2022 ELC Contact Newsletter

Libi Sprow Rice

EDITOR

Libi Sprow Rice

1301 K Street NW, Suite 210 West Washington, DC 20005 (202) 655.2952

ABOUT THE ELC

The Executive Leadership Council, an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation founded in 1986, is the preeminent membership organization committed to increasing the number of global Black executives in C-Suites, on corporate boards, and in global enterprises. Comprising more than 800 current and former Black CEOs, senior executives, and board directors at Fortune 1000 and Global 500 companies, and entrepreneurs at top-tier firms, our members work to build an inclusive business leadership pipeline that empowers global Black leaders to make impactful contributions to the marketplace and the global communities they serve.

2022 ELC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS

Lloyd W. Brown, II Chair, Citi

Valerie Irick Rainford Secretary, Elloree Talent Strategies

DIRECTORS

Nancy Armand HSBC

Gena Ashe Anterix, Inc.

Kimberly A. Blackwell PMM Agency

Gerald T. Charles, Jr. Capital One

Shaundra Clay Beam Suntory Thomas R. Harvey FloZenda Consulting

Marc A. Howze Deere & Company

Edward L. Dandridge Vice Chair, Susan G. Komen Board

Sena Kwawu Treasurer, Avista

Janice Innis Thompson Nationwide

Gale V. King Nationwide (Retired)

Cynthia Marshall Dallas Mavericks

Shelley Stewart Jr. Bottom Line Advisory Telisa Toliver Chevron

Roy Weathers PwC

EX-OFFICIO DIRECTORS

Tonie Leatherberry

Immediate Past Chair, Deloitte and Touche LLP (Retired)

Michael C. Hyter President & CEO, The Executive Leadership Council

EXECUTIVE OFFICE

Michael C. Hyter

President & CEO

Lori Walker

Chief Operations Officer

Jennifer Vasquez Director, Governance and Board Operations

Ebony Harris Executive Assistant

Damon Williams Senior Project Specialist

Angela Leftwich Chief of Staff

PHILANTHROPIC GIVING

LaTese Briggs

Chief Philanthropy Officer

Krysta Omeir Program Manager

Leah Wade Director

MEMBER SERVICES & GALA

Mayra Espinoza Director, Member Engagement

Stephanie Monroy Senior Program Manager

Samad Sadri Data & Information Specialist

FINANCE & IT

Hannibal Brumskine II

Chief Financial Officer

Merkena Cooper Senior Accountant

Shannon Kief Controller

HR

Gail Coles Johnson

Chief Human Resources Officer

INSTITUTE

Ramien Pierre Director

Amanda Rey Senior Project Manager Learning and Development

Lorna Walters Program Manager

Trisha Saint-Aude Senior Project Manager

Khalilah Branch Senior Program Manager

Alie Bangura Director, IT

David Digby Staff Accountant

Juanita Lee Office and Special Projects Manager

Deborah McCall Senior Project Specialist

Justina Victor Senior Research Manager

Bethany Davis Senior Project Manager Learning and Development Tamika Kelly Program Manager

COMMUNICATIONS

Libi Sprow Rice

Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

Angelina Gordon Director of Communications

Joseph Graham Manager, Communications

Scott Bolden Manager, Marketing

THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE

DEPARTMENT LEAD

Michael C. Hyter President & CEO

This year, under the leadership of President and CEO, Michael C. Hyter, and COO, Lori Walker, The Executive Office led ELC staff with a renewed commitment to operational excellence throughout the organization.

The Board of Directors

Several enhancements and process improvements were made in 2022 by the Board of Directors with tactical guidance from the Governance and Nominating Committee chaired by Board Secretary, Valerie I. Rainford. These updates include development of a full-year board calendar, integration of all board meetings and committee meetings, revamping new Director onboarding processes and development of Director Handbooks, refreshing board committee assignments to ensure continuity, succession planning, and the involvement of new Directors, as well as reassigning Jennifer Vasquez as the full-time staff liaison to the Board of Directors to support gover ments, and improvement of organizational effectiveness.

These Board-approved bylaws were ratified by The ELC’s membership in June.

ELC Staff

The Executive Office announced several new leaders and fully staffed departmental teams in 2022. In January, Lori Walker joined us as the Chief Operating Officer. In February, Angelina Gordon and Alie Bangura joined The ELC as the Director of Communications and Director of Information Technology (IT), respectively. In November, Juanita Lee was hired as Office/Special Projects Manager, and Khalilah Branch joined as Senior Program Manager. December had two staff additions, including Tamika Kelly as Program Manager, and Angela Leftwich, Chief of Staff. CEO Mike Hyter completed a comprehensive review of The ELC’s talent and executed a reorganization to ensure the organization’s P&L areas are integrated and within the oversight of the COO.

Today, The ELC’s Senior Leadership Team comprises the following executives who report directly to the CEO:

Lori Walker, Chief Operating Officer

Hannibal Brumskine II, Chief Financial Officer

Gail Coles Johnson, Chief Human Resources Officer

Libi Sprow Rice, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer

Jennifer Vasquez, Director, Governance & Board Operations

 Angela Leftwich, Chief of Staff

MEET THE ELC SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM

Member Classification/ Dues Town Halls

This summer, 194 members joined Mike and Lori for a series of six virtual town halls to discuss the Boardapproved changes to The ELC member classifications and membership dues. These changes included streamlining member classifications by redefining each membership category, and removing ambiguity around the corresponding dues each member will be expected to pay beginning January 1, 2023. Over the Summer, ELC members expressed their support and engaged in meaningful conversations with Mike and Lori, ensuring all concerns were taken into consideration before changes were ratified. These discussions are an example of the type of transparency in governance The Executive Office plans to continue because they impact members’ experience with the organization.

MICHAEL C. HYTER President & CEO

LIBI SPROW RICE Chief Marketing and Communicatons Officer

LORI WALKER Chief Operating Officer

GAIL COLES JOHNSON Chief Human Resources Officer

HANNIBAL L. BRUMSKINE II Chief Financial Officer

ANGELA LEFTWICH Chief of Staff

JENNY VASQUEZ Director, Governance & Board Operations

Meet the COO: Lori G. Walker

Entering The ELC

Q: Lori, what attracted you to The ELC?

A: I was enamored with The ELC and its mission. However, I underestimated the true, resounding passion from the members, as well as past board members, who felt that there were organizational opportunities needed to help put The ELC in position to be sustainable for the future. My experiences in corporate, coupled with their passion, made me hopeful and excited. I felt the possibilities were limitless for what we could accomplish at The ELC.

Q: After your first 90 days, what were some of your strategic business priorities? Have they changed?

A: When I assume responsibility in a role, I conduct research to understand our strategic imperatives — what are we seeking to accomplish? From my corporate experience, my anchor tenets are people, process and technology.

Looking at our personnel, I saw we needed more clearly defined roles that leveraged their best acumen for the business. From a tech standpoint, it was clear that our infrastructure needed work — there was an opportunity to refine how we connected with our members and their companies. So I quickly pivoted from working on our business strategy to surveying and managing our gaps instead.

Q: How did the culture or mission of The ELC influence those priorities? How did our members inform them?

A: I remember the listening tours with members. There were two pages of notes for almost every person we interviewed. Some had pain points about one thing or another, but there were also expectations from our other stakeholders. The deeper I went, the more challenging it became to focus on one thing. A healthy tension forced me to do some analysis to get to the right answer, rather than AN answer, and it definitely helped having the support of The ELC Board of Directors, Mike Hyter, and member influencers to get to those priorities.

