to capitalize on the strength diversity can bring, as many have already begun to do.

Their overall financial performance and global economic competitiveness depend on it. PDJ Founded in 1962, Catalyst is the leading nonprofit organization expanding opportunities for women and business. With offices in the United States, Canada, Europe, India, and Australia—and more than 700 members—Catalyst is the trusted resource for research, information, and advice about women at work. Catalyst annually honors exemplary organizational initiatives that promote women’s advancement with the Catalyst Award.

2013 CATALYST CEO SUMMIT Women in the Boardroom: The New Normal

Leader to Leader: How to Transform the Boardroom From the Inside Lessons Shared From CEOs and Board Directors on the Many Paths Forward—Find the Ones That Can Work for Your Board

demonstrate

Gender diversity is good for boards and business.

The case for gender diversity is more than just financial—it also focuses on reputation, effective governance, and leadership development.

Intentional Leadership.

Have the conviction and vision to drive the change.

Effective risk management depends on diversity, which is a bulwark against groupthink.

look

sponsor

Broadly for Talented Directors.

A Woman for Her First Board Seat.

Deconstruct the competencies and expand the criteria beyond CEO experience.

Groom a woman to be part of the director pipeline and actively champion her within your network.

establish

alternate

require

Term Limits for Directors.

Seat Selection Based on Gender.

Women be Considered in Candidate Pools and Slates.

Decide on a reasonable time frame and stagger open seats so the board will have a mix of tenures.

Create fair processes and jump-start gender diversity by mandating that both women and men have a seat at the table.

There are women with the experience you need—insist that search firms find them.

If you don't consider women, you can't select them.

add

create

evaluate

reach

A Seat and Appoint a Woman to It.

A Pipeline for Directors.

The Effectiveness of the Board and Your Work on It.

Out to Other Boards to Offer to Help.

Match your conviction with action by creating the opportunity to increase gender diversity on the board.

Build relationships with talented women before seats become available.

Include group dynamics, individual behaviors, and continuous improvement as part of this review.

Contact other CEOs/Directors and share your experience and how you benefited from increased gender diversity on boards.

Intentional leaders expedite change in the boardroom.

created: 12 June 2014 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

catalyst.org

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

55

Top Pharmaceutical Executive Pedro Lichtinger on

Hispanic Youth Outreach and Diversity as Corporate Culture

By Alanna Klapp

Pedro Lichtinger has spent almost four decades in the pharmaceutical industry and is one of the few Hispanic pharmaceutical executives. He served most recently as the president and CEO of Optimer Pharmaceuticals and before that, he was president of Pfizer’s Primary Care Business Unit. He sits on the boards of Biotime, Inc., a public biotech firm based in California with a focus on regenerative medicine, and Sanfer de Mexico, a privately held pharmaceutical research and manufacturing company.

Lichtinger is also a member of the Brazil Foundation, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to promoting equality, social justice, and economic opportunity for all Brazilians. He also serves on the National Board of Governors for the Boys and Girls Club of America, with a goal of helping more Hispanic children graduate college. Lichtinger shares his experience with the Boys and Girls Club, advice to young Hispanics entering the workforce, and strategies that

56

will help firms attract and retain a talented and diverse group of employees, Hispanic or otherwise.

Hispanic Outreach at the Boys and Girls Club of America The Boys and Girls Club of America serves about 4.1 million children from primary to high school age. The organization provides a caring and fun environment for at-risk children and works to encourage them to attend college. Activities range from basketball to ballet. Lichtinger became involved in 2003 and chairs the Boys and Girls Movement, which focuses on encouraging children of Hispanic origin to join the club.

When the Hispanic outreach began three years ago, there were 700,000 Hispanic kids in the Club. Today, there are about one million. Kids work daily with mentors, do an hour on homework, and enjoy an hour of Internet surfing. They develop skills, perform better in school, and position themselves for success in the corporate world.

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

Pedro with his wife Iracilda, his daughter Stephanie, and his son Jonathan

Advice to Young Hispanics Looking to Climb the Corporate Ladder to Senior Management

Pedro at speaking engagement at MIT’s Sloan School of Management

Lichtinger says young Hispanics who want to climb the corporate ladder to senior management positions need to be proud of their entire heritage, Hispanic and American. “We need to move away from having to make a choice.”

He also advises them to seek out mentors, “Mentors are fundamental in the long-term progression of executives in companies. If you work for someone you do not feel is mentoring you, you should look for a different job.

You need to look for work or people that are going to make you part of a winning team you truly respect.”

Strategies for Companies Looking to Attract and Retain a Talented and Diverse Group of Employees

Pedro with his wife Iracilda.

“My view is diversity incorporation is a question of corporate culture, and it starts at the very top,” says Lichtinger.

Institute practices within the company that address diversity training. Ensure that cultural activities sponsored by the organization are open to everyone, regardless of origin. Train senior executives to recognize the differences in how cultures express leadership, and recognize and acknowledge success. In addition to management, minority groups need to understand and overcome limitations.

“In the end, it’s all about metrics,”

says Lichtinger. If a company wants to increase the number of a certain type of candidate, such as women or Hispanics, for all positions at different levels, interviewers need to learn to understand cultural differences. “You can try to level the field, and have a ladder and a career progression based on merit,” he says. Lichtinger cautions the process isn’t easy, “It takes years to implement, and it takes a very strong commitment at the very top of the organization.” In addition, Lichtinger stresses the importance of making different cultures visible and ensuring that the entire company understands the value of diversity. One way to do this is through company sponsored events.

