diversity journal - jan/feb 2006
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Diversity Journal - January/February 2006TRANSCRIPT
Volume 8, Number 1 January / February 2006$8.95 U.S.
Also Featuring ... Waste Management’s Front-Runner Carlton Yearwood • Leaders on Black Leaders
2 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
PUBLISHER James R. Rector
MANAGING EDITOR John S. Murphy
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Linda Schellentrager
ASSOCIATE EDITOR/ASSISTANT
TO THE PUBLISHER Damian Johnson
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Laurie Fumic
OVERSEAS CORRESPONDENT Alina Dunaeva
WEB MASTER Jason Bice
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Three separate features in this, our inaugural issue of 2006, reaffirmthe importance of executive leadership as companies initiate and develop diversity practices.
First, we have an extraordinary interview with Larry C. Glasscock—chairman, president, and CEO of WellPoint, Inc.—describing what ittakes to ensure the success of diversity initiatives in large corporations.Mr. Glasscock sees diversity as a multidimensional concept that appliesto both the culture and composition of the firm’s workforce. It involveseverything from respecting regional differences to offering health insuranceinformation in a Mayan dialect for Guatemalan immigrant communitiesin California. When a culture champion was needed within the company,Mr. Glasscock took on the role himself, becoming chair of the Diversityand Workplace Culture Executive Steering Committee—a perfect example of a leader leading.
Next, we kick off our Front-Runner series with a profile of CarltonYearwood, vice president of human resources, business ethics and chiefdiversity officer of Waste Management, Inc. You’ll like the no-nonsenseapproach this former teacher and Marine takes to diversity development.“Communicate clearly. Talk frequently. Follow up tirelessly,” he says.Would you expect anything less direct from an admirer of VinceLombardi and Colin Powell?
Finally, Diversity Best Practices offers its list of 15 best practicesamong companies with strong supplier diversity programs. It is no surprise that high on the list is the need for top-level support within thecompany. The leadership must come from the top—from folks likeLarry Glasscock and Carlton Yearwood.
Throughout the year we’ll be showcasing other companies whosediversity and inclusion programs feature aggressive plans and measurableachievements. We’ll focus on Exelon (March-April), Sodexho (May-June), Shell Oil (July-Aug.), and Waste Management, Inc. (Sept.-Oct.).Our March-April Front-Runner features Punam Mathur, Senior VPCorporate Diversity & Community Affairs, MGM Mirage.
We have one more treat for you to kick start the year and yourthinking. That’s our feature “Leaders on Black Leaders” that starts onpage 58. We asked our readers to comment about Black History Month,to share how they recognize black history, and to tell us about theirheroes. Their essays were more touching, thought-provoking, and inspiring than we dreamed possible.
We’ve packed a lot of good reading into this 80-page issue. Enjoy!
John MurphyManaging Editor
4 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
On the Cover / Special Feature
CEO Larry C. Glasscock Leads the Corporate Culture at WellPoint, Inc.WellPoint is the largest publicly traded commercial health benefits company in America.Mr. Glasscock describes the extraordinary work that goes into ensuring the success ofdiversity and inclusion programs even as the company is expanding.
Carlton YearwoodWaste Management, Inc. Vice President of Human Resources, Business Ethics,and Chief Diversity Officer CarltonYearwood describes the company’sdeep-rooted commitment to diversity atevery level.
17
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6 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
CatalystStereotypes
What you don’t see or hear in the workplace hurtswomen. Catalyst has a new study, Women “TakeCare,” Men “Take Charge”: Stereotyping of U.S.Business Leaders Exposed. The study shows thatgender-based stereotyping may be the glue thatlocks the panes of the glass ceiling in place.
Diversity Best Practices Supplier Diversity
Supplier diversity is an area of growing interest for corporate America and for the government.Corporations are setting ambitious goals for themselves to reach out to businesses not traditionally included in the supply chain.
Diversity Who, What, Where & When
8
14
76
departments
Leaders on Black LeadersWe asked corporate leaders to reflect on black historyand the leaders they most admire. The essays wereceived were both touching and thought-provoking.58
At Dell, we respect the significance of Black History Month and
understand the importance of continuing its legacy. In addition,
it’s another opportunity to let the world know about our
commitment to diversity in the workplace. We believe in bringing
together individuals with diverse backgrounds, thinking,
leadership and ideas. Our employees are provided
with the best tools, like the Dell Latitude D610 with Intel®
Centrino® Mobile Technology, so that each individual has the
power to reach their full potential. In fact, diversity drives
innovation and makes Dell a more dynamic company.
Dell celebrates Black History Month.
Dell and the Dell logo are registered trademarks of Dell Inc. © 2006 Intel, Intel logo, Intel Inside, Intel Inside logo, Centrino and the Centrino logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.All rights reserved. Dell Inc. cannot be held responsible for errors in typography or photography. Dell is an AA/EO employer. Workforce diversity is an essential part of Dell’s commitment to quality and to the future. We encourage you to apply, whatever yourrace, gender, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or veteran status.
How do you get started? Visit www.dell.com/pdj.
CAREERS AT DELL. CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITIES.
Jeanne Oliver uses a Dell Latitude D610
with Intel® Centrino® Mobile Technology
Dell recommends
Windows® XP Professional
National City Taps Terri Hamilton Brown forCorporate Diversity Post
Terri HamiltonBrown has joinedNational City ashead ofCorporateDiversity. In hernew role, Brownacts as the singlepoint of contactfor NationalCity’s diversityand workforceinclusion pro-
grams, policies and procedures.National City Corporation (NYSE:
NCC), headquartered in Cleveland,Ohio, is one of the nation’s largest financialholding companies. The company operates through an extensive bankingnetwork primarily in Ohio, Illinois,Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri,and Pennsylvania, and also serves cus-tomers in selected markets nationally.
“We’re proud Terri has decided tojoin our team,” said Dave Daberko,chairman and CEO, National CityCorporation. “Terri’s new role under-scores our commitment to developingand implementing a corporate strategythat focuses on managing workforcediversity and inclusion. Terri’s talent,experience and passion will help usachieve that goal.”
“I am excited to be a part ofNational City’s sincere dedication to creating a workplace defined by diversityand inclusion,” said Brown. “If our success matches that of National City’sother civic endeavors, we will haveachieved something very special.”
Prior to joining National City,Brown served as president of UniversityCircle Incorporated, a nonprofit organi-zation established to promote and provide direct services and real estatedevelopment activities in UniversityCircle—Cleveland’s premier arts, educa-tion and medical district. From 1998 to2003, Brown served as executive director
of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan HousingAuthority, where she was responsible for50,000 residents.
Brown has earned a bachelor’sdegree in economics from TheUniversity of Chicago and a master’sdegree in city planning fromMassachusetts Institute of Technology.
Marie Y. Philippe, PhD, NowLeads Workforce Diversity &Inclusion at Excellus BlueCross Blue ShieldMarie Y. Philippe, PhD, is now corpo-
rate vice presi-dent leading thecharge onWorkforceDiversity &Inclusion for theentire organiza-tion at ExcellusBlue Cross Blue Shield. Dr. Philippe hasmore than 24years of business
experience at leading firms such asGoldman, Sachs & Co., Dell ComputerCorp. and most recently as director ofculture management at Global Crossing.Dr. Philippe is trilingual and renownedfor her contribution in the areas ofworkforce multiculturalism.