Meet the COO: Lori G. Walker

Addressing Opportunities

Q:

Since you started at The ELC, the corporate landscape has changed – rising inflation, a softening of a once laser-sharp focus on DEI, and massive corporate layoffs have occurred. How do you view the shifting state of the nation, and what gives you hope about the future of our Black corporate leaders?

A: I believe we have an opportunity to be a more integrated partner to corporate America given the strength of our brand and the participation of our member-affiliated companies.

Corporations are seeking vendors who know how to consolidate their spend, and because there’s no single authority to move the needle for Black executives in their ranks, we can position ourselves to be their trusted advisors. We can harness the talent of our membership as an offering to corporate America and help inform how they move forward in DEI.

Q: What challenges have you overcome this year, and what opportunities excite you in 2023?

A: There have been more opportunities than challenges this year. Chief among them is the critical need to shift away from transactional relationships towards strategic partnerships with our member-affiliated companies. We also have an incredible opportunity to reinvigorate the execution of our philanthropic strategy.

Each year our member-affiliated companies send their high-performing talent to our seminars, but we don’t yet carry those professionals through our Institute’s continuum of career programming.

Also, our philanthropy team has the opportunity to operationalize tens of millions of dollars in scholarships for ELC scholars, but needs more infrastructure to build that runway.

We now have the right collection of staff and stronger systems to turbo-charge this work, so those are two missed opportunities this year that we’re tackling in 2023, and I couldn’t be more excited.

A Year in Review

Q: When you think of the more strategic business imperatives you knew The ELC could benefit from, what is one thing you are most proud of implementing?

A: Proud is a strong word for me because I think there’s always more work to do. However, restructuring our member classifications is what I’m most proud of to date.

Returning to in-person events and being able to celebrate Black excellence at The ELC Recognition Gala were major strides too. Despite the challenges of COVID, we were able to implement policies and protocols that kept our community safe, and still managed to have fun at the Gala with no instances of an outbreak.

The capstone was the launch of My ELC — our new web-based app that allows members to network and share ideas and information in real time. These are important milestones for The ELC this year.

ELC DEPARTMENTAL UPDATES

THE INSTITUTE FOR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH

Return to In-Person Delivery

Our Institute for Leadership Development & Research continues its longstanding commitment to strengthen the talent pipeline of Black leaders. This year, as COVID-19 restrictions lifted and cases of outbreaks reduced, the department’s efforts centered on the return to delivering in-person and hybrid leadership development programs.

 From October 3–6, the Institute held both a virtual and an in-person MLMS—the first live MLMS since 2019. Both programs had over 1,000 participants and featured 26 sessions delivered by 46 presenters.

“

C-Suite Academy



In June, 40 senior executives convened in Atlanta for the Institute’s first open-enrollment leadership development program since 2019. This year’s program featured fireside chats with CEOs from Accenture, BlueLinx Inc., Converse, and UPS.

Leadership Development Week East

I earned my place in LDW by showing up as a leader in my workplace in a specific capacity. What I’ve learned this week is that I do not and have not leveraged myself and my abilities strategically. This week has not only given me an awakening, and a guideline to follow, it has also given me a network of like-minded leaders who can provide me with feedback as I reinvent myself.”



From July 3–August 5, 123 Black corporate professionals gathered in Miami Beach to attend the following six-week-long courses: LDW East: Bright Futures, Strategic Pathways for Women, Navigating the Corporate Landscape, Leading Innovation, Strengthening the Pipeline 1, and Strengthening the Pipeline 2.

Leadership Development Week West



In San Francisco, 53 Black corporate professionals attended the three-week-long courses that constituted LDW West: Bright Futures, Navigating the Corporate Landscape, and Strengthening the Pipeline 1.

The Institute also published two editions of The ELC’s A Research Journal for Black Professionals and served as research partner for a study of the Black experience in the UK workforce. Being Black in the United Kingdom was released in July 2022 with findings revealing that “racism, microaggressions and unfair treatment are still the norm for Black professionals in the UK workplace.”

- Leadership Development Week East 2022 Participant

DEPARTMENT LEAD Ramien Pierre Director

In support of The ELC’s future-focused strategic pil lars, The Institute has a number of exciting initiatives planned for 2023 to expand the breadth and impact of its work.

This year, the organization piloted a variety of enhancements to the Corporate Board Initiative (CBI). Despite some challenges, distilled lessons learned will be leveraged by The Institute towards partnering with a member advisory group to refine and relaunch a CBI that meets the needs and expectations of the membership.

Similarly, The ELC plans to renew its focus on research, measurement and evaluation, with the aim of using more analysis and data to inform every part of the business -- from member engagement to advocacy and human resources.

Virtual and Hybrid Delivery

 In 2023 several programs will be delivered virtually or be offered in a hybrid format — with both in-person attendees and streaming options for virtual attendees. While the Power of Women at Work (May 3-5, 2023) and Black Men in Leadership (May 3-5, 2023), will only be held virtually, next year’s Mid-Level Managers’ Symposium will be one hybrid event hosted on October 4th and 5th.

The ELC’s signature intensive leadership development program, LDW, will be delivered three times in 2023. Two of those deliveries will be virtual (February 21-23, 2023 and November 7-9, 2023) and feature six courses: Bright Futures, Strategic Pathways for Women, Navigating the Corporate Landscape, Leading Innovation, Strengthening the Pipeline 1, and Strengthening the Pipeline 2. The Institute is proud to add two additional courses entitled, “Crucial Conversations,” and “Navigating Racism as Leaders” to the roster. In 2023, there will be only one in-person delivery of LDW: June 26-29, 2023 in New Orleans.

Accreditation



As part of its efforts to design, develop and deliver best-in-class leadership development programs, The ELC is working to attain accreditation for Institute programs in 2023. After it is finalized, accreditation will allow The ELC to offer continuing education credits and certifications for Institute programs.

Featuring ELC Members



As part of ongoing efforts to increase the member value proposition, The ELC will use Institute programs to feature ELC members as the subject matter experts they are. This includes featuring ELC members as presenters, moderators and fireside chat interviewees for both open-enrollment Institute programs (e.g., LDW, MLMS), and custom leadership development programs provided to ELC corporate partners.

ELC DEPARTMENTAL UPDATES

PHILANTHROPY

Expanding Emphasis on Community

The ELC remains committed to nurturing Black talent at all levels, including college students. This year, the Philanthropy department had the privilege of directly engaging more than 150 students through The ELC Scholars program, the Black Male Initiative, and the Boulé-Base 11 Parity Project Innovation Challenge. The department developed several events and programs that sharpen college students’ professional and leadership skills, enhance their financial literacy, nurture their mental health, and bolster their entrepreneurial pursuits.

This year, the Philanthropy department also set new standards of ELC engagement with the Black non-profit community. The department was proud to launch a new grantmaking process that enables Black-led and or Black-centric non-profits to compete for ELC grants ranging from $10,000-$100,000 for a total of $400,000 across all organizations awarded. This new system allows The ELC to expand its reach to non-profits around the country, fulfilling its promise to continue making impactful change throughout the Black community. Overall, the Philanthropy department has remained steadfast in its focus to promote, expand, and sustain philanthropic giving at The ELC.