According to Lichtinger, the most important piece of any company’s diversity program is making sure employees feel empowered and recognized for their achievements. A talented, diverse workforce, based on progression through merit, should be one where everyone believes if they do the right thing and perform well, they’ll move up the ladder, regardless of color, religion, or gender. Employees should enjoy what they do in a friendly and fun environment. He says it helps to have a competitive compensation policy, but adds this caveat: “You need a piece of all those factors. It’s not enough to have competitive compensation.” Regardless of cultural origin, employees should be proud of what the company is doing overall, and feel that every morning they’re making a difference in the world. PDJ

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

57

The

“R” Words The Rules for Successfully Recruiting and Retaining Individuals with Disabilities

By Nadine Vogel

58

A few months ago, I wrote an article addressing the OFCCP’s new rules to improve job opportunities for individuals with disabilities. The article highlighted changes to the regulations impacting Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, requiring U.S. Federal Contractors to take affirmative action to recruit, hire, promote, and retain these individuals. This article will focus on best practices relative to the successful implementation of these rules.

The 7% Utilization Goal has contractors realizing they need a talent acquisition strategy for individuals with disabilities, but are challenged with how. Since the majority of these companies regularly recruit recent university graduates, campus recruiting of students with disabilities is a logical first step, but only when the unique issues relative to launching such an initiative, such as the three tier classification system for these schools in terms of the services they provide, are understood. The key to long-term success is establishing a solid relationship with each school’s disability services office (DSO) and, more specifically, its director. The company will need to share its commitment to and strategy for hiring and retaining individuals with disabilities—from providing information about how they train recruiters and managers regarding disability etiquette

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

and awareness, as well as interviewing techniques, to making reasonable accommodations. Only then, will the DSO feel comfortable in pursuing a collaborative relationship.

Then, there is the requirement for contractors to ask applicants and employees to voluntarily self-identify as an individual with a disability. Requesting this information is important, but does not address the reasons these individuals often don’t disclose in the first place. Although fear is believed to be the primary reason people don’t disclose, in focus groups with employees with disabilities, Springboard learned the main reason is that most don’t know how. They are unsure what and how much information to share, with whom, and what to expect in response. Providing such guidance via a disability disclosure guidance tool on a company’s intranet helps candidates and employees feel more informed, better equipped, and more confident and comfortable in disclosing their disability.

Disclosure is only one part of the process. Should a candidate or an employee require an accommodation, the process by which this is accomplished can have a tremendous impact on everything from the acquisition of the candidate to onboarding and beyond.

Keeping in mind that the new rules

require the implementation of the changes necessitated by the passage of the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008, creating a reasonable accommodations process that is consistent, fair, and equitable across the footprint of the enterprise should be considered a minimum standard. An accommodations committee, company-wide communication, and a well-thoughtout process that includes how requests are made, criteria for providing the accommodation, turnaround time, and so on, are all part of what is often referred to as a RAC, which if developed appropriately, is a sure-fire way to ensure reasonable accommodations are being addressed appropriately.

If these new rules are not enough to get a company thinking about the way in which it recruits and retains people with disabilities, contractors need to consider the impact of these rules on other disability-related legislation and guidance. For instance, sourcing often begins with a candidate’s search of the company’s career portal. What is be-

ing done to ensure the site meets the WCAG 2.0 global standards for accessibility for those who are blind, visually impaired, or are unable to use a mouse or keyboard? And how do we know if a candidate can perform the essential functions of a job with or without accommodation, or whether an accommodation request is reasonable, if our job descriptions do not delineate each position’s essential and marginal functions?

The good news is that although these issues may seem overwhelming, there are practical tools and scalable solutions that any contractor can implement regardless of size, geography, or even corporate culture.

Profiles in Diversity Journal readers are invited to contact Springboard to get your most pressing questions answered and begin to successfully conduct the outreach and recruitment of people with disabilities. Call Nadine at 973-813-7260 or email her at Nadine@ consultspringboard.com.

Nadine Vogel is the CEO of Spring-

board Consulting LLC. Founded in 2005, Springboard is recognized as the expert in mainstreaming disability in the global workforce, workplace, and marketplace. Serving corporations and organizations throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia, Springboard has become a trusted partner in relation to disability issues and initiatives across virtually every business category. Nadine is also the author of DIVE IN, Springboard into the Profitability, Productivity and Potential of the Special Needs Workforce.

Copyright © [2013–2015] Springboard Consulting LLC®. All Rights Reserved. This work and all text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video and other material of Springboard Consulting LLC ® are protected by the United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published, or broadcast without the prior written permission of Springboard Consulting LLC® or, in the case of third party materials, the owner of that content.

You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright, or other notice from copies of the content. PDJ

140,000 financial professionals.

40 nations. $2.4 trillion in assets.

One name.

1

Now, one name is all you need to know for access to corporate and investment banking and securities trading services on six continents. One name connects you to the 2013 Global Bank of the Year 2 and to one of the World’s 50 Safest Banks.3 One name that’s your gateway to Asia, as well as to top-rated deal makers in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Welcome to MUFG. One name, a world of resources. www.mufg.jp/english 1 2 3

Exchange rate of USD 1 = ¥109.65 (J-GAAP) as of September 30, 2014.

Source: Thomson Reuters Project Finance International, 2013 Roll of Honour.

Source: Global Finance, “World’s 50 Safest Banks,” October 2013. ©2014 Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. All rights reserved. The MUFG logo and name is a service mark of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.

on ti ia c o s s A n o ti va er s n o C Student with e c vi er S k r a P l a n o ti a N Diversifying the

By Alanna Klapp Exciting Initiatives Diversity may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the National Park Service, but there is a long history of few minorities visiting national parks or working in the conservation and environmental fields.