In her new role, Philippe will helpshape the company’s strategy on multi-cultural talent acquisition, development,and retention as well as the future work-force planning and development.
Philippe’s educational backgroundincludes a doctorate degree in culturalstudies from Bircham InternationalUniversity, bachelor’s and master’sdegrees in economics from the CityCollege of New York, and an MBA fromC.W. Post. She is a lifetime member of the Black MBA Association and a certified professional in HumanResources.
Joan Kerr to Chair GlobalBusiness Committee
Joan Kerr, execu-tive director ofAT&T SupplierDiversityPrograms, wasnamed chair ofthe GlobalBusinessCommittee ofthe Women’sBusinessEnterprise
National Council (WBENC). The committee’s mission is to work withWBENC to build awareness of and foster education about the role ofwomen’s business enterprises (WBEs) inthe growing globalization of economies,supply chains and business opportunities.Kerr and other WBENC representativesattended a 2004 development conferencein Istanbul and met with internationalwomen’s business organizations and individual WBEs eager to pursue oppor-tunities in the private sector. Kerr’s previous involvement with WBENCincludes serving as chair of the board ofdirectors; she has served as vice chair ofthe board of directors since June 2005.
Kerr’s leadership in the supplierdiversity realm has been recognizedthrough her receipt of the Keeping thePromise Award from the CaliforniaDisabled Veterans Business EnterpriseAlliance, and her two-time receipt of theMBE Corporate Coordinator of the YearAward from the National MinoritySupplier Development Council. Shealso received the Corporate LeadershipAward from Asians for Corporate andCommunity Action, an employee-initiated organization of the former SBCCommunications, Inc.
Kerr holds a JD degree from theUniversity of California at Davis, a master of social work degree from theUniversity of Washington, and bachelorof science degrees in comparative religions and psychology from theUniversity of California at Santa Cruz.
8 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
BE SEEN. BE HEARD. BE HIRED. Think you have the talent to click with Time Warner?Then register your minority- or women-owned business on our supplier diversity Website. If you have superior products or services and pricing, you could find yourself working with some of the world’s leading companies in media and entertainment.
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10 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
The Hartford Selects Medina Jett for GroupBenefits Compliance Post
SIMSBURY,Conn.—TheHartford FinancialServices Group,Inc. (NYSE: HIG)has announcedthat Medina Jett,an attorney withbroad complianceexperience, hasjoined the companyas vice presidentand chief compli-
ance officer for its Group BenefitsDivision.
The Hartford’s Group BenefitsDivision is a leading provider of groupdisability and life insurance, providing a portfolio of products to employers,associations, and affinity groups thatprotects employees, members, and affili-ates. In her new role, Jett will be respon-sible for the compliance functions forThe Hartford’s Group Benefits Divisionand will also serve on The Hartford’scorporate-wide compliance council.
“The Hartford’s long-standing commitment to integrity and the reputationthat we have earned with our customersand within our industry are among ourmost important assets,” said DickMucci, executive vice president anddirector of The Hartford’s GroupBenefits Division. “Medina’s complianceand claims management experience isvitally important in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.”
Jett brings many years of insurancecompliance experience to The Hartford.She last served as vice president andchief compliance officer for Prudential’sretirement business. Immediately priorto her work at Prudential, she held asimilar role at Cigna. When Prudentialacquired Cigna’s retirement business inApril 2004, Jett was responsible formanaging the integration of the twocompanies’ compliance organizations.
Jett received her law degree from
Georgetown University and is a graduateof Wesleyan University.
The Hartford is one of the largestfinancial services and insurance companiesin the United States, with worldwiderevenues of $22.7 billion in 2004. Thecompany is a leading provider of invest-ment products; life insurance and groupbenefits; automobile and homeowners’products; and business property-casualtyinsurance. International operations arelocated in Canada, Japan, Brazil and theUnited Kingdom.
DaimlerChrysler FinancialServices AnnouncesAppointment of Tracy L.Hackman to Vice President,General Counsel andRegional Secretary
FARMINGTONHILLS, Mich.—DaimlerChryslerFinancialServicesAmericas hasannounced theappointment ofTracy L.Hackman, whojoined the com-pany as a staffcounsel in 1987,
to vice president, general counsel and secretary for the Americas Region,effective January 1, 2006.
Hackman, who has served as associategeneral counsel and secretary since 1998,will become the first female executive inthe company’s 41-year history to leadthe Office of the General Counsel.DaimlerChrysler Financial ServicesAmericas LLC is a company of the DaimlerChrysler Financial ServicesGroup, headquartered in Berlin,Germany, which operates in 39 countrieswith an employee base exceeding 11,000and a global portfolio of approximately$135 billion. DaimlerChrysler FinancialServices is one of the leading financialservices organizations worldwide.
Hackman succeeds Christopher A.
Taravella, vice president and generalcounsel, office of the general counseland compliance services, who retired atthe end of 2005.
“We are very pleased to announcethe appointment of Tracy Hackman tolead our Office of the General Counsel,”said Klaus Entenmann, president andCEO of DaimlerChrysler Services NorthAmerica. “Tracy’s institutional knowledgeof our company and the automotivefinancial services industry, combinedwith her expertise in regulatory affairs,commercial transactions, and corporateaffairs, will serve us well in our highlycompetitive business environment.”
Hackman has held a number ofincreasingly responsible positions withinDaimlerChrysler Services andDaimlerChrysler Insurance Company.Her most recent position was associategeneral counsel and corporate secretary, DaimlerChrysler ServicesNorth America, and secretary,DaimlerChrysler Insurance Company.
She received a BA in finance (1982)and an MBA in advanced management(1996) from Michigan State University.She received a JD from the University ofDetroit School of Law in 1986.
Allstate Appoints Cynthia Hardy Young as New Encompass PresidentNORTHBROOK, Ill.—Cynthia HardyYoung has been appointed as the
president ofEncompassInsurance. She replacesDouglas R.Wendt, whoannounced hisdecision toretire after 32years of service.
“Cynthia hasthe experience
and ability to position Encompass as the carrier of choice for the independentagent,” said Edward M. Liddy, chairmanand CEO, The Allstate Corporation.
12 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
“We are confident that Encompass willcontinue to grow profitably under herleadership.”
Young joined Allstate in October,2005, as the assistant vice president ofproduct operations for Allstate Protection’sNortheast region which includesConnecticut, Maine, New Hampshire,Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, andVermont. Previously, Young was presi-dent of the personal lines division forAllmerica Financial Group. Prior to thatshe was vice president of product man-agement for the personal lines divisionof The Hartford Financial ServicesGroup, Inc., product manager and pro-fessional liability claims attorney atProgressive, and litigation associate atJones, Day, Reavis & Pogue.
Young received her bachelor of science in economics from XavierUniversity of Louisiana and her juristdoctorate from the University of NotreDame School of Law.
Encompass Insurance is a division ofAllstate Insurance Co. (NYSE: ALL)which provides insurance productsthrough independent agents. Encompassis a brand devoted exclusively to inde-pendent agents selling automobile,homeowner, and related insurance tomore than one million customersthrough a network of more than 2,800independent insurance agents.