Black Male Initiative

DEPARTMENT LEAD

LaTese Briggs Chief Philanthropy Officer

To further The ELC’s commitment to the community and deepen its work in higher education initiatives, this year the organization expanded and refined the Black Male Initiative (BMI). Supporting young Black men across the campuses of Delaware State University, Howard University and North Carolina A&T State University, the initiative provided academic and social wraparound support to improve GPAs and matriculation rates among Black men in college. Due to the work of the BMI, over 500 young men now have greater access to academic tutoring, professional and peer mentoring, mental health support, internships, and other additive social services to help them navigate day-to-day challenges that impact them outside the classroom.

The ELC acknowledges the unique set of challenges that Black college students faced in the past two years and continue to face due to the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbated by racial inequality and policy brutality. To help students cope with the stress and trauma brought on by the pandemic, The ELC helps support them with mental health resources that are available at each of the three BMI campuses.

ELC Scholars

The ELC awarded $1.5 million to 132 undergraduate and graduate students from over 40 educational institutions around the United States. More than 1,000 applications (76% increase from our previous cycle) were vetted by the scholarship selection committee and corporate sponsors over the course of three months, culminating with the selection of 94 new ELC scholars, including 88 undergraduate students and six graduate students. The ELC received the support of 15 corporate scholarship partners to

make this possible. The 2022 corporate scholarship partners included: Bank of America, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Brunswick Corporation, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Hewlett-Packard, HSBC, Johnson & Johnson, Linde, Lowe’s, Moody’s, Nationwide, Otsuka, Synchrony and The Coca-Cola Foundation.

Parity Project Innovation Challenge

During the summer, The ELC hosted the Grand Prize winners of The Parity Project Innovation Challenge, an annual online competition sponsored by the Parity Project, a national call to action to achieve economic parity for Black America by 2030. The Parity Project Innovation Challenge is the combined effort of Base 11 and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity Inc. (The Boulé) to showcase the talents of young, diverse innovators of the 21st century.

Topics for this year’s Parity Project Innovation Challenge included ideas for how science and technology can help achieve economic parity for Black America. Winners were chosen from three different categories of high school, college, and early career adults by a panel of judges. In addition to cash prizes, the winners were offered an opportunity to showcase their ideas in front of executives, investors, and changemakers in Washington, D.C., New York City, and at the Grand Boulé meeting of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity in the Bahamas.

 16% increase of submission/completion rate due to easy navigation of applications site and direct email campaigns by ELC Scholarship team encouraging candidates to submit applications.

 66% increase in total number of applications due to higher brand awareness, dedicated scholarship microsite and well-designed social media promotion. In 2021 the department reviewed almost 600 applications and this year, the department reviewed over 1,000.

ELC members helped shape the ideas of these young Black leaders by providing feedback on their winning submissions during an informative Q&A session. The four Grand Prize winners in this year’s inaugural cohort had unique ideas on how they could create economic parity in marginalized communities:

 Nova Sportsman , a 15-year-old student, wants to aid period poverty that affects young girls and minorities most by creating a “Menstruation Station” — a vending machine that would dispense feminine hygiene products and safe-sex materials;



Kiante Bush , an HBCU graduate, plans to help circulate money within the Black community through “Venture for Them” — a cohort of Black innovators;



Jasmine Baccus , one of our ELC Scholar alumni, wants to create a space for “Black Luxury” in the digital fashion space through handbags and NFTs; and



Chanda Lowrance , graduate student and veteran, plans to create a permanent supportive housing community through aiding homelessness within Baltimore.

The event ended in a luncheon of the Grand Prize winners, ELC members, and members of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity for an opportunity to network with one another.

Honors Symposium

After a two-year hiatus, ELC Scholars connected in-person to participate in the 2022 Honors Symposium in Washington, D.C. The symposium featured a Pinning Ceremony, a networking Reception at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and a separate viewing of the ELC Recognition Gala, which was followed by an after party for ELC Scholars. The purpose of this inaugural ceremony was to welcome the Scholars into The ELC community and reaffirm The ELC’s commitment to strengthening the Black talent pipeline. Scholars were pinned by ELC members and corporate sponsors, whose leadership at the apex of corporate America left the students inspired and motivated to achieve even more.

2022 Honors Symposium partners included 3M, Bank of America, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Brunswick Corporation, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HSBC, Johnson & Johnson, Linde, Lowe’s, Moody’s, Nationwide, NBA, Northrop Grumman, Otsuka, Synchrony, The Coca-Cola Foundation, and USAA.

 “ I liked networking with my fellow scholars comparing our very different but very similar experiences throughout college. I enjoyed talking to the alumni of the program and corporate leaders about their journeys.”

 “ Simply put, the Honors Symposium challenged me to quit the easy and by-chance route to success and rather pursue intentional success which may seem harder. It will be worth the price.”  “ ... I got to hear people who look like me tell me to follow my real dreams outside of the corporate setting and make a strong impact taking the entrepreneurial route.”  “ The honors symposium gave me the chance to really acknowledge where I am and set sights on where I am going. Rejoicing in the work I’ve done but recognizing that there is more.”

(36% survey response rate)  93% agreed the Honors Symposium exceeded their expectations  93% agreed the Honors Symposium was very/extremely organized  100% found the ELC Scholarship team helpful  56% said the Honors Symposium was better than other conferences they’ve attended in 2022, 37% had not attended a professional development conference in 2022  83% learned the general importance of networking  83% identified skills needed to achieve a higher- level of success  73% considered different companies to pursue for internship/future employment

What can you expect from Philanthropy in 2023?

On January 3, 2023, the Philanthropy team will launch, in partnership with corporate sponsors, approximately 15 undergraduate and graduate scholarship programs and three signature ELC scholarship programs – The Alvaro L. Martins scholarship for young men, The Ann Fudge scholarship for young women, and the Protecting Black Voices scholarship for students committed to civic responsibility and community engagement.

The department will also host its first virtual career fair for ELC Scholar Alumni in the spring of 2023, and an in-person career fair during Gala Week in Washington, DC in October 2023. Stay tuned for the announcement of the nonprofit winners of the ELC Community Impact grants early in the first quarter of 2023. The next grant cycle will commence in the second quarter of 2023.

Interested in having your company support The ELC’s philanthropic efforts? If so, please complete the ELC Sponsorship interest form to express interest.

VIEW THE 2023 ELC SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

ELC DEPARTMENTAL UPDATES

MEMBER SERVICES

Upgrading the ELC Member Experience

Enhancing the membership experience after two years of virtual programming was Member Services’ primary focus in 2022. As the ELC transitioned back to in-person programs and member events, leveraging best-in-class technology and innovation underpinned how the department sought to increase participation, maximize the expertise and experience of tenured members during marquee conferences, and elevate new voices across the membership. From SMS text messaging and push notifications to app QR codes for CLEAR COVID-19 passes, 2022 marked an increase of user-friendly, simple business tools for The ELC. Member Service’s efforts, culminating with the launch of My ELC — the new membership portal that creates a dynamic ecosystem for all ELC members to connect, network and advance their professional development with the brightest Black leaders across North America and the United Kingdom.

ty-four longstanding and highly committed ELC Members were paired one-to-one with the Class of 2022’s new members. The Committee also recognized 40 ELC members for their 30, 25, 20, 15 and 10 years of consecutive membership in good standing service in the inaugural year of Member Milestone recognition during The ELC Summer Member Meeting in Denver, Colorado.

The ELC and the Membership Committee are elated to induct the Class of 2023 next year, following a rigorous nomination and selection cycle that included 128 nominations and yielded a total of 69 new members accepted for 2023. This represents a class size growth rate of 26% when compared to the class of 2022.