The Student Conservation Association (SCA) and its diversity coordinator Alvi Seda are working to change that.

Founded in 1957, the SCA is a national organization whose goal is to create the next generation of environmental leaders. The SCA provides high school and college students with opportunities to serve in all 50 states. The organization is also working to bring more diversity to the national parks by running a number of diversity initiatives. Alvi Seda, the SCA’s recruiting coordinator for diversity Initiatives,

60

plays a key role in recruiting the talent needed to run these programs.

A genuine love of the outdoors and open spaces led Seda, who is originally from Puerto Rico, to pursue a career working in nature. His first project with the SCA and the US Forest Service progressed to more seasonal opportunities, a full-time recruiting position, and his current role as diversity coordinator. He travels in the US (typically the southeast) and Puerto Rico and visits colleges, career fairs, conferences, and expos, many with black and Hispanic populations, to recruit students for SCA programs. “I make sure we have candidates and representatives from all different walks of life in the United States,� Seda says.

The SCA currently operates five

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

diversity initiative programs designed to diversify the workforce within the national parks.

National Parks Service (NPS) Academy NPS Academy is a partnership between the SCA and the National Park Service that trains minority college students for careers in conservation fields through internships. Since the

A SCA high school crew cross cuts a tree in the forest.

program began in 2011, almost 300 students have participated. Students participate in a week-long orientation in the spring and then in summer internships in various locations, such as the Great Smoky Mountains.

The Career Discovery Intern Program (CDIP) The CDIP is a partnership between the SCA and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Founded in 2009, the program works with minority college students to place them in SCA internships and on an eventual career path. “This program is focused on diversity and bringing in students from ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds,” Seda says. After an orientation, students do a summer internship with the Fish and Wildlife Service.

In 2012, the CDIP received The Wildlife Society’s Diversity Award. The CDIP has a high rate of transitioning students from interns to full-time employees with various agencies within the National Park Service. “Every time one of those students gets hired, it’s

another step forward and that’s as good as diversifying that work force,” Seda says.

SCA Inner-City Programs The SCA’s inner-city programs serve students between 15 and 19 years of age. Held in such areas as Washington DC, Detroit, and Chicago, students attend week-long summer sessions in wilderness areas, and receive environ-

mental education and training. The goal is to start students in this program, help them move into a continuous level of service via internships as college students, and then, to fulltime employment.

Native Alaskan Crews In the summer of 2014, the SCA worked with a record nine Native Alaskan crews. The program has

Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM

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grown in the last few years to include SCA staff and a recruiter in Alaska.

“There’s a big focus on engaging Native American communities from that region to programming,” Seda says.

All-Navajo Crew During the summer of 2014, an allNavajo crew worked at Canyon de Chelly in Arizona. This is a smaller program that works with the Native American population. “It engages them on a national level to do conservation or land management,” Seda says.

How the SCA is Making Strides toward Achieving Greater Diversity within the National Parks Seda says SCA programming centered on diversity is all inclusive. Staff members enjoy the amount of diversity present in the crews they lead, and the diversity of the students and employees enriches the experience for everyone. “When we’re able to bring students from a across the US together in a magical place to learn environmental education, all those ideas being expressed by different cultures and backgrounds really unleash the learning environment,” Seda says. He adds that this is one reason the SCA is so focused on diversity.

Seda says working with the SCA and seeing students grow into various opportunities has been extremely rewarding for him.

“Anytime we connect with these populations and bring more people in, it grows exponentially,” Seda says. “We’re getting more and more diverse representation in our programming and national parks.”

Seda thinks people are getting away from the idea that global warming is a myth, and everyone needs to be aware of responsible environmental management.

That increased awareness will lead to more opportunities for people who want to get into conservation fields and work on solutions. The SCA and its diversity programs help foster careers for people who perhaps wouldn’t come to them any other way. PDJ To learn more about the SCA and its diversity programs, please visit http://www.thesca.org

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PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

CenturyLink values diversity.

A diverse workforce is one of our greatest strengths in a competitive global marketplace. We are committed to fostering a culture that honors mutual respect and collaboration which results in our best work to improve lives.

See how we connect at www.centurylink.com and our careers page at centurylink.jobs.

See how we connect at centurylink.com.

Š 2014 CenturyLink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The name CenturyLink, the pathways logo, and the CenturyLink brand sub-graphic are trademarks of CenturyLink, Inc.

Cultivating Relationships Across Communities: BP LEADERS SHARE THEIR STRATEGIES FOR ENGAGING DIVERSE EMPLOYEES, CUSTOMERS, AND VENDORS.

A

n American Petroleum Institute study shows that the shale boom, along with an expected barrage of baby boomer retirements, will likely drive a hiring surge in the energy sector in the coming years. With today’s shortage of minorities in STEM, how do global energy companies plan on finding the diverse talent they’ll need for the future?

We recently had a chance to speak with two leaders from BP who are finding ways to meet this challenge— Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Americas Redia Anderson, and Senior Director of Strategic Relationships of BP America Kathleen Martinez. And they generously agreed to share their insights regarding the issues involved in engaging Hispanic professionals, customers, and vendors in today’s business climate.

What specifically is BP doing to bring more minorities into STEM roles?

Anderson: Minority recruitment, retention, and promotion matter to BP because our ability to be competitive and thrive globally depends on attracting, motivating, developing, and retaining the best talent the world offers.

Recruiting top diverse talent must begin internally. We train our recruiters so that they are confident in engaging with women and minority

64

candidates, and really understand what makes BP an attractive employer.

This includes ensuring that the language we use in job descriptions is female friendly and culturally relevant.

Also, it’s important to remember that recruiting top talent doesn’t start at graduation; it begins much earlier. For example, events like BP’s Discovery Days are great ways to attract diverse engineers who are still in college.