Allstate is the exclusive administratorof Encompass personal automobile andhome insurance policies issued by theinsurance affiliates of CNA FinancialCorporation. More information onEncompass Insurance can be found atwww.encompassinsurance.com.
ChiquitaBrandsInternationalElects Dr. Clare M.Hasler toBoard ofDirectorsCINCINNATI,Ohio—Chiquita
Brands International, Inc. (NYSE:CQB) announced that Dr. Clare M.Hasler, 48, has joined its board of direc-tors. Hasler is executive director of theRobert Mondavi Institute for Wine andFood Science at the University ofCalifornia at Davis. She is a leadingauthority on “functional foods” that provide specific health benefits, such aslowering the risk of heart disease or cancer in addition to meeting basicnutritional needs.
“We are delighted to welcome Clareto Chiquita’s board,” said FernandoAguirre, chairman and chief executiveofficer. “Her extensive experience infood science, nutrition, and food safetywill help Chiquita as we continue tofocus on delivering healthy and convenient food choices.”
“Chiquita has embarked upon anexciting mission to become the globalleader in branded and value-added produce by helping the world’s con-sumers enjoy nutritional and healthyproducts,” Hasler said. “I am excited toadd my skills and experience toChiquita’s board and to work closelywith this management team.”
Hasler holds a dual doctoral degreein environmental toxicology and humannutrition from Michigan StateUniversity and a master’s degree innutrition from the Pennsylvania StateUniversity. She also earned a master’sdegree in business administration fromthe University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Chiquita Brands International, Inc.(www.chiquita.com) is a leading interna-tional marketer and distributor of high-quality fresh and value-added produce,which is sold under the Chiquita premiumbrand, Fresh Express and other relatedtrademarks. The company is one of thelargest banana producers in the worldand a major supplier of bananas inEurope and North America.
Johnson Controls ReceivesHighest Honor From NAACPMILWAUKEE, Wisc.—JohnsonControls (NYSE: JCI) has received theNAACP’s highest honor for the company’sleadership and continued support ofdiversity-based initiatives in Milwaukee.
The Working Together to Make aDifference Award was a highlight of theNAACP Milwaukee Chapter’s recentannual Dr. Martin Luther King/RosaParks Celebration.
“Encouraging diversity is an ongoingcommitment at Johnson Controls,” saidJohn Barth, chairman and CEO. “Whendiversity is achieved, everyone benefits, andJohnson Controls will continue to supportdiversity initiatives throughout Milwaukee.We are honored to receive this prestigiousaward,” Barth added.
Also recognized at the event weretwo members of Johnson Controls’ senior management team, Darlene Rose,senior vice president, corporate strategy;and Mary Dowell, director of communityrelations, for their exemplary work inencouraging corporate participation indiversity-specific programs and events.Rose was acknowledged for her work inand strategic planning of the JohnsonControls-sponsored NAACP NationalConvention held in Milwaukee last July.Dowell received the Drum Major forJustice Award, recognizing her outstandingefforts and service in Milwaukee’sminority community.
Johnson Controls is a global leaderin the production of innovative automotiveinteriors that help make driving morecomfortable, safe, and enjoyable. Forbuildings, it offers products and servicesthat optimize energy use and improvecomfort and security. Johnson Controlsalso provides batteries for automobilesand hybrid electric vehicles, along withsystems engineering and service expertise.The company employs 136,000 employeesin more than a thousand locations, servingcustomers in 125 countries. Founded in1855, the company is headquartered inMilwaukee. For additional information,please visit www.johnsoncontrols.com.
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Can one person
change the world?
One did.
Rosa ParksFebruary 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005
The world is a better place because Rosa Parks lived in it.
The men and women of Lockheed Martin honor her life
and her contribution to the advancement of freedom for all.
Women hold more than one-half of all management andprofessional positions, but
there are currently only seven Fortune500 companies with women CEOs. Atthe same time, research shows thatwomen and men aspire to top positionsequally and analyses of more than 40studies show very little differencebetween women’s and men’s leadershipabilities. What can account for the startling gender gap in business leadership?
What holds the glass ceilingtogether?The “glass ceiling” has entered the collec-tive consciousness as one reason whywomen don’t advance. But for most people, the factors that actually comprisethe glass ceiling are still vague and unexplored. When pressed to name a specific component of the glass ceiling, some people might identify gender-basedstereotyping. But here again, a firmunderstanding of this concept is usuallylacking.
These deficiencies hurt womenbecause they fail to identify the specificactions and behaviors that hold womenback. And without that knowledge, it isimpossible to recommend meaningfulchanges. However, Catalyst’s new study,Women “Take Care,” Men “Take Charge”:Stereotyping of U.S. Business LeadersExposed, fills in many of the missing
pieces, and shows us that gender-basedstereotyping may be the glue that locksthe panes of the glass ceiling in place.
Gender stereotyping 101We rely on stereotypes—generalizationswe make to differentiate groups of people—to help us save time when figuring outhow to respond to people. But when theyare incorrect, as they are likely to be whenapplied to groups as diverse as womenand men, they create a system of percep-tions that has little basis in reality. In theworkplace, the reality is that there are fewdifferences between women’s and men'sleadership. Yet gender-based stereotypingis alive and well in business and plays amajor role in both women’s and men’sjudgments about women leaders.
How do they work? Gender-basedstereotypes anticipate and respond to thelegitimate differences between womenand men, helping us avoid spendingenergy determining personalities “fromscratch” whenever we meet someone.Because we are usually unaware of therole stereotypes play in our perceptions ofothers, we tend to believe that our stereotype-based judgments are based on facts. Tomake matters worse, stereotyping canelicit from people the very behaviors thatconfirm our stereotypes, and we have atendency to selectively remember actionsthat confirm our stereotypes, while wedismiss those that do not. The self-
reinforcing misperceptions that resulthave become a powerful and invisiblebarrier to women’s advancement.
Women and men stereotypeBecause of the silent and insidious natureof stereotyping, it is difficult to quantifyits existence. However, Catalyst’s lateststudy, conducted in cooperation withTheresa Welbourne, PhD, of the RossSchool of Business at the University ofMichigan, and eePulse, Incorporated,does just that, revealing that women andmen stereotype senior leaders in similarways. In the study, 296 top corporateleaders, including 101 CEOs, were askedto judge how effective women and menare on ten behaviors essential to leader-ship. The task-oriented behaviors (prob-lem-solving, influencing upward, anddelegating) were classified as stereotypi-cally masculine. The people-orientedbehaviors (supporting, rewarding, mentoring, networking, consulting,team-building, and inspiring) were classi-fied as stereotypically feminine.
Catalyst found that both female andmale corporate managers perceive womenleaders as better at “taking care” behaviorssuch as rewarding and supporting.Meanwhile, they perceive men as betterat “taking charge” behaviors such as delegating and influencing upward.Jeanine Prime, PhD, a director ofresearch at Catalyst and author of thestudy, remarks that “it’s often these
StereotypesWhat you don’t see or hear in the workplace hurts women.
By Catalyst
14 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006 15
‘taking charge’ skills—the stereotypically‘masculine’ behaviors—that are seen as prerequisites for top-level positions.”Misperceptions about those behaviors—and not fact-based information—frequently influence decisions that ultimately shortchange women.