Welcoming The ELC’s New Member Class of 2022

Carrying the theme of innovation and evolution, the Membership Committee completed its intake and selection process for new ELC members using an enhanced New Member Ambassadors program. The Program sought to enable connections through centralized

CEO GameChanger Conference ®

In October, Member Services hosted the 2022 CEO GameChanger Conference® at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C., with the theme “ONWARD: Pressing Toward Racial Equity at Work.” The discussions included nearly 90 Fortune 1000 C-suite executives and centered around how corporate leaders can work together to boldly accelerate Black advancement in a way that is fearless, fair and focused to unlock greater opportunity for Black talent. Jerri DeVard, Founder,

Black Executive CMO Alliance (BECA), moderated the Conference, and equity strategist and author, Tara Jaye Frank, shared The Waymaker’s paradigm shifting research, which included the leadership behaviors most associated with how to unlock opportunities for Black talent and beyond.

The conference also featured esteemed business voices including, Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts, Organizational Psychologist and Professor at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business; Joaquin Duato, CEO of Johnson & Johnson; Brian Cornell, Chairman & CEO of Target; Thasunda Brown Duckett, President & CEO of TIAA; Jon Vander Ark, President & CEO of Republic Services Inc.; Kim Reed, President & CEO of ITG Brands LLC; Dwight Gibson, President & CEO of BlueLinx Corporation; Lisa Osborne Ross, CEO of Edelman U.S.; and Richard Edelman, President & CEO of Edelman.

Join us next year at The Gaylord Hotel on October 5, 2023 in National Harbor, Maryland.

Regional Convenings

ELC members from the D.C. metropolitan area, Minneapolis, Massachusetts, the United Kingdom, and those attending programming during Gala Week, convened in regional locations for fellowship and networking.

In November, ELC senior leadership returned to London, United Kingdom, in the first trip across the pond since the pandemic for a week-long series of meetings centered around advocacy and member engagement for our internationally based ELC members. ELC

leadership and members held critical conversations on the state of Black corporate board diversity in London and the UK. Impact-driven activities will inform The ELC’s priorities in 2023.

What Can You Expect from Member Services in 2023?

In 2023, the Member Services team looks forward to continuing to expand and enhance member engagement, connectivity, and member experiences.

 Continued investment in building ELC member communities

 The reintroduction of ELC’s Corporate Board Initiative programming at Summer Member Meeting

 Weekly member engagement, virtual communities, and exclusive research and content on My ELC

 Encourage additional member-led and hosted regional convenings beyond NY and NC

If the contact information for you or your company has changed, please send those updates to the Member Services email address at memberservices@elcinfo.com .

View The 2022 ELC Recognition Gala Program Book

Grounding Our Mission, Elevating Our Brand

The Marketing and Communications team continued stronger supportive collaboration and strategic partnership across the business in programming areas and throughout the enterprise to provide market research, analytics, planning, partnership development and strategy to enhance The ELC presence in the marketplace of ideas. This year, the department amplified awareness of The ELC brand and elevated the thought-leadership of ELC President & CEO, Mike Hyter, through several strategic brand partnerships and media engagements. From The NFL, Forbes Magazine, CNBC and CNN Business to continued collaborations with Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, The Boule and The Links, The ELC was effectively positioned to host critical conversations, Black corporate talent and opportunities to accelerate progress towards stated diversity, equity and inclusion goals in corporate America. The department has several key initiatives that defined The ELC’s progress towards its mission to highlight for 2022.

The ELC’s Influence Demonstrated in Social Media Growth

The Executive Leadership Council commands the second largest Black executive audience on LinkedIn, second only to the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), with more than 194,000 active followers who generate more than 1 million impressions of our content across the platform each month. Spurred by an increased cadence of posted articles, research and professional development tools tailored for our ELC members and scholars, The ELC is a credible and essential organization to follow for Black professionals seeking data and insights into how to navigate

an evolving corporate workforce, find best-in-class tools for professional development, and stay well-informed of news that centers Black talent.

CEO LinkedIn Chats

• January: ELC Business Brief, “ Voting Rights and American Democracy,” featured speaker Congressman G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), 114th United States Congress

• March: ELC Business Brief, “ Women’s History Month ,” featured speaker Jalina Porter, Principal Deputy Spokesperson, U.S. Department of State

• June: ELC Business Brief, “ LGBTQIA+ Inclusion in the Workplace,” featured speaker Lanaya Irvin, President & CEO, Coqual

• December: ELC Business Brief, “Making the Business Case for DEI in Corporate America: Why It Has Failed and How We Can Do Better,” featured speakers Stacie de Armas, SVP, Diverse Insights, Intelligence and Initiatives, Nielson; Jeff Green,

Corporate Culture Reporter, Bloomberg; Melonie Parker, Chief Diversity Officer, Google; and SeungHwan Jeong, Assistant Professor, University of Georgia.

ELC Advocacy Update

The ELC advocacy agenda was robust in 2022. The advocacy staff conducted 135 meetings with Capitol Hill offices and a meeting with the Senate Banking Committee regarding The ELC’s four advocacy priorities — voting rights, corporate diversity, HBCUs, supply chain diversity and workforce development. The team also employed social media, letters to Congress, written statements and events as communication tactics. The ELC was successful in influencing three pieces of legislation pending action on the Hill.

The December event was The ELC’s first livestreamed thought leadership conversation featuring ELC members, strategic partners and external LinkedIn followers. Nearly 800 senior and mid-level executives from various industries, including finance, human resources, marketing, non-profits, media, healthcare, and others were attracted to this critical DEI conversation. This event allowed us to feature The ELC Legacy Committee report, Beyond Promises to Progress: Black CEOs and C-Suite Officers Speak Out on Diversity, released in December 2021.

The ELC Testimonial Video

In supporting Mike Hyter’s creation of The ELC’s 3-5 year strategic vision for the organization, the Marketing and Communications team created a testimonial video that was presented to the ELC Board in June. The video is a collection of interviews with various ELC stakeholders, including F500 CEOs and Board Directors, corporate sponsors, Institute partners, staff and current members who discuss the value of The ELC in fulfilling their goals and meeting their various needs. Click here to hear from  :

Leah Wade Director, Philanthropy The Executive Leadership Council

Dmitri Stockton

Board Member

Target Corporation, Deere & Company, Ryder System, Inc.

Shari Slate Chief Inclusion & Collaboration Officer & SVP, Inclusive Future & Strategy Cisco

Christophe Beck Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Ecolab

David Rawlinson II President & CEO Qurate Retail Group

Carla Harris Senior Client Advisor Morgan Stanley

An ELC $5,000.00 advocacy donation was presented to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to support the LDF efforts at the U. S. Supreme Court level to uphold Affirmative Action.

Inaugural Advocacy Day

The ELC held its first Advocacy Day virtually on the Hill to advocate for the ELC’s four priorities with almost 20 members of Congress and/or staff. ELC members met with 20 bipartisan leaders from the House and the Senate to inform them of The ELC’s organizational priority to advocate for these issues and to understand the work Members of Congress are doing to move these issues forward.

Meetings included members or staff from the following offices:

Senate

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA)

Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO)

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ)

Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC)

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ)

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS)

Getty Images: Ketanji Brown Jackson

House of Representatives

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL19)

Rep. French Hill (R-AR02)

Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL07)

Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA03)

Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL13)

Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC12)

Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC06)

ELC members participating in the meeting were encouraged to take the following actions in support of The ELC’s advocacy priorities.