How does BP work with MWBE (Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise) suppliers? How specifically does BP engage Hispanic business enterprises?

Martinez: BP has a long history of working with MWBE suppliers, and our supplier diversity process is constantly evolving. This year, we are launching the new Supplier Diversity Advisory Council, comprising employees from procurement and operations, which is essential to strategically influencing the inclusion of MWBE suppliers in the procurement process. Our supplier diversity team works closely with MWBE suppliers to ensure that they have access to key decision makers and subject matter experts who can help them increase their knowledge of how our business operates.

BP is very proud of the partnerships we have with organizations like the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc.

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

Kathleen Martinez, Senior Director of Strategic Relationships of BP America

Redia Anderson, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Americas

(NMSDC), and US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. These partnerships provide ongoing opportunities for BP to engage with diverse suppliers, and we appreciate the vital role our partners play in supporting MWBE development.

How does BP support and encourage the professional development and advancement of multicultural employees? Where are you seeing the largest gains/challenges?

Anderson: BP is proud to offer a wide range of support to all employees at select BP office locations. This includes on-site day care, flexible work schedules, family leave of absence, on-site lactation centers, and working parent support networks.

Additionally, BP encourages and supports business resource groups, including our company-wide Women’s International Network (BPWIN), as well as our BP Asian, African American, and Latino networks. They sponsor a range of events and link local networks across our sites.

We also partner with women and minority organizations such as Catalyst, Center for Talent Innovation taskforce, Society of Women Engineers, Human Rights Campaign, Menttium, Executive Leadership Council, Society of Hispanic Engineers, National Society of Black Engineers, and The Center for Asian Pacific American Women’s Leadership Institute, to name a few.

What is different about creating an inclusive global workforce environment (vs. driving inclusion in a domestic environment?)

Anderson: Our markets and operations span the world. Our ability to be competitive and thrive globally depends on us attracting, motivating, developing, and retaining the best talent from the diversity the world offers.

BP believes that success comes from the energy of our people. We are committed to creating a workplace that is characterized by respect for each other—a workplace where we value diversity of people and thought.

Through living our values of Safety, Respect, Excellence, Courage, and One Team, we create an inclusive global working environment where everyone can make a difference and give of their best.

Why do you think BP has been able to establish such an impressive reputation as a top employer for women? Tell me about the 35 percent leadership goal for 2020.

Anderson: BP consciously seeks to recruit talented women—our ability to remain competitive depends on it.

The number of women in our group leadership has risen from virtually none in 1990 to nine percent in 2000 and eighteen percent in 2013. Our goal is to have women fill 35 percent of our leadership roles by the year

2020. To that end, we are providing resources and support for women in the industry, including diversity and inclusion training programs, on-site day care, flexible working schedules, family leave of absence (for maternity leave), an on-site lactation center, working mother support networks, and more.

Please tell us a little about your own professional background and your experience at BP. Martinez: I hold a bachelor’s degree in business administration & marketing from the University of Texas, San Antonio. I am also a certified corporate citizenship professional with training from Boston College’s Carroll School of Management. My experience includes more than 18 years of practice in public relations, corporate social responsibility, marketing, philanthropy, and strategic relationship management.

My work at BP has focused on the development, management, and implementation of BP America’s national external affairs efforts. This includes overseeing the company’s US community investment policy and leading our national strategic relationships and initiatives platform. PDJ

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Using the Power of YOU ONE LATINA LEADER’S STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS

By Elizabeth Dipp Metzger Financial Adviser, New York Life

s I look at the sunrise from my airplane window on the way to a business meeting in Dallas, my blessings wash over me. I am a daughter of wonderful parents, an aunt to the coolest kids I know, a wife, and, most important, a mother of three wonderful and fascinating young children.

However, at this moment, work beckons.

Friends often ask me, “How do you do it all?” After all, I am all of the above. I am also a highly productive financial advisor with a large and growing business. So large, in fact, that my friends at New York Life have informed me that I have the privilege of being the highest producing Latina of all time at the company.

So, do I carry a superwoman’s cape and pull it out early in the morning to start my day? Absolutely not! I am very much like many women I know.

Just trying to get out of bed each day,

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get through the hectic to-dos of life, and get to the next day.

Having come from an entrepreneurial family, having had unique work and life experiences (I did spend my time as a little girl working at my dad’s amusement park), and having a thirst to learn from others has allowed me to make some important observations in my life that have enabled me to be successful. These strategies have served me well in good times and bad.

Let me suggest a three step plan that has helped me: STRATEGIES FOR A PRODUCTIVE LIFE 1)VISION–One of the things I have learned over time is that the most successful people I know, or have ever met, have a vision. They see where they want to be and what they want to do.

They don’t always know how exactly they will do it, but they have a vision.

That vision might be something very small or very lofty. If you haven’t quite figured out what the big idea is, just try

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

envisioning the small things that you would like to change. Little successes multiply on each other until you reach your larger goal.

Vision is as important, or MORE important, when times are bad. When I’ve had a very hard time, the thing that has helped me through is ENVISIONING what the other side looks like. It helps me take the appropriate steps to get from where I am to where I want to be.

2)ACTION–There are a lot of four letter words that keep us from success.

CALL. WORK. Set a GOAL. What I see so often is that people talk about what they want to do and instantly talk themselves right out of doing it. I have found there is only one cure for this.

ACT! The world is full of stories of the impossible happening. Why can’t that impossible happen for me?

Imagine a mother of three, including a 6-month-old baby, starting in an industry that is populated primarily by men, in a job that requires months

and months of education, testing, and licensing before you begin. However, those weren’t my main obstacles. My main obstacle was my environment.