Disturbing effects on womenWhile women and men judged mostleadership traits similarly, problem-solving—a hallmark trait of a CEO—wasthe behavior on which women and menmost disagreed. Women saw women asbetter problem-solvers than men, butmen saw men as better problem-solvers.Since men far outnumber women in theupper levels of the corporate world, thestereotypes they hold dominate and, ultimately, undermine women’s abilitiesto influence and motivate teams and subordinates. This may be particularlychallenging for women, who hold only15.7 percent of Fortune 500 corporateofficer positions, as they may not be ableto fall back on their status in the hierarchyof their organizations as an alternativesource of influence.
For women leaders in traditionallymasculine occupations (for example, general management, finance, sales,information technology, and research anddevelopment), the problems are evenworse. The study shows that people whoreport to women in those fields are significantly more likely to have negative
perceptions of women leaders than people who work for women in feminineoccupations such as human resources orpublic relations. This may seem counter-intuitive—after all, shouldn’t people who report to women have more factsand experience on which to base theirperceptions about women?
Not according to psychologists, whohave found that the tendency to processinformation selectively is especially likelywhen there is a status or power differencebetween the individuals involved. Sincestereotypes reinforce themselves, peoplewith women supervisors are actuallymore liable to believe that women are lesscompetent leaders. The resulting credibilitydeficit obliges women leaders to spendtime defending decisions to subordinateswhen they all could be doing more substantive work. The vicious nature ofthis situation cautions us that simply hiring more women leaders will not curbstereotyping in the workplace, especiallyin masculine occupations.
A call to actionUnless organizations take active steps toeradicate bias, women leaders will continueto be undermined and misjudged, regard-less of their talents and aptitudes.However, hiring more women executivesisn’t enough. Other changes companiesshould implement include: • Adding greater rigor to the
performance evaluation process.
• Implementing a system of checks and balances to safeguard againststereotypic bias.
• Educating managers and executivesabout the latent influence of stereotyping and ways to override it.
• Showcasing the achievements ofwomen leaders, particularly those intraditionally male-dominated fields.
By following these steps to dismantlethe network of prejudgment, assumption,and misrepresentation created by stereo-typing, companies will not only improvewomen’s productivity but also increasegeneral productivity and profits. As IleneH. Lang, president of Catalyst, empha-sizes, “until we break the spell of stereo-typing, companies will continue to suboptimize women and lose a vital talent pool—one they, frankly, cannotafford to ignore.”
Catalyst is the leading research and advisoryorganization working to advance women inbusiness, with offices in New York, San Jose,and Toronto. For more information or todownload a free copy of Women “TakeCare,” Men “Take Charge”: Stereotypingof U.S. Business Leaders Exposed, visitwww.catalyst.org. You may also sign up toreceive Catalyst’s issue-specific newsletter,Perspective, and monthly email updates [email protected].
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Diversity.It’s what drives us.
From the cadres of minority designers, engineers, and office staff to the men and women on the
factory floor and our network of minority owned dealers, we're dedicated to creating the best cars
and trucks possible. In fact, this dedication to work ethic, smarts, and quality is inherent in every
vehicle we produce. It's what makes us the proud American brands of DaimlerChrysler Corporation.
Taking up the challenge“IMAGINE BEING EIGHT YEARS OLD AND HAVING TO TRANSLATE A
DOCTOR’S COMPLICATED DIAGNOSIS TO YOUR MOTHER BECAUSE SHE
DOESN’T SPEAK ENGLISH,” CHALLENGES LARRY C. GLASSCOCK. “YET EVERY
DAY, PEOPLE ACROSS THIS COUNTRY FIND THEMSELVES IN A POSITION
LIKE THAT. IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHERE OUR COMMITMENT TO
DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT COMES FROM, THERE’S A GOOD PLACE TO START.”
Mr. Glasscock is the chairman, president and CEO of WellPoint,
Inc., the largest publicly traded commercial health benefits company
in America. Formed in 2004 through the merger of Anthem, Inc.
and WellPoint Health Networks Inc., WellPoint now serves approxi-
mately 34 million members: Roughly one in nine
Americans carries a health benefits card from a WellPoint
company.
WellPoint carries out its commitment to diversity
at both the corporate and local levels. “It is about our
Diversity Management: A Vital Ingredient for a Healthy CorporateCulture
Putting principles
into practice
at WellPoint, Inc.
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006 19
Special Feature WellPoint
20 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
communities and the people who live
there,” says Mr. Glasscock. “If you are
truly interested in meeting people’s
health care needs, you have to under-
stand their community and be a part of it.”
WellPoint is doing just that. A case
in point: the company’s October 15th
donation of $1 million to the California
Latino Medical Association (CaLMA).
The funds are directed toward attracting
and training qualified, Spanish-speaking
nurses to communities where they are
needed.
“Latinos are the most widely under-
represented minority in nursing,” says
CaLMA Executive Director Christine
Gonzalez. “They comprise the largest
number of wait-listed students, apart
from Native Americans. WellPoint’s
contribution has created an exceptional
opportunity to close the gap.”
Ms. Gonzalez applauds WellPoint’s
determination to answer a real and
pressing need.
“They came to us and said, ‘Where
is help needed most?’” she explains. “We
pointed to the language issue and said it
would take a lot of money to address it
in the proper way, and they were behind
it one hundred percent.”
Larry C. Glasscock WellPoint
A Brief History of WellPoint
WellPoint, Inc. is the product of a merger between
Anthem, Inc. and WellPoint Health Networks Inc.
Anthem, Inc. grew out of two Indianapolis-based mutual
insurance corporations formed in the 1940s that eventually
merged to form Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Indiana.
WellPoint Health Networks Inc. was formed in 1992 to
operate Blue Cross of California's managed care business;
it was spun off in 1993 as a separate publicly traded entity.
WellPoint is a licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Association in 14 states.
Other subsidiaries include:
• HealthLink: network rental for workers' compensation
and health benefits programs in Missouri, Arkansas,
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, and West Virginia
• UniCare: full-service health plan that serves medical
members nationwide
• AdminaStar Federal and United Government
Services: administrators of government health benefits
programs, primarily Medicare
• Lumenos: innovative, consumer-driven health care
products acquired by WellPoint in mid-2005
• Specialty: a wide range of benefits and services
including vision, dental, pharmacy-benefit management
and behavioral health programs
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006 21
Not only will WellPoint’s contribu-
tion subsidize the training of Spanish-
speaking nurses, it will also allow existing
health care practitioners to further their
education. As Ms. Gonzalez explains,
“With more Spanish-speaking PhDs,
we will have more Spanish-speaking
teachers. And those teachers will be able
not only to help provide medical training
but also to raise cultural awareness among
nurses of all backgrounds. This program
really stands to build health care capacity
within California’s Latino community.
Even the governor is watching closely
now to see the kinds of results we
achieve.”
A community businessWhile WellPoint operates on a
national scale, its focus remains local. Its
mission is to “improve the lives of
the people we serve and the health of our
communities.” To carry out this mission,
WellPoint currently has a force of approx-
imately 42,000 associates, all focused on
balancing its “one company, one team”
core value and its national scope with a
strong local presence. And WellPoint
has made managing diversity a central
component of its corporate culture.
Setting the courseWellPoint’s leadership team recog-
nized the 2004 merger of two diverse
company cultures as an ideal opportunity
to define a new, unified corporate
culture and establish understanding of
the company’s strategic direction among
its associates.