Voting Rights: Encourage corporate leaders to contact their elected officials to express support for Voting Rights and the protection of democracy. Consider sponsoring voter registration drives for employees or at local universities.

Corporate Diversity: Support the release of enterprise diversity data – to include leadership demographics.

HBCUs: Publicly support the bipartisan bill –H.R.3294 - IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act – which will provide billions in infrastructure support for HBCUs or share a letter of support .

Supplier Diversity: Expand opportunities for small and disadvantaged businesses to secure contracts with your enterprise. Support expanding the qualifications of the SBA’s 7(A) and 8(A) programs.

Workforce Development: Champion equitable access to apprenticeship and work-based learning programs in your enterprise.

Additional advocacy efforts include:

Hosted Joint Networking Reception during CBCF week with the Boule and The Links where Rep. Joyce Beatty, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, accepted a $25,000 joint donation from the three organizations to support a CBCF “ELC/Links/Boule” Fellowship

 Partnered with Black Economic Alliance on voting rights programming and other efforts to promote issues aligned with The ELC’s strategic advocacy pillar

 Launched Advocacy Dashboard to measure progress

against The ELC Advocacy Strategic Pillars  Partnered with UNCF to support HBCUs impacted by bomb threats  Partnered with National Urban League  Supported the HBCU Caucus in championing the passage of the HBCU infrastructure bill

Welcomed two new Chairs of the Advocacy Committee:  Tiffany Atwell – SVP, Global Government Relations, Ecolab  Lori George Billingsley – Board Director, Shake Shack

ELC Top Media Mentions of 2022

Yahoo Finance: The Executive Leadership Council Announces the Appointment of Lori Walker as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

January 12, 2022

Black Enterprise: Frank Clyburn, A Top Executive At Merck, Tapped As CEO At International Flavors & Fragrances

January 21, 2022 - by Jeffrey McKinney

Miami Herald: Black superstars can’t obscure NFL’s lack of Black coaches” instead of just the link to the Miami piece. February 2022

Forbes: America’s Best Large Employers February 10, 2022 - by Samantha Todd

The Atlanta Voice: Kala Gibson Selected to Executive Leadership Council’s Class of 2022 February 17, 2022

Cincinnati Business Journal: Fifth Third executive joins prestigious national diversity and inclusion group

February 22, 2022 - by Steve Watkins

UNCF: UNCF Board Changes: Corporate America Stepping Up to Support UNCF’s Strategy to Prepare HBCUs for the Future April 11, 2022

Fortune: The number of Black Fortune 500 CEOs returns to record high—meet the 6 chief executives May 23, 2022 - by Paige McGlauflin

Afrotech: The Fortune 500 List Has A ‘Record Number’ Of Black CEOs — But There’s Still Only 6 Of Them May 30, 2022

The Washington Post: UK Companies Are Failing Black Professionals July 18, 2022 – by Chris Hughes

Associated Press: The Executive Leadership Council Honors Target for Outstanding Commitment to DEI at 2022 ELC 36th Annual Recognition Gala September 30, 2022

Black Enterprise: The National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) to Announce Michael E. Hamilton As New Board Chair During Its 44th Annual Conference and Expo at the Georgia World Congress Center October 3, 2022

Black Enterprise: The Executive Leadership Council Honors Target For Outstanding Commitment to DEI At 2022 ELC 36th Annual Recognition Gala October 3, 2022

Yahoo Finance: Corporate Board Chair, Director and Philanthropist, Brenda J. Lauderback to be Honored with The Executive Leadership Council 2022 Alvaro L. Martins Heritage Award October 4, 2022

Black Enterprise: The Executive Leadership Council to Honor 132 Black Scholars with $1.5M in Scholarships During Its Annual Recognition and Fundraising Gala October 5, 2022

Yahoo Finance: GroupM North America CEO Kirk McDonald To Be Honored At Black Enterprise’s Black Men Xcel Summit October 7, 2022 - by Derek Major

McKinsey & Co.: “I’d never been to this kind of event before”: McKinsey research accelerates Black economic mobility November 14, 2022

French Caribbean News: Caribbean Heritage UK Nationals Dominate 2023 Powerlist November 23, 2022

What can you expect from Marketing and Communications in

2023?

In addition to continuing collaboration and leadership across programming areas and throughout the enterprise, the Marketing and Communicatins team has identified four key priorities in 2023.

Goal 1: Revise The ELC website

Targeted Outcomes: optimized user experience; Seamless integration with other online platforms (especially if we have a member portal); clear articulation of differentiation with ELC 2.0

Goal

2:

Invest in Institute Marketing Efforts

Targeted Outcomes: data to inform decisions on new and existing audiences; targeted, data-driven marketing campaigns to inform and expand Institute audiences; and increased participation and revenue

Goal 3: Invest in Elevating ELC Brand

Targeted Outcomes: relevant data to identify/prioritize key target audiences for ELC messaging; enhanced national marketing campaign eeducating new audiences about ELC thought leadership; and increased national brand awareness

Goal 4: Expand Thought Leadership

Targeted Outcomes: increased presence in the following spaces in alignment with our four strategic pillars::  Corporate diversity

Voting rights

HBCUs  Workforce development

ELC DEPARTMENTAL UPDATES

FINANCE

Drawing A Strategic Financial Roadmap

The Finance department has worked diligently during the year to develop a strategic roadmap focused on several, targeted outcomes. Working in tandem with ELC office administrators and The ELC’s IT department, Finance’s strategy prioritized the member experience by leveraging technology and data to engage ELC members, internal operations, and income diversification in order to build The ELC’s internal infrastructure capable of supporting the organization’s long-term growth and office reconfiguration. And to execute against the organization’s financial targets for 2022, the department aggressively pursued a number of initiatives across the organization that are geared toward continuing to improve The ELC’s operational efficiency.

Key Finance Highlights from 2022

While there was a myriad of financial initiatives conducted throughout the year, several stand out as true game changers for the organization’s internal operations:

 Shored up The ELC’s internal controls and regulatory compliance efforts, completing the 2022 audit and IRS form 990 tax reporting and filing, in partnership with Mitchell Titus, in an efficient and timely manner.

 Optimized The ELC’s invoicing process for the 2022 ELC Recognition Gala and other ELC events reducing collection efforts after the fact.

 Transitioned to Concur for The ELC’s expense reporting, vendor payment and travel processing, streamlining and automating vendor invoice processing, approval, and payments processes.

Migrated The ELC’s accounting system from a physical server to the cloud, significantly improving the efficiency and timeliness of our financial

Accelerated the SBA PPP Loan forgiveness process, resulting in a net bottom impact of $553,234.

 Implemented My ELC, The ELC’s new member portal and relationship management system (MRM) which provides a digital meeting place for members to engage in community, facilitate increased opportunities for networking, self-manage their member profile and contact information, as well as access to their membership dues invoices.

 Transitioned the management of The ELC’s investment portfolio to a new investment management firm, through an OCIO arrangement with Rock Creek, revising the investment policy to reflect the change necessary for long-term sustainability.

A Look Ahead

Finance will focus on three main priorities: 1) improving cashflow management through program delivery, a seamless payment experience, and revenue mixing; 2) utilizing metrics that focus on member engagement, the reinvestment into The ELC, and revenue growth that leads to increases in net assets and a stronger balance sheet; and 3) creating greater financial capacity to fund strategies by increasing The ELC’s margin on programmatic activities, evaluating the tradeoff of leveraging internal versus external resources and consultants, and leveraging state-of-the-art technology to drive efficiency throughout The ELC.