No one I knew had ever achieved the production that I aspired to. Those around me were discouraging, not encouraging. So the only person I had to rely on for encouragement was me.

My solution? Take ACTION! Every time I was discouraged, I would make a call, have a meeting, network. Nothing is accomplished by thinking and worrying about problems. When a problem comes up, you have to make a decision. Can you change the outcome by taking action? If you can’t, then there’s no sense worrying—let the cards fall where they may. If you CAN do something, take action.

What’s funny is that if you can get past the early naysayers, more and more people will start to jump on your bandwagon. And that leads me to the final step…

3)GET HELP–There is so much written about successful leaders, and

business owners. The one commonality among almost all of them? They surround themselves with others who support their vision and help them along the way.

As a business owner, I’ve learned this well. I have a staff of four wonderful people who help me. They are very skilled at what they do. They understand what the business needs and do their jobs well.

But most important, they believe in my vision. The people that work for me, the people I surround myself with—friends, family, clients—all strongly support me in what I try to accomplish. If you find that every time you have a positive idea someone is trying to drag it down, you may need to rethink the people you are surrounding yourself with. PDJ Elizabeth “Lizzie” Dipp Metzger is the founder of Crown Wealth Strategies located in El Paso, Texas. A financial adviser and agent of New York Life, Metzger and her firm focus on wealth management, and estate and advanced business planning for

business owners, physicians ,and independent professionals. A native of El Paso, she is fluent in Spanish and serves her local community, as well as transnational clients in the US and Mexico. Learn more at www.lizdippmetzger.com.

THE MIDDLE MANAGEMENT CONVERSION Simply changing your approach can help turn critics into champions

By Robin Pedrelli Organizations have struggled with the concept of middle manager engagement since middle managers became part of the picture. And this phenomenon is not reserved for Diversity and Inclusion practitioners alone.

Too often, organizations forget the simple things when it comes to middle managers—like respecting their knowledge and ideas, and capitalizing on their potential. When organizations begin treating their middle managers like leaders, like the life blood of the organization, it will be a whole lot easier to engage them.

If you work for an organization that can boast high middle manager engagement, then your job is that much easier. But if engagement is a problem for your middle managers across the board, consider this a tremendous opportunity. This is your chance to win their hearts and minds. Think about the potential that comes with being one of the only leaders in the organization who values and solicits their input. This simple gesture will not only solve your engagement problem, but will also provide you with information that will enhance your strategic effectiveness.

The key to engaging middle man-

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PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

agers is involving them throughout the process. Nobody—not middle managers, senior leaders, or front-line workers—wants to be mandated to do anything, particularly if there is a lack of understanding regarding the rationale behind the mandate.

One of my sons wouldn’t eat anything. And dinners had become a bit stressful, with me demanding he eat what’s on his plate and he flat out refusing. When I started engaging him in the process of choosing meals and creating our shopping list, things improved considerably. If he’s involved in the actual preparation and cooking of the meal, he eats with zeal and tries to convince his brothers to do the same. I share this story because it brilliantly illustrates my point—involve your managers throughout the process and you’ll produce champions, not roadblocks.

We can all state the business case for diversity—access to talent, employee engagement, the exchange of fresh ideas, innovation, entry to new growth markets, and so on. If you truly believe the business case for diversity, your middle managers should be the easiest contingent to win over. Who understands the marketplace and workplace

better than your middle managers?

They are most affected by talent shortages, and the lack of employee engagement and productivity. They are most connected with the marketplace, and are closest to P&L goals.

The problem is our approach.

Middle manager engagement is where your D&I strategy should begin, not end. Don’t inform them about your strategy and mandate their participation in diversity efforts. Instead, begin your engagement process by deepening your understanding of the business and what your middle managers know.

Where are they or the organization struggling and why? Are there talent shortages in certain departments or skill areas? Where do your middle managers see the most opportunity for growth? Are there pressures to cut costs, and how do your managers feel about that? Are there areas where process improvements can support bottom line performance? What does employee engagement look like, and are there disparities in engagement among employee groups? How is this affecting their ability to meet their goals? A few simple questions focused on their jobs, not yours, can be instrumental in the engagement process.

This knowledge mining exercise

can be accomplished in a few different ways. Consider hosting lunch-andlearns with small groups of managers—make sure they understand that the learning is on your end, not theirs.

If you have the support of your senior leaders, ask to be included in upcoming management meetings and make sure you have adequate time on the agenda to accomplish your goals. Host your own management meeting, where all managers are invited and the main agenda item is learning about the business.

Once you’ve taken the time to learn what they know, you’ve earned the opportunity to share what you know.

Educate them about how a diversity strategy can impact the organization’s success. Tell them about Diversity and Inclusion resources already in place that can support their goals and help meet their challenges. Talk about your employee resource groups and your strategic relationships, and what kind of access those relationships provide.

It is critical at this stage of the process that you don’t tell them how, just what.

Now, involve your managers in the strategic process. Engage in a brainstorming session where all middle managers are invited to come up with ideas that drive the Diversity and

Inclusion strategy. How can D&I leverage existing tools and resources, and expand on those tools and resources to support the goals of the business.

Your middle managers can help inform decisions regarding the kinds of training and resources needed to help them better leverage diversity. Ask them how the office of D&I can help them become more inclusive managers and leaders, and more effectively engage all their employees. Ask how they might use employee resource groups in support of very specific business challenges or opportunities, and for leveraging the D&I relationship to help meet specific pipeline development goals. Ask how they want to support and engage in these efforts.

And finally, share your Diversity and Inclusion strategy with your managers.