Just weeks after the merger, the
executive leadership team, led by Mr.
Glasscock, dedicated an intensive three-
day session to defining a set of values and
guiding behaviors. Diversity manage-
ment was a strategic focus for both legacy
companies, and it was clear that it should
remain so for the new company, as an
integral element in meeting the goals set
forth in its long-term strategy.
Specifically, the WellPoint team
identified several areas in which diversity is
a core consideration:
• Integrating diversity-related values and
behaviors into the new corporate culture
Special Feature WellPoint
WellPoint, Inc. — Company Snapshot
Business: Health benefits
Headquarters: Indianapolis, IN
Website: www.wellpoint.com
2005 Annual Revenue: approximately $45 billion
Number of Associates: approximately 42,000
Number of Members: approximately 34 million
Corporate Diversity Stats (through 2005)
Management positions held by women: 60%
Management positions held by persons of minority
background: 18%
Total promotions earned by persons of minority
background: 40%
Larry C. Glasscock WellPoint
• Fostering supplier diversity strategies
• Engaging in culturally relevant
community relations and philanthropy
• Developing leaders for tomorrow
• Equipping those leaders with the
ability to manage an increasingly
diverse workforce
• Understanding and addressing racial
and ethnic health disparities
• Addressing the needs of the diverse
mixture of the uninsured and the
under-insured.
These considerations touch on
virtually every facet of WellPoint’s
business. Mr. Glasscock took it upon
himself to personally communicate the
company’s new core values to managers
via face-to-face meetings and to all
associates via global voice and e-mail
messages—placing strong emphasis on
WellPoint’s commitment to diversity. In
fact, when it came time to appoint a
company culture champion, it was Mr.
Glasscock himself who assumed the
role. As such, he chairs the Diversity
and Workplace Culture Executive
Steering Committee, which is made up
of the chairman, president and CEO
and his direct reports.
22 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
Larry C. Glasscock, center, meeting associates from Lumenos,
which was acquired by WellPoint in mid-2005 and specializes
in innovative, consumer-driven health care products.
“We’ve said we intend to transform
health care and become the most
valued company in our industry.
Diversity management is an
integral part of that...”
—Larry C. Glasscock
Special Feature WellPoint
Diversity management atWellPoint today
WellPoint actively cultivates oppor-
tunities for women and individuals from
minority backgrounds to advance
through the company ranks. In 2005,
60 percent of its management positions
were held by women and 18 percent by
minorities. The number of women in
management at WellPoint has climbed
more than ten percent since the turn of
the millennium, and this year alone nearly
40 percent of company promotions were
awarded to minority persons.
WellPoint also supports external organ-
izations that are focused on diversity.
It helped found the Diversity Leader-
ship Academy of Greater Indianapolis
(www.DLAGI.org) in 2003, which has
attracted national leaders such as Julian
Bond, Ray Suarez, and the late Coretta Scott
King to Indianapolis. More than 130 com-
munity and business leaders have graduated
from the academy since it was founded.
As well, WellPoint sponsors the
American Institute for Managing
Diversity (AIMD), the parent organiza-
tion that founded the Diversity
Leadership Academy. This November,
Mr. Glasscock served as co-chair of
AIMD’s 20th anniversary celebrations in
Atlanta.
The company’s focus on managing
diversity has not gone unnoticed by
external organizations, with recognition
coming from a wide range of sources
including Working Mother magazine,
Black Equal Opportunity Employment
Journal, the National Association of
Female Executives, FORTUNE, and
CAREERS & the disABLED magazine.
While this recognition is welcomed
by all at WellPoint including Mr.
Glasscock, he points to the company’s
new vision and mission as containing the
real measures of success.
“We’ve said we intend to transform
health care and become the most valued
company in our industry,” he explains,
quoting WellPoint’s vision statement.
“Diversity management is an integral part
of that: striving to mirror the markets in
which we operate and meeting the needs
of an increasingly diverse customer base.
I’m proud of the commitment our com-
pany has made. I’m excited by the steps
we’ve taken. And I’m looking forward to
continued progress in the years to come.”
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006 23
Associate Julie Schlereth meeting Larry C. Glasscock
after the close of the Anthem and WellPoint merger.
Larry C. Glasscock WellPoint
24 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
WellPoint Chairman,
President and CEO
Larry C. Glasscock
shares his views on
managing diversity—
and why it’s a priority
Mr. Glasscock’s interest in—and com-
mitment to—diversity is longstanding.
And as he makes clear, his goal for
WellPoint is to ensure that diversity
management is not just an initiative, but
a fundamental way of doing business.
Part of WellPoint’s statedvision is to transform healthcare. That’s an ambitiousgoal, to say the least. Whathas motivated it?
We’ve done a great deal of research into
the state of our industry and come up
with four interrelated issues that consti-
tute what we call a ‘burning platform’—
conditions that absolutely rule out
maintaining the status quo. These are:
the growing ranks of the uninsured;
the continuing deterioration of public
health; the rising cost and declining
affordability of health care; and the need
for improvement in the safety and qual-
ity of care. These are big issues, and we
see it as our responsibility as an industry
leader to take action on them.
How do those concernsrelate to your stance ondiversity?
Diversity runs right through all of these
concerns. Recent research by organiza-
tions like the Institute of Medicine and
the American College of Physicians has
shown that there are racial and ethnic
disparities in health care. Minorities do
not always receive the same quality of
care as non-minorities. They do not
have the same access to health care, and
they’re not always well-represented in
the ranks of health professionals.
Overall, they have poorer health status
than non-minorities. We’re committed
to understanding and addressing these
issues.
What can WellPoint do tochange that?
Well, as I mentioned, one of the factors
contributing to health disparities for
people of color is the dearth of health
care professionals of color. The
WellPoint Foundation recently made a
million-dollar grant to the California
Latino Medical Association to fund
Dedicated to diversityinterview ::
Special Feature WellPoint
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006 25
26 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
scholarships for Hispanics and Latinos
pursuing nursing careers. We’re building
capacity in the region that will improve
access to health care and address some of
those large-scale issues identified in our
mission statement.
So it's important forWellPoint to have a diverseworkforce to make a connec-tion at the community level?
Absolutely, it is. Health care is about
people, and the people of this country
are diverse. To continue to develop a
diverse workforce, we’re looking at a
combination of external recruitment
and internal development. Both
approaches will produce some positive
short-term results, but we’re also
committed to doing the relationship-
building and branding work necessary
to stand out as an employer of choice
over the long term.
What are you doing at theleadership level to supportyour diversity efforts?
WellPoint has a dedicated Diversity and
Workplace Culture (DWC) team led by
our vice president of Diversity and
Workplace Culture, David Casey. David
reports to Randy Brown, our senior
vice president of Human Resources,
who reports directly to me. And our
Executive Leadership Team acts as the
DWC Executive Steering Committee,
and I chair that committee, so we’re all
very closely involved in determining
diversity strategies, measures and
approaches. Also, when I think about
the makeup of the company’s leadership,
I strive to ensure that there is diversity of
thought and experience at the table.
When you look at the backgrounds of
our leadership team, you will find a very
diverse set of professional experiences
and perspectives.
Do you believe the rest of thecompany understands that top-tier commitment to diversity?