ELC DEPARTMENTAL UPDATES

HUMAN RESOURCES

Building a Dynamic Team for an Evolving Future

The ELC’s Human Resources (HR) department manages payroll and employee benefits, and supports employees understanding and acclimation to the company’s culture. In 2022, HR successfully moved orientation from an hour-long introduction to a weeklong immersion into The ELC culture. Along with learning about the culture, vision, mission and values, new hires are invited to meet with departments across The ELC to understand how to work strategically across the organization.

In an effort to build internal capacity and bring critical processes in-house, the HR department concluded its relationship with vendor HR Nonprofit, and also assumed day to day management of payroll administration.

The ELC HR department successfully designed and executed a succession planning exercise using the Nine-Box grid rating – an industry standard exercise that seeks to identify burgeoning organizational leaders, future staffing needs, and document the skills needed to perform leadership roles in the future.

This Nine-Box exercise also informed The ELC’s performance review process by alleviating some of the ambiguity of the new performance management model. The new model measures “what” (functional) and “how” (leadership) goals, empowering ELC staff to own their impact within the organization. This model also provides opportunity for candid conversations, active listening, and real professional growth. As a result of this new approach to performance review, 100% of ELC staff have documented development plans.

Navigating COVID-19

As the nation continues to traverse the everchanging landscape of a global pandemic, HR worked

DEPARTMENT LEAD

Gail Coles Johnson Chief Human Resources Officer

diligently with ELC leadership to establish a COVID-19 vaccination and testing policy for staff and vendors. While traditional work styles may be evolving, the establishment of these policies allowed for the reopening of the office for the purposes of convening and creating a sense of community.

Creating a Culture of Care

A healthy culture of transparency and psychological safety is key to the recruitment and retention of staff at any organization. To help establish and maintain that culture, The ELC’s HR department-initiated skip-level meetings as an exposure opportunity for more than 50% of the staff. In conjunction with the skip-level meetings, HR planned and executed three successful director-level and above retreats to promote professional development and coaching. The department also supported two Directors who led Tiger Teams on psychological safety and work–life balance in action planning based on the results of an employee survey. Recommendations from the Tiger Teams were reviewed and ratified by ELC’s senior leadership team and rollout of the highest priority recommendations began over the summer.

Lastly, HR mitigated risk to the business by ensuring compliance with DC employment laws and ensured 100% of employees attended a compliance and code of ethics training.

What are HR’s goals and priorities for 2023?

Next year, The ELC’s HR department will invest in talent through more efficient HR systems and greater offerings for curated development. The department will also prioritize creating a new, hybrid office environment while implementing Phase II of The ELC’s return-to-office plan.

THE ELC’ s INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE

A Year In Review

Strategically, The ELC prioritizes increasing the num ber of Black executives globally in C-suites and on boards. In 2022, we continued to pursue our goal of expanding our membership and presence in the UK.

Since 2014, The ELC’s strategic priorities have included expanding our membership and presence in the UK in support of our mission to increase the number of Black executives in C-Suites and on boards of global corporations. Our Member Services department manages the International Presence (IP) initiative, with ELC members Arlene Isaacs-Lowe and Andrew Pearce as IP Committee Co-Chairs. The committee comprises some of the most influential Black corporate leaders in the UK, who have extensive reach into the business, philanthropic and political arenas. These leaders have demonstrated their desire and ability to leverage their influence to advance and uplift Black talent at all levels.

The ELC partners with several notable UK organizations that are aligned with our mission and purpose to enhance our brand and advance our agenda.

est study in July, “Being Black in the UK,” which of fers important insights and a framework that companies can use to build a more equitable and inclusive workplace culture.

Whether you are a Black executive in corporate America, or a Black British executive across the pond, the research confirms and amplifies the shared experiences of Black professionals. The ELC looks forward to driving meaningful, sustainable change in the professional journeys of our colleagues at home and abroad, and will continue to champion the need for all Black professionals to thrive in their workplaces—no matter where they live.

Celebrating the United Kingdom’s Black History Month

The ELC returned to the United Kingdom in its first trip across the pond since the pandemic. Our CEO, Mike Hyter, along with ELC Board Chair, Lloyd W. Brown, II, COO, Lori Walker, and other members of The ELC joined Black British executives for a week of meetings, panel discussions, and receptions that helped bolster The ELC’s advocacy abroad.

Mike Hyter sat on a panel hosted by Egon Zehnder entitled, “Increasing visibility: getting noticed, appointed, and integrated into the Board.” Joined by Kru Desai, Non-Executive Director, Serco Group plc, Moni Mannings, Non-Executive Director and Remuneration Committee Chair, Hargreaves Lansdown plc, Ruby Biring, Head of Talent, Growth Acquisition Team, Livingbridge EP LLP, and Andrew Roscoe, Partner and Board member, Egon Zehnder, Mr. Hyter represented The ELC in a critical conversation around the state of corporate board diversity in London and across the United Kingdom.

2022 Powerlist Black Excellence Awards

The ELC celebrated the senior Black executives honored during the 2022 Powerlist Black Excellence Awards in-person this year. CEO Mike Hyter awarded the Executive of The Year Award to Sean Alleyne, COO of Credit Suisse.

The ELC’s corporate partners in London have played an integral role in helping us build and preserve our brand and presence in the UK. We are grateful for their support in fostering our unique international community, especially as we continue to advance Black, Caribbean, and African diaspora executives while building a sustainable talent pipeline for the next generation of intersectional global leaders.

Special thanks to Michael Eboda and his team at Powerful Media, our International Presence Committee Co-Chairs, Arlene Isaacs-Lowe and Andrew Pearce, Keith Levy, and the rest of our members who helped make the week possible.

THE BLACK ECONOMIC FORUM

The ELC Takes Martha’s Vineyard

The 5th Annual Black Economic Forum was held at the Farm Neck Golf Club in Martha’s Vineyard from August 17-18th. Hosted by The Beta Iota Boulé of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Inc., The Executive Leadership Council was proud to collaborate with McKinsey & Company for another fantastic conference.

that we must elevate our power and activate greater opportunities for our people, as diversity is our strength while unity and partnership are our power.

Day 1

On Wednesday, Dennis Williams, Sire Archon of the Beta Iota Boulé, opened the Forum by introducing Ammanuel Zegeye, a Partner at McKinsey & Co., who presented the latest research on Black consumers today. This research informed the Forum’s first panel session, “The Rise of the Inclusive Consumer,” which featured Aurora James, Founder of Brothers Vellies and the 15% Pledge, Desiree Rogers, CEO of Black Opal, Salene Hitchcock-Gear, President of Prudential Individual Life Insurance, Stefon Burns, Head of Global Strategy and Business Development at Ralph Lauren, and Tiffany Burns, Senior Partner at McKinsey, who moderated the session. The session highlighted opportunities for retailers to scale Black businesses, capture market share, and increase corporate reputation by working more closely with Black-owned businesses.

Remarks from Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, underscored several areas where we can make a difference in history. She described our shared mission, vision, and desire to create a more equitable playing field for the Black community. She reminded attendees

Ken Yearwood, Associate Partner at McKinsey & Co., set the stage for the next session entitled, “Inclusive B2B: Aligning Efforts with the Future of American Economy,” which featured Janice Bryant Howroyd, Founder and CEO of Act 1 Group, Erin Tolefree, President of Baldwin Richards Foods, Cheryl Harris, Chief Procurement Officer at Allstate, Cara Hughes, Vice President of Costumer and Community at Baldwin Richardson Foods, and Morgan DeBaun, Founder and CEO of Blavity, who moderated the panel. This panel focused on how B2B programs can be deliberate about forming breakthrough partnerships with Black businesses.