Not all of the components of the strategy are going to be driven by middle managers, but make sure their voices are heard. They will be much more vested in the success of the strategy if they helped craft it. Consider your managers part of the solution rather than part of the problem. Think of your middle managers as your greatest champions, not your toughest roadblocks. PDJ

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Investing in the Hispanic Community Bank of America creates a winning environment

I

t is estimated that by 2020, one in five Americans will be Hispanic and, by 2050, that gap will shorten to one in three.

According to the latest survey by the FDIC, nearly half of Latino households are currently underserved. So for financial institutions, this market segment’s rapid growth presents both challenge and opportunity.

Bank of America is one of a growing

George Smith

number of financial institutions that have made a huge investment in meeting the needs of its changing client and employee base. It serves 8.3 million Hispanic-Latino customers, and has more primary banking relationships among Hispanic/Latino customers than its industry peers.

“Much of what we do is a reflection of our commitment to service,” said Silvina A. Salazar, Hispanic and Latino Organization for Leadership Advance-

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ment (HOLA) employee network enterprise leader. “Much of our recent training is around communication.

When we communicate properly and clearly with our customers, we demonstrate our commitment to making interactions easier and our expertise more accessible.

“That commitment extends to our employees who serve Hispanic/Latino customers. Bank of America recently launched a Spanish training video for banking center and contact center employees to help them deliver a clear and consistent customer experience through the use of proper terminology and grammar. It also introduced a Spanish product-reference guide, so employees do not have to translate product information themselves while speaking with the customer.

“With this new training, we are letting our customers know that, regardless of which language they are using, we are here to help them,” said Salazar.

Bank of America offers Spanishlanguage options through its ATMs, online banking, text banking, alerts, banking centers, and contact centers.

The bank’s ATMs with Teller Assist® also provide greater convenience and access for customers who want to speak “face-to-face” with an employee in Spanish.

Growing leaders through HOLA Bank of America founded its Hispanic/Latino Organization for Leadership and Advancement (HOLA) in 2003. Over the past decade, it has grown to more than 30 chapters across the enterprise, and has enabled thousands of employees to connect and develop through mentoring programs

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

and networking opportunities.

Bank of America also partners with other organizations, including the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting, USHCC, National Council of La Raza, CHCI, and the National Society of Hispanic MBAs, to create an environment where employees, customers, and communities around the world can connect.

“When we survey our employees, we see those in networks like HOLA are over seven times more engaged and have a clearer career trajectory,” says George Smith, head of Business Banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

He also chairs the company’s HispanicLatino U.S. Leadership Council, a group of executives focused on growing both the Hispanic market and management base at Bank of America.

“We want our clients to ‘get deeper’ into our company, and our employees as well, so we provide the training and opportunities that allow both to reach their goals.” PDJ

Silvina Salazar

More than a Matter of Language CenturyLink’s Bilingual Customer Service hub in El Centro makes an uncommon connection with customers

On July 21, CenturyLink celebrated the 30th anniversary of the founding of its Bilingual Customer Service Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The first bilingual telecommunications call center in the United States and the longest tenured bilingual call center in the industry, El Centro de CenturyLink has a tremendous story.

The center was the brainchild of five CenturyLink Phoenix employees who recognized the need to provide in-language customer service to their Spanish-speaking customer base.

“At CenturyLink, we encourage our employees to bring their ideas to the table—it’s what helps us grow and provide the highest level service to our customers. El Centro is a great example of what that can do for your company,” says Shasha Richardson O’Dea, diversity director for CenturyLink.

“These five employees understood the importance of serving the growing Hispanic market, and today, their vision continues to inspire our work, not only through our bilingual call center, but through our philanthropic efforts as well.”

Today, El Centro de CenturyLink connects with thousands of Spanishspeaking customers across the US. According to bilingual supervisor Elvia Caballero, many of the employees who work there—like herself—have a personal connection to the work.

“Mom and I came from Mexico, and I was her translator,” says Caballero.

“I remember having to explain to her a ‘party line’ or where to buy a phone.

Being young and needing to act in that role—that’s something you don’t forget. It’s why I knew I wanted to be part of this. It’s a way I can truly make a difference.”

Caballero has been at the center for 18 years, and is still making a difference every day—sometimes providing help in areas far beyond telecommunications services.

“That’s because our employees have a common goal—to be there when our community needs us,” says Caballero. “For example, we once heard from a customer who wanted to make payment arrangements but didn’t have food. One of the employees asked, ‘Is there something we can do?’

So we held a fundraiser, and worked with other CenturyLink departments and community organizations, to come to their aid.”

Caballero says that this type of empowerment makes working at CenturyLink, and El Centro, quite unique. “It makes this a wonderful place for personal and professional growth. I know I am not the same person I was before working here.

Not a lot of companies give you the opportunity to contribute, use your creativity, and grow like this.” PDJ

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Welcoming passionate people who share a thirst for the rigor and challenge of a fast-moving business.

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PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

Niagara University’s College of Hospitality and Tourism Management PREPARES STUDENTS FOR SUCCESS Gary Praetzel

For more than 40 years, Niagara University has helped students pursue roles in service and management careers through its renowned College of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

Nestled a few miles from the Canadian border and the rushing waters

By Noelle Bernard

of tourist hot spot, Niagara Falls, the university offers a profound experience for undergraduates.

Niagara University’s College of Hospitality and Tourism Management is ranked among the top 20 programs in the US. In 1968, it became the first university in the world to offer a bachelor’s degree in tourism. It was also the seventh program in the country to be accredited.