There’s always education and communi-
cation to be done, particularly in a com-
pany that’s just come through a very
complex merger as we just have. But I
have to say I think our commitment and
values are understood very well through-
out WellPoint. We’ve had more than
200 associates volunteer to be Diversity
and Workplace Culture Ambassadors.
This is a very diverse group, representing
a broad range of backgrounds, job func-
tions and geographies. Group members
actively assist with training and educa-
Larry C. Glasscock WellPoint
interview ::
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006 27
tion, communications and celebratory
events. They also serve as focus groups as
we assess our diversity strategies.
That sounds like a goodinclusion mechanism. Arethere other ways WellPointensures the inclusion ofemployees?
In November, we conducted our first
integrated, all-associate survey since the
merger. We’re now analyzing the survey
data from a number of different per-
spectives: ethnicity, gender, age, tenure,
business unit and location. We feel this
will provide a clear line of sight for the
development of effective action plans
and support our core value of personal
accountability for excellence.
How do you deal with thosewho think inclusion programsfor under-representedgroups are exclusionary for others?
We have a philosophy that diversity
management is about much more than
race and gender. Our strategic approach
to diversity management really is
designed to be inclusive of everyone.
It has to be, because it’s driven by our
business objectives, and we can’t afford
to be exclusionary in any regard. That
said, there will be times it is necessary
for us to specifically recruit minorities
and women—for instance, in situations
where we may not be as representative of
the market as we would like to be. And
because we are a government contractor,
affirmative action planning is a very real
and essential component of our diversity
management strategy. At the end of the
day, our overall goal is to serve our
diverse marketplace with associates who
best represent that marketplace.
How do you see that market-place changing in the future?
A key trend underway today is toward
CDHPs—consumer-driven health plans.
These are plans that allow consumers to
take a more active role in their health
and health care. By giving consumers
greater choice and responsibility,
supported by much better information
about health care options, consumer-
driven products can better meet the
needs of diverse individuals. We believe
the demand for these offerings is going
to keep growing. And it’s already chang-
ing the way we design our products and
services. For us, it’s an exciting opportu-
nity to interact closely with the end
users of our plans and products, to really
engage on the local, individual level.
Special Feature WellPoint
:: interview
WellPoint strategies for
managing diversity
At WellPoint, ‘diversity’ is a multi-
dimensional concept. It applies in the
workplace—both culturally and in terms
of the composition of the company’s
workforce. It applies in the marketplace—
encompassing everything from respect
for regional differences to ensuring that
WellPoint’s slate of health insurance
products and services answers the full
range of consumer needs.
From WellPoint’s perspective,
diversity also has a great deal to do with
opportunity, whether it’s the opportunity
for someone from a minority back-
ground to advance professionally, or the
opportunity for Americans without
health insurance to gain access to the
care they need.
To meet its diversity-management
objectives, WellPoint engages in a wide
range of programs and initiatives, the
majority of which are intended to have a
discernable impact in the communities
where the company operates. Its strategies
are based on the four-quadrant model
established by the American Institute
for Managing Diversity. That model
involves:
1. Addressing issues of workforce
representation
2. Engaging associates through
meaningful relationships
3. Continuously assessing company
policies, systems and behaviors
4. Strategically leveraging all internal
and external diversity mixtures (which
in WellPoint’s case include customers,
shareholders, suppliers and others).
Covering all the basesWellPoint strives to ensure that its
workforce mirrors its markets by recruit-
ing and engaging a broad range of talent
across all levels of the organization.
In addition to diversity-oriented
employment campaigns via the Internet,
print and broadcast media, direct mail
and career fairs, WellPoint engages in
various educational outreach activities.
One such activity is its partnership with
INROADS, an organization that
provides business internships to promis-
ing young people of color while giving
corporations the opportunity to develop
diverse managerial talent.
WellPoint’s Core Values
One of WellPoint’s first post-merger integration projects was to articulate a new set of core values for the company. Crafted by Mr. Glasscock and his executive team over a three-dayretreat, those values were formulated as follows:
• Customer First
• Lead Through Innovation
• One Company, One Team
• Personal Accountability for Excellence
• Integrity
These core values are supportedby detailed guiding behaviors thatprovide a solid foundation for thecompany’s success.
Larry C. Glasscock WellPoint
A multidimensional approach
28 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006 29
Together, WellPoint and INROADS
provide scholarships and internships for
minority students and also recruit new
graduates to participate in WellPoint’s
Health Insurance Professional Program
(HIPP). HIPP allows new college gradu-
ates to take part in a series of job rotations
over a two-year period, giving them a
well-rounded understanding of the com-
pany’s business and presenting valuable
opportunities for them to lead significant
projects.
Managing workforce relationships
WellPoint engages continuously in
efforts to ensure that its associates appre-
ciate the differences and similarities that
people bring to the company’s work-
place—illuminating for them the various
ways those ‘diversities’ can be put into
action for the company’s collective benefit.
Diversity training is required for all
associates and is delivered through new
hire orientation, new manager orienta-
tion, ethics and compliance training, and
corporate communications. In every case,
WellPoint seeks innovative ways to get its
message across. For example, a troupe
called Picture This Diversity Theatre acts
out real-world workforce-relationship
scenarios for participants in WellPoint’s
new manager orientation program.
Managers are then led through a facilitat-
ed dialogue about the most effective way
to work through the challenges presented
in the scenarios, learning through engage-
ment rather than by dictation.
WellPoint constantly assesses and
evaluates its policies and practices to
ensure that they support its strategic and
diversity-related aims, an effort that in
certain cases includes taking the ‘temper-
ature’ of employee opinion. During the
recent merger, for instance, WellPoint
surveyed its associates’ thoughts on the
topic of its Total Rewards program. The
end result was a market-competitive pro-
gram of benefits and rewards that offered
associates everything from flexible work
schedules and domestic partner benefits
to education assistance and more.
Special Feature WellPoint
WellPoint engages continuously in
efforts to ensure that its associates
appreciate the differences and
similarities that people bring to the
company’s workplace—illuminating
for them the various ways those
‘diversities’ can be put into action
for the company’s collective benefit.
Larry C. Glasscock WellPoint
30 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
From the HIPP
Marcus Taylor discovered an unexpected
career opportunity through WellPoint’s
Health Insurance Professional Program
When Marcus Taylor decided to pursue acareer in health care, he pictured himself inhospital administration. That was before theHealth Insurance Professional Program(HIPP) led to a job as account manager inIndiana Large Group Sales.
“Life and leadership are about what you do to make other people’s lives better,” Mr. Taylor explained. After watching hisgrandmother struggle with the health caresystem, he knew he wanted to improveaccess to health services and how theywere delivered. So, following a stint in the Army, he pursued a degree in health policy and science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He continued his education at Indiana University, earning a master’s in health administration three years ago.
That was where Mr. Taylor heard about HIPP. He immediately saw the opportunity to make his mark in a company that touched millions of health care consumers.
“One of the keys to my growth has been a combination of great mentors and leaders,” he said.“They gave me a lot of their personal, face-to-face time. They also gave me access to their ownnetworks of leaders to learn about the career paths they’ve taken.”
His first-year rotation took him to WellPoint Business Solutions and Services (BSS). In his projectmanagement role, he was involved in pre-merger integration work, identifying synergy savings for senior and state-sponsored programs.