The first keynote speaker of the Forum, Dr. Eddie Glaude, outlined several lessons Black leaders can learn from Baldwin’s insights while reconciling the esteemed roles we play in putting truth to power, creating a more equitable society for the Black community.

Day 2

Jason Wright, President of the Washington Commanders, gave remarks on inclusion from an athletic point of view and the strides leaders like Wright are taking to make the sports industry more equitable. Wright is the first

Black team president in the history of the NFL and currently is the youngest team president in the League.

Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Don Graves, addressed the Forum attendees about how the federal government is helping to close the opportunity gap between minority-owned and non-minority-owned businesses as well as what the American economy stands to gain as a result.

During the final panel, David Baboolall, Associate Partner at McKinsey & Co., underlined McKinsey’s research on closing the funding gap and increasing investments in Black-owned businesses. Those insights set up a dynamic panel discussion on investing in Black-owned businesses which featured Ladell Robbins, Managing Director of the Alternative Solutions Group at BlackRock, Colin Meadows, Managing Partner at o15 Capital Partners, Lata Reddy, Senior Vice President of Inclusive Solutions at Prudential, Charles Corpening, Senior Managing Director at Ariel Alternatives, with Shelley Stewart III, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Co. moderating.

ELC COO Lori Walker introduced the closing keynote “fairway” chat. The fireside was moderated by Dr. Cindy Pace, Director Racial Equity & Justice Initiative at MetLife and featured ELC member Valerie Mosley, Founder of Upward Wealth, a fintech platform that democratizes wealth building and well-being.

This year’s Forum was made possible by the continued support of our corporate sponsors: Ever

Source, Moody’s, Santander, Apple, Mass Mutual, The Hartford, Raytheon Technologies, BlackRock, MetLife, and Prudential. To learn more about the research discussed, please see the articles linked below and feel free to share with your networks.

 Black consumers: Where to invest for equity (a preview)

 The rise of the inclusive consumer

 Expand diversity among your suppliers—and add value to your organization

The 6th Annual Black Economic Forum will be held next year on August 23-24, 2023, at Farm Neck Golf Club in Martha’s Vineyard, MA.

EVENT RECAP

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Unstoppable Together

The ELC was proud to gather our members and member-affiliated companies for the 2022 ELC Recognition Gala. After being a part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were delighted to welcome almost 2,000 attendees back to Washington, D.C. Hosted by Kevin Frazier, co-host of Entertainment Tonight, this year’s Gala theme “Unstoppable Together,” spoke to the strength and resilience of our membership and to The ELC’s unwavering resolve to fulfilling our mission as one, united organization – no matter the challenges that stand in our way.

Gala Honorees

Each year, The ELC honors companies and leaders who have exemplified an extraordinary commitment to serving the needs of the Black community, both in and outside of corporate America.

Marvin R. Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Lowe’s Inc. received the 2022 Achievement Award. With more than 2,200 stores and 300,000 associates in the United States and Canada, Ellison has led the Fortune 50 company since 2018. Over the last five years, he has more than doubled online sales and increased share value by nearly 80%, compared with a 34% increase in the S&P 500 index overall. Under his guidance, 55% of its executive leaders and 60% of its board is female or ethnically diverse. Ellison is one of six sitting Black CEOs of a Fortune 500 company, and the only Black executive to have served as CEO of two Fortune 500 companies.

We were also celebrated the pioneering success of the nation’s first African American Board Chair at a public food service company, Brenda J. Lauderback, who received the Alvaro L. Martins Heritage Award. Lauderback chairs the board for Denny’s, Inc., one of America’s largest full-service family restaurant chains. Named one of the National Association of Corporate Director’s Top 100 Directors as well as one of Savoy Magazine’s Most Influential Women in Corporate America, she also serves on the boards of Sleep Number and Wolverine Worldwide.

The Corporate Award is given to a corporation that has shown exemplary service by making significant contributions to the advancement of Black corporate executives in areas including pipeline development, board diversity, supplier diversity and philanthropic efforts directed toward the Black community. The ELC extended this honor to Target, accepted by Target Chairman and CEO Brian Cornell. With a workforce of more than 400,000 team members – half are people of color and more than half are women.

Year-over-year, Target continues to meet or exceed its own goals for delivering on its diversity, equity and inclusion through meaningful action.

Finally, The ELC reserves the Global Gamechanger Award for leaders who embody the impact all Black leaders have the opportunity and responsibility to make in communities around the world through political, philanthropic, educational, and economic empowerment. Ambassador Andrew Young, Jr., American politician, diplomat, and activist exceeded these criteria, having spent generations advocating for the betterment of Black Americans across the globe.

The ELC ended the night on a high note, with a performance by 11-time Grammy Award winning artist, Babyface. DJ Jazzy Jeff provided the ambiance for the Gala afterparty.

This year’s Gala would not have been possible without the continued support and generosity of our corporate sponsors. The following companies and individuals were honored throughout the evening:

 Presenting Sponsors: Bank of America, IBM and UPS.

 Entertainment Sponsor: Google

 Unleash Your Spirits Sponsor: Beam Suntory

 Supporting Sponsors: Nationwide and Raytheon

 Contributing Sponsors: General Motors, Meta, Novartis and PwC.

student scholars to mid-level managers to CEOs. Informed by our mission, Gala Week is the culmination of our annual efforts to nurture and amplify Black excellence and leadership in business.

2022 Honors Symposium

ELC Scholars from 41 universities across the nation convened at the Courtyard Marriott in Washington, D.C. for the Annual Honors Symposium to discuss professional development with executives from Bank of America, Moody’s, Nationwide and others. The students participated in workshops on various business topics.

Gala Week Recap

The ELC’s Annual Recognition Gala is not the only action-packed convening the organization hosts in October. During the first week of October, The ELC welcomed more than 3000 Black professionals, more than 90 speakers across three concurrent programs, and hosted over 55 sessions to discuss corporate diversity and the Black talent pipeline ranging from

This year, more than 130 scholars were awarded over $1.5M in scholarships from 16 companies. Scholarships were sponsored by the following corporations: Bank of America, Bristol Myers Squibb, Brunswick, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Hewlett-Packard, HSBC, Johnson & Johnson, Linde, Lowe’s, Moody’s, Nationwide, Otsuka, Synchrony, The Coca-Cola Foundation and The Executive Leadership Council. Of the students awarded scholarships, 61% were women, 61% attend HBCUs and 73% are studying STEM or business-related topics.

As part of the Honors Symposium, the scholars attended the networking reception at the National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC) sponsored by 3M. Students also attended a pinning ceremony and were pinned by ELC members and corporate executives to signify The ELC’s commitment to their development and the Black talent pipeline.

Mid-Level Managers’ Symposium

More than 1100 Black professionals from 170 of the nation’s largest Fortune 500 corporations participated in The ELC’s annual Mid-level Managers’ Symposium at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C. The theme of the two-day program was “Reimagining the Classics.”

closed-door session to discuss best practices around diversity, equity and inclusion during the 2022 ELC GameChanger Conference® at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C.

ELC member and author, Tara Jaye Frank facilitated the event along with ELC President and CEO Michael C. Hyter. Black Executive CMO Alliance (BECA) Founder Jerri DeVard served as the moderator.