“We do everything possible to make our students marketable in the best possible job in the industry, including bringing the best employers in the industry face to face with them,” said Gary Praetzel, dean of the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

The college offers Bachelor of Science degrees in hotel and restaurant management, tourism and recreation management, and sports management.

Students are immersed in the industry through study abroad programs,

800 hours of approved work experience, the college’s annual career fair, and guidance from active alumni. “The way the program is designed is great because it gives you so much experience,” said Claire Hogan, a Niagara University 2012 alumna. “That [800 hour requirement] gave me an opportunity to do three separate internships in different areas to see where I wanted to be in the industry.”

Students are also given opportunities to work abroad at luxury hotels in Peru and Lake Como, Italy, or even participate in a dual degree program in Germany. While at Niagara, Hogan was selected to spend a summer semester in Lake Como, Italy, and complete her final year in Germany, earning a dual degree. She currently works for McDonald’s corporate office in Chicago.

Evan Hanrahan, a 2008 graduate who recently became a senior event manager at the Hilton San Francisco

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Union Square after working for the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, says that Niagara University sets students up for success. “Whenever we would interview a Niagara student who had gone through the international programs for a job at the Waldorf, there was just a very clear understanding that they had been put through the paces and we felt comfortable that they could keep up with the pace and energy required at a big hotel like ours.”

Amy Domiano graduated from Niagara University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Tourism Management with a concentration in Marketing. She is now working in New York City with Related Companies as a Hospitality Coordinator for The Shops at Columbus Circle—Time Warner Center. “My experience in the College of Hospitality and Tourism prepared me not only from an educational standpoint, but also forced me to adapt quickly to change and not be afraid to take a leap of faith when it comes to accelerating your career and mov-

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ing away from everything you know,” Domiano says.

The success of the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management rides gracefully on the shoulders of Praetzel, whom alumni praise for his mentorship and passion. However, early in 2014, Praetzel announced his retirement after serving at the university for 35 years.

“He tried to get students to branch out and do things that would elevate the entire program and make Niagara University’s College of Hospitality and Tourism something that people respected,” Hogan said. “I’m so grateful for him, because without his guidance and help, I wouldn’t be here at McDonald’s—a superb company. I really owe it all to him.”

According to Hogan and Domiano, beyond Praetzel’s industry expertise, it was his accessibility that brought students in and kept alumni actively involved. “The impact and the guidance he provided throughout my four years at Niagara were unlike any other,” Domiano said. “I could turn to him for any concern or situation, and I knew he would steer me in the right direction. The success of his students is a huge testament to him and the College of Hospitality.”

Praetzel’s connection to students goes beyond graduation day. Alumni

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

admit they still reach out to him for guidance and encouragement. “He has absolute faith in every student who walked in his building—that they have the potential to get where they want to go. I’ve never met someone as selfless as he is. He always puts everyone first,” Hanrahan said. “Not only did he do everything he could to set the students up for success, but he did everything he could to set the school up for success.”

Despite losing Praetzel, Hanrahan believes the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management will remain strong. “While I’m sure the school is going to miss him greatly, I also feel it would be a discredit to him to think that there is any concern as to the program moving forward. He deserves all the credit in the world, and certainly deserves some peace and quite for a little while. PDJ

Evan Hanrahan

Developing the Next Generation of Chief Diversity Officers in Higher Education

By Oliver Tomlin, Senior Partner, Witt/Kieffer

T

he role of chief diversity officer at colleges and universities has blossomed and evolved over the years. It has gone from being a primarily tactical position to a strategic one, requiring a much more multifaceted skill set than in the past.

“The successful diversity leader needs negotiating, diplomatic, communication, and analytical skills in addition to educational credentials,” we wrote following a 2011 national survey that our firm conducted, which involved nearly 100 leading CDOs. As the chief diversity officer position becomes fundamental to an institution’s strategic vision, it follows that there should be a greater emphasis on succession planning—that is, ensuring continuity in the role so that, if one CDO leaves, the torch is passed to another who can hit the ground running and build upon previous successes.

This becomes more critical when we consider the fact that roughly half of the CDOs surveyed told us that they planned to leave their current positions within three years.

One reason for this planned exodus is that CDOs are attractive candidates to move up in the administrative ranks, even into presidential and provost positions.

As a follow-up to our 2011 survey, we recently conducted another focused on CDO succession planning, in which we asked specific questions about whether chief diversity officers were grooming successors and taking steps to ensure continuity upon their eventual departure.

My fellow author, Lucy Leske, and I presented our key findings at the NADOHE 8th Annual Conference this year in San Diego. As the charts below suggest, institutions are preparing for the future, though only 12 percent have a formal succession planning process.

What is your institution doing to ensure the continuity of the role of the CDO? 60

53% 45%

50 40

40%

33%

30

20% 12%

20

At most institutions, potential successors to the CDO role are identified on an ad hoc basis, whether through an informal internal process or through external recruitment.

Only a few respondents suggested that CDO successors were identified formally, as part of institutional succession planning.

Are CDOs themselves doing enough to nurture the next generation? The graph below suggests that mentoring and other critical activities are indeed taking place, though they can certainly be increased across the board.

What are you personally doing to educate and transfer knowledge to the next generation of CDOs? 100 90

86%

80

68%

70

52%

60 50

52%

48%

40 30 20 10 0 Mentoring

Growing Internal Resources

Speaking at Events Focused on Diversity Profession

Thought Leadership (books, articles, studies)

Partnering with organizations and institutions that are building talent pipelines within the diversity profession

Among the expanding responsibilities that chief diversity officers in higher education must take on today is planning for their eventual exit. A good CDO must be on the lookout for his or her successor, and groom others to fill this role throughout academia as well. Institutions, too, must prioritize CDO succession planning so that the gains and accomplishments of one diversity leader are not lost in the transition to another. PDJ Witt/Kieffer Senior Partner Oliver Tomlin and Lucy Leske, Managing Partner for its Education Practice, are authors of Developing the Next Generation of Chief Diversity Officers in Higher Education. Download a copy of the special report at http://pdjrnl.com/CDOsuccession.