“My second rotation was pivotal in my career,” Mr. Taylor said. His work with company leadershelped him see the industry from the inside out, including participation in the development of the Indiana Health Care Consortium and the Indiana Provider Advisory Council.
Mr. Taylor’s experience with leaders in the Indiana sales organization during that rotation helped him make a smooth transition when a position opened up in Indiana Large Group Sales earlierthis year. And although he didn’t remain in HIPP for a third rotation, he continues to be involvedas a mentor for first-year HIPP associates. He knows how difficult it can be for new professionals to find a sense of community in such a large organization and sees mentoring as a way to give back—one more way to make a difference.
Marcus Taylor
Account Manager
Indiana Large Group Sales
WellPoint, Inc.
Special Feature WellPoint
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006 31
Achievement is its own reward(But a little acknowledgement never hurts)
• Hispanic Business Magazine named
Vice President of Emerging Markets
Leonor McCall-Rodriguez one of
“80 Elite Women” in America for her
outreach to multicultural health care
markets.
• Working Mother magazine named
WellPoint one of the “Best Companies
for Women of Color” in 2005 and
featured the inspiring story of
associate Tracy Edmonds.
• The St. Louis American Foundation
honored Dale Evans-Blackmon, director
of network services for Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Missouri, with its 2005
Excellence Award for being an
outstanding African-American
health professional in her community.
• NAFE, the National Association of
Female Executives, selected WellPoint
as one of the “Top 30 Companies for
Executive Women.” (WellPoint made
the top ten for its advancement of
women into management and senior
positions.)
• Who’s Who in Black Indianapolis and
Who’s Who in Black Cincinnati
featured several WellPoint leaders in
their 2005 editions.
• During the 2004 Celebration of
Diversity Awards held by the mayor of
Indianapolis, WellPoint received the
Sam Jones Award: the top honor a
company can receive for its commit-
ment to diversity in Indianapolis.
• Black Equal Opportunity Employment
Journal named WellPoint one of the
“Top Financial Institutions and
Insurance Companies for Minorities”
for two consecutive years.
• CAREERS & the disABLED magazine
named WellPoint one of the “Top 50
Disability-Friendly Employers” for
two consecutive years.
• Hispanic Business Magazine named
WellPoint one of the “Top 25 U.S.
Companies for Minorities” for two
consecutive years.
• Next Step Magazine identified
WellPoint as “One of America’s Most
Diverse Organizations.”
• FORTUNE magazine declared
WellPoint the nation’s “Most Admired
Health Care Company” for six years
in a row.
• The Human Rights Campaign,
America’s largest advocacy group for
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender
Americans, gave WellPoint a rating of
86 percent on its Corporate Equality
Index in 2005; the index is the
nation’s only rating system for corpo-
rate GLBT policies.
While external recognition is not a key objective of WellPoint's diversity
initiatives, the company is proud of the attention it and its associates have
received for their efforts. The following lists some recent highlights.
Larry C. Glasscock WellPoint
32 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
Achievingimpact
Taking action
on diversity
Good intentions are wonderful,
but they don’t produce
results on their own.
Achievement comes from action. And in
the corporate world, actions taken at the
highest levels of an organization tend to
be repeated down the line.
With this in mind, WellPoint
Chairman, President and CEO Larry
C. Glasscock and his executive team
have adopted a highly visible policy of
leadership by example when it comes to
promulgating the company’s culture—
including its approach to managing
diversity.
“Everyone on our executive team
sees him- or herself as a standard-bearer
of the company’s core values,” declares
David Casey, vice president of Diversity
and Workplace Culture. “That really does
start with Larry Glasscock. And it
extends even beyond the limits of the
company walls to our support of the
Diversity Leadership Academy of
Greater Indianapolis, for example, or
Larry’s role as co-chair of the 20th
anniversary celebration of the
American Institute for Managing
Diversity.”
WellPoint’s department of Diversity
and Workplace Culture is focused
strategically on aligning the company’s
business goals with diversity best
practices in training, strategic planning,
and multicultural market development.
As such, the department serves as a
key instrument in carrying out Mr.
Glasscock’s “culture-first” approach to
doing business.
Creating the right environment
Since arising from the merger
of Anthem and WellPoint Health
Networks in 2004, WellPoint, Inc. has
worked quickly to roll out its new
corporate culture. An important first
step was the company’s Culture-Shaping
Leadership Forum last May. Led by
Mr. Glasscock, the forum gathered
WellPoint’s top 300 leaders for a discus-
sion of the critical relationship between
corporate culture and performance.
“Our associates not only have
to understand the company’s
values, they must also
appreciate where those
values come from—the
rationale behind them.
Because then they can truly
take those values to heart
and translate them into
actions.”
David Casey
Vice President of Diversity
and Workplace Culture
WellPoint, Inc.
Special Feature WellPoint
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006 33
Following the forum, 46 facilitators
from the associate population were
chosen to communicate WellPoint’s
cultural principles to a force of some
3,200 managers. In 2006, the facilitators’
efforts will extend to frontline associates
in keeping with an admittedly aggressive
schedule. WellPoint’s leaders are
convinced that this ambitious
acculturation program (and the invest-
ment it represents) is essential to estab-
lishing a foundation for the company’s
success going forward.
“Our associates not only have to
understand our corporate values, they
must also appreciate where those values
come from—the rationale behind
them,” explains Mr. Casey. “Because
then they can truly take those values to
heart and translate them into actions.”
To keep the lines of communica-
tion open, WellPoint has invited front-
line associates to serve as internal culture
and diversity ambassadors, helping
inform their peers about new and
upcoming events. More than 200 associ-
ates have volunteered thus far. To David
Casey, that’s a clear indication that
people are interested in and supportive
of the direction the company is taking.
The 2005 class of the Diversity Leadership
Academy of Greater Indianapolis was the
third class to graduate since WellPoint
helped found the academy in 2003.
Larry C. Glasscock WellPoint
Succession planning
and leadership
development with
diversity in mind
For WellPoint, as for most corporations
today, succession planning is a key
leadership-development concern. The
aging of the baby boom workforce and
the wave of retirement that is expected as
a result must be prepared for effectively.
At the same time, as a company poised
for further growth, WellPoint recognizes
the necessity of having skilled, qualified
people ready to lead as expansion occurs.
Judy Wade, director of succession
planning and executive development,
asserts that in both of the above cases
diversity is essential for WellPoint to
make an agile and innovative response.
“America is a diverse country: ethnically,
geographically, socially,” Ms. Wade explains.
“We feel very strongly that the leadership
of our company has to reflect that.”
She notes that enacting diversity
strategies—despite the complexities of
carrying out a massive corporate merger—
has proceeded successfully since 2004,
partly because both Anthem and
WellPoint Health Networks were
committed to diversity manage-
ment beforehand. Anthem had
previously established its own
department of Diversity and
Workplace Culture; and
WellPoint Health Networks main-
tained a sharp focus on diversity
management. Each company’s
diversity commitment originated
at the very top.
In August 2005, Ms. Wade
and her colleagues prepared a com-
prehensive succession planning report
for WellPoint’s board of directors—
with an eye on the diversity of
current and future leaders. Already,
WellPoint’s commitment to con-
sistently monitor the diversity of
its associates has resulted in an
11 percent increase in minority
women working in management.
“I’m proud that we already
have strong representation of
women at the highest levels of our organ-
ization,” Ms. Wade says. “Going forward,
we’ll continue to foster that and at the
same time strengthen the presence of
individuals from different ethnic and
cultural backgrounds.”
She’s quick to point out that a
successful diversity program—particularly
at the leadership level—can’t be simply
about meeting quotas.
“You can’t manufacture drive or
ambition or talent,” she explains. “What
you can do is be open to the broadest
pool of people who possess those qualities.
You have to open doors and create oppor-
tunities for the best people to be noticed,
Laying the groundwork for tomorrow
34 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
“The feedback at WellPoint’s
Emerging Leaders Program
was extremely helpful—
direct, honest and
professional.”
Dijuana Lewis
President,
Northeast Markets
WellPoint, Inc.
Special Feature WellPoint
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006 35
regardless of who they are or where they
come from. That’s my job, and I love it.
In a personal way, it gives me great satis-
faction to help someone deserving
achieve a personal or professional goal.”
Enabling leaders to emergeWellPoint is in the process of evolving
and combining its legacy leadership-
development programs into a new,
unified package of approaches suited to
the post-merger company’s expanded
needs and circumstances.
The new initiative is slated for
rollout in 2006. The legacy programs on
which it will be based include WellPoint’s
Emerging Leaders Program, which was
created to identify high-potential associ-
ates for executive roles, and the Executive
Experience Program, which grooms
future executives. Of the 30 associates to
complete the Emerging Leaders Program,
half have been women. And of the 79
participants in the Executive Experience
Program, 33 have been women.
Five participants in the company’s
Emerging Leaders Program have been
promoted to executive positions. Dijuana
Lewis, President, Northeast Markets, says
the program provided the full gamut of
leader training.
“It was extremely helpful to have
feedback—feedback that was direct,
honest and professional,” she shares. “It
was the greatest growth experience I’ve
ever had in my career.”
Ms. Lewis is just one example of why
WellPoint has been recognized by
the National Association of Female
Executives as one of the top ten
companies for its placement of women
into management and senior positions.
Seven Emerging Leaders Program partic-
ipants made lateral moves to broaden
their experiences and skills, and eight
received promotions.
A major opportunity for minorities
To support the professional develop-
ment of minority persons, WellPoint
takes part in programs offered by
America’s Health Insurance Plans
(AHIP). AHIP is one of the most promi-
nent health care associations in America,
and WellPoint is its largest participant.
AHIP offers several fellowship
programs geared toward developing
minority leaders within the industry.
WellPoint sponsored the involvement of
13 associates in 2004-05 and another 28
during 2005-06. In both cases, the
Spotlight on women
At WellPoint today, 60 percent of all management positions
are held by women. More than 45 percent of company associ-
ates in director-level and higher positions are women who par-
ticipate in succession planning.
The company is committed to offering growth opportunities for
women of initiative to advance. Flexible schedules, work-at-
home and job-share arrangements, and WellPoint’s innovative
new-parent transition week are all available to support this
commitment—even at the company’s executive levels.
Larry C. Glasscock WellPoint
36 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
company put people through
AHIP’s Executive Leadership
Program, which focuses on
developing industry leaders
through internal and external
mentoring relationships.
One of WellPoint’s AHIP
graduates is David Henley,
senior counsel at Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Missouri. He
was recently promoted to his
position and asserts that the
advancement “may not have
happened without the Executive
Leadership Program.” Paired with a CEO
in Florida as his external mentor and with
the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri
medical director as his internal mentor,
Henley was able to gain valuable experi-
ence that helped him grow professionally.
“There are very few minorities in
leadership in the health care industry in
general,” says Berenice Ruhl, diversity
programs manager for WellPoint.
“It is imperative that our industry
leaders are a cross-section of America, just
like our members.” Of the AHIP
programs and others like them she says:
“It is worth the investment. We are seeing
more confidence in associates, more
polished professionalism, willingness
to take on more challenges, and
tremendous networking.”
A leadingexampleThe Diversity
Leadership Academy
of Greater Indianapolis
Perhaps one of the most visible
indicators of WellPoint’s commitment
to cultivating leadership diversity—
within and outside its own corporate
environment—is the pivotal role it
played in establishing the Diversity
Leadership Academy of Greater
Indianapolis (DLAGI) in 2003.
The company committed more
than half a million dollars to the academy’s
initial development, creating an innova-
tive, hands-on learning program for
building diversity-management leader-
ship skills within the Indianapolis com-
munity. In a speech during the 20th
anniversary celebration of the American
Institute for Managing Diversity
(AIMD), WellPoint Chairman,
President and CEO Larry C. Glasscock
explained the company’s rationale for
making such an investment.
“Helping to launch the Diversity
Leadership Academy of Greater
Indianapolis was an outstanding oppor-
tunity for us to give back to the com-
munity we call home to our corporate
headquarters,” he said.
“There are very few
minorities in leadership in
the health care industry in
general. It is imperative
that our industry leaders
are a cross-section of
America, just like our
members.”
Berenice Ruhl, PhD
Diversity Programs
Manager
WellPoint, Inc.
Special Feature WellPoint
Truly groundbreakingIndianapolis was the first city out-
side of Atlanta, Georgia to establish a
Diversity Leadership Academy. (The
original DLA was founded in Atlanta by
AIMD in September 2001.)
Open to leaders from business,
government, the not-for-profit sector,
education and religious organizations, the
DLAGI offers a series of five day-long
classes customized to the particular
business and social environment of Indian-
apolis. Interactive and action-oriented,
it guides participants through the appli-
cation of diversity-management princi-
ples to real community issues.
Since its establishment more than
130 community leaders have graduated
from the academy, including the city’s top
public-safety officials as well as a number
of WellPoint leaders.
Applicants are chosen to participate
in the academy based on their ability to
lead and inspire change within their
organizations or community, and to share
information about diversity management.
The academy has attracted many
notable speakers from the field of diversity.
The late civil rights activist Coretta Scott
King initiated the DLAGI program in
2003 with a message of inspiration;
Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP,
addressed the class of 2004; and last year
Ray Suarez, senior correspondent for
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, spoke at
the welcome reception.
AIMD describes the benefits of its
Diversity Leadership Academies (of
which there are now eight) as enhancing
the readiness of participants to:
• Provide leadership around diversity
issues
• Participate in and influence community
dialogue on diversity issues
• Address personal diversity issues such
as those related to family and
neighborhood.
As well, the DLAGI training equips
leaders with a clear understanding of the
effort required to improve their organiza-
tions’ ability to address diversity effectively.
Celebrating 20 years of inspiration
WellPoint came to support the
DLAGI through its association with
AIMD and that organization’s founder,
Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr. Mr. Glass-
cock has called Dr. Thomas “a tremendous
resource in thinking about diversity man-
agement and living out our [WellPoint’s]
commitment to doing it well.”
In 2005, the organization observed
its 20th anniversary. WellPoint was title
sponsor of AIMD’s anniversary celebra-
tions, and Mr. Glasscock served as
co-chair. “It is my hope and belief that we
are a better company as a result of our
relationship with AIMD,” Mr. Glasscock
told the audience at AIMD’s Diversity
20/20 Forum and Celebratory Luncheon
in November, “and that we better reflect
and serve the diversity of our associates,
our customers and