Speakers included: Joaquin Duato, CEO of Johnson & Johnson, Brian Cornell, Board Chair and CEO at Target Corporation, Carla Harris, Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley, Janice Innis-Thompson, SVP of Corporate Litigation and Legal Operations at Nationwide, Lisa Osborne Ross, CEO of Edelman, and Dwight Gibson, President & CEO of BlueLinx Corporation. The keynote fireside address from TIAA CEO & ELC Member Thasunda Brown Duckett focused on her journey to the C-Suite and the “mindset, preparation, partnership and practice” she uses to stay there.

ELC Post-Gala Member Brunch

ELC President and CEO Mike Hyter hosted 70 ELC members at the inaugural ELC Gala Closing Brunch at the Marriott Marquis on Friday morning after the Gala. The brunch brought ELC members together to recap the Gala and to discuss their involvement moving forward.

This year was the first time The ELC held two MLMS events, virtual and in-person, where mid-level managers were able to participate from wherever they were. Amazon, Cisco, PepsiCo, Marriott, BP, Estee Lauder Companies, and more were among the highest represented organizations both in-person and online.

CEO GameChanger Conference ®

Twenty-eight CEOs including the CEO of BlueLinx, Edelman, TIAA, Target, Johnson & Johnson and other select ELC members came together for a day-long,

ELC Founder, Milt Irvin, attended as the group discussed the growth of the organization since its founding 36 years ago.

The 2023 ELC Recognition Gala is scheduled for Thursday, October 5, 2023 at the Gaylord Hotel in National Harbor, Maryland. We are also pleased to announce The Coca-Cola Company and Google will serve as co-lead sponsors of the Gala for the next four years.

ELC MEMBERS ON THE MOVE

CAREER TRANSITIONS

Beverly Anderson, former President, Global Consumer Solutions at Equifax, was named President & CEO of BECU.

Orlando Ashford, former President of Holland America Line, was named Chief People Officer of Fanatics.

Karen S. Carter, former Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Inclusion Officer at The Dow Chemical Company, was named President of Packaging and Specialty Plastics (P&SP) at Dow.

Ruth Clements, former VP/General Manager, Infectious Disease and Immunology (IDI) at Quest Diagnostics, was named VP/General Manager, East Region at Quest Diagnostics.

Darrell Ford, Chief Human Resources Officer of UPS, has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at UPS.

Yvette Henry, former VP of Global Strategic Sourcing at Kennametal, was named VP, Strategic Sourcing at Regal Rexnord.

Monica Pool Knox, former Chief People Officer at LivePerson, was named Chief People Officer at Domo, Inc.

Brian Tippens, former President & Executive Director of the HPE Foundation, was named SVP and Chief Social Impact Officer at Cisco.

Charlene Thomas retires as EVP and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Officer of UPS.

Carla Vernon, former VP of Consumables Categories at Amazon, was named CEO and Board Director of The Honest Company.

Wanji Walcott, former Chief Legal Officer of Discover Financial Services, was named Chief Legal Officer of Pinterest.

Soraya M. Wright, former Founder & Chief Risk Officer of SMW Risk Management Consulting LLC, was named Corporate Risk & Claims Lead for Amazon.

Telisa Yancy, former President of American Family Insurance Direct, was named Group President of American Family Insurance.

ELC MEMBERS ON THE MOVE

BOARD & COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS

Diane Ashley, Founder and CEO of DTA Diversity Counts, has agreed to join the Fifth Third Bank National Community Advisory Forum.

Lori George Billingsley, former Global Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at The Coca-Cola Company, joined the board of Shake Shack.

Julia M Brown, former Chief Procurement Officer at WM Wrigley JR Co, joined the board of Ocado Group Plc.

Q4 2022

Noni L. Ellison, SVP, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary at Tractor Supply Company, joined the board of the John Hancock Group of Funds.

Paula Harris, SVP of Community and Foundation Executive Director of the Houston Astros, joined the board of Helix Energy.

Craig MacKay, Managing Director and Partner at England & Company, LLC, joined the board of Equitable Holdings.

Ernest Marshall, VP and Chief Human Resources Officer for Eaton, joined the board of LSI Industries.

Michelle Nettles, Global Chief People & Culture Officer at ManpowerGroup, is going to be joining the board of RXO.

Jeffery S. Perry, Founder and CEO of Lead Mandates LLC, joined the board of MasterBrand, LLC, LLC.

Larry Quinlan, Former Global Chief Information Officer of Deloitte, joined the board of Booking.com.

Valerie Irick Rainford, Founder and CEO, Elloree Talent Strategies, was named to FINRA’s Industry Diversity Advisory Committee.

Nneka Rimmer, former President of Global Flavors & Extracts for McCormick & Co., joined the board of Constellation Energy.

Marva Smalls, Global Head of Inclusion at Paramount, joined the board of the Roybal Film & Television Production Magnet Fund.

Dmitri Stockton, former Chairman, President & CEO of GE Asset Management, joined the board of WestRock.

Brooke Story, President Integrated Diagnostic Solutions at BD, joined the board of LivaNova plc.

Keith R. Wyche, VP of Community Engagement and Support at Walmart, , joined the board of The Brink’s Company.

Rudolph Wynter, President of National Grid New York, joined the board of EnerSys.

ELC MEMBERS ON THE MOVE

MAJOR AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Q4 2022

Three ELC Members were named to Inclusion Magazine’s 2023 Diversity & Inclusion Hall of Fame:

• Deborah “Deb” Elam, Senior Executive, President, and CEO of Corporate Playbook

• Kimberly Strong, Founder and CEO of Strong Connexion

• Valerie Irick Rainford, Founder and CEO, Elloree Talent Strategies

Lisa Osborne Ross, Chief Executive Officer (U.S.) at Edelman, was named on the Forbes 50 over 50 list.

Sophie Chandauka MBE, Head of Americas Risk Management and Intelligence for Meta, received the Kenneth J. Shouldice Professional Achievement Award from Lake Superior State University.

Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, received the 2022 Hope for Humanity award from The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum.

Dr. Heather Melville OBE CCMI, Senior Managing Director at Teneo, was named to the 2022 UK Women of Influence

Vivian Rogers Pickard, President & CEO of The Pickard Group, LLC was named on EBONY’S 2022 Power 100 List.

Dwayne Allen, Chief Technology Officer and Senior VP of Unisys, was named to Alumni Spotlight’s Top 50 University Alumni in Information Technology of 2022

Kirk McDonald, North America CEO of GroupM, was honored at BLACK ENTERPRISE’s 2022 Black Men Xcel summit

Thasunda Brown Duckett, President & CEO of TIAA, served as the American University’s Fall 2022 commencement speaker.

MEDIA MENTIONS

Daphne E. Jones, CEO of The Board Curators, was featured in a Savoy Magazine article: Getting on a Board is the Second Priority. What’s the First? Jones also released her first book: Win When They Say You Won’t

Dana Brown, Senior VP and Chief Information Officer at Whirlpool Corporation, was featured in a Forté Foundation article: Danielle Brown Leverages Grit – And Tech – To Reshape At Whirlpool Corporation.

Carla Harris, Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley, was featured in The Wall Street Journal article: How Carla Harris Became One of the Most Powerful Black Women on Wall Street.

Jerri DeVard, Founder of Black Executive CMO Alliance (BECA), was featured in an AdAge video: Veteran Marketer Jerri Devard On The Future Of The Cmo And State Of DE&I Progress

IN MEMORIAM

Ray Bennett Marriott International Ramon Gregory Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.