10 0 Expanding reach of initiatives

Mentoring relationships

Leadership development training

Identifying potential successors

Exposure to the Board of Trustees

Formal Succession Planning process

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CORPORATE INDEX

BOLD DENOTES ADVERTISER

3M..............................................................................................................3m.com/careers-diversity..............................................Inside Back Cover Army & Air Force Exchange Service (The Exchange).............................aafes.com/about-exchange/........................................................................... 8 Ballard Spahr LLP.....................................................................................................ballardspahr.com........................................................................... 9 Bank of America..........................................................................................about.bankofamerica.com......................................................................... 70 Bank of the West.............................................................................................. bankofthewest.com......................................................................... 38 BDO USA, LLP....................................................................................................................... bdo.com......................................................................... 40 Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE)......................................................................... bge.com......................................................................... 53 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan...................................................................................bcbsm.com......................................................................... 10 Booz Allen Hamilton................................................................................... boozallen.com/careers................................................................... 42, 47 BP............................................................................................................................................. bp.com......................................................................... 64 Catalyst...............................................................................................................................catalyst.org......................................................................... 54 CenturyLink............................................................................................................. centurylink.com................................................................... 63, 71 Charles Schwab.....................................................................................aboutschwab.com/careers......................................................................... 17 Citigroup, Inc. ..........................................................................................................................citi.com......................................................................... 16 Coca-Cola Enterprises ............................................................................................... cokecce.com................................................................... 12, 72 CVSHealth.................................................................................................. cvshealth.com/diversity .................................................................. 18, 43 Ernst & Young LLP....................................................................................................................ey.com......................................................................... 40 Excellus BlueCross BlueShield ...............................................................................excellusbcbs.com......................................................................... 19 Fannie Mae.................................................................................................. fanniemae.com/careers......................................................................... 49 Fennemore Craig, P.C.......................................................................................................... fclaw.com......................................................................... 20 Fish & Richardson...................................................................................................................... fr.com......................................................................... 22 FordHarrison LLP...................................................................................................... fordharrison.com......................................................................... 44 Government of Manitoba .....................................................................................................gov.mb.ca......................................................................... 21 HARMAN International, Inc. ............................................................................................ harman.com......................................................................... 23 Health Care Service Corporation..........................................................................................hcsc.com......................................................................... 24 IHS Automotive.........................................................................................................................ihs.com......................................................................... 15 Ingersoll Rand.......................................................................................... company.ingersollrand.com......................................................................... 26 KPMG LLP......................................................................................................................... kpmg.com................................................................... 27, 45 L-3 Communications......................................................................................................... l-3com.com......................................................................... 46 Latham & Watkins LLP.............................................................................................................. lw.com......................................................................... 28 Legg Mason.................................................................................................................leggmason.com................................................................... 29, 47 Linkage...................................................................................................................... linkageinc.com......................................................................... 11 Lockheed Martin Corporation........................................................ lockheedmartin.com/diversity......................................................................... 41 Mercer............................................................................................................................... mercer.com......................................................................... 48 MUFG Union Bank................................................................................................... mufg.jp/English.............................................................13, 51, 59 New York Life Insurance Company......................................................................newyorklife.com.............................................................30, 50, 66 Newell Rubbermaid..........................................................................................newellrubbermaid.com......................................................................... 52 Niagara University............................................................................................................. niagara.edu......................................................................... 73 Northrop Grumman..........................................................................................northropgrumman.com......................................................................... 50 PNC Financial Services Group.......................................................................................... pnc.com................................................................... 25, 31 Reed Smith LLP........................................................................................................... reedsmith.com......................................................................... 32 Ryder System, Inc. .............................................................................................................. ryder.com......................................................................... 33 Springboard Consulting LLP..........................................................................consultspringboard.com......................................................................... 58 The US National Park Service................................................................................................ nps.gov......................................................................... 60 The Walt Disney Company............................................................................................ disney.com ..........................................................14, 43, 67 United Rentals..........................................................................................................unitedrentals.com......................................................................... 34 University of Texas MD Anderson..............................................................................mdanderson.org......................................................................... 44 Verizon....................................................................................................................verizon.com/jobs......................................................... Back Cover VisionSpring..........................................................................................................visionspringinc.com......................................................................... 68 Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield............................................................................. wellmark.com..................................................................... 5, 35 WellPoint....................................................................................................... wellpoint.com/careers ............................................ Inside Front Cover WilmerHale.................................................................................................................. wilmerhale.com................................................................... 36, 53 WilsonHCG................................................................................................................... wilsonhcg.com......................................................................... 37 Witt/Kieffer..................................................................................................................... wittkieffer.com......................................................................... 75

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PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL November/December 2014

Engaging

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Diverse Perspectives Creativity as diverse as the people behind it.

3M knows that diversity is at the heart of our market-leading innovation for over 100 years. That’s because our culture values, encourages and rewards the rich and varied perspectives of our employees. It is their diversity of cultures, backgrounds and insights that powers our creativity.

Be part of what’s next 3M.com/careers-diversity

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We believe in the power of technology to solve just about anything. And we’ve put our sharpest minds to the task. Join our team and you’ll support groundbreaking innovations in areas from mobile workforce solutions to data delivery to secure cloud computing.

And create an inspiring career with the company that meets every day with one question: “What do we want to build next?”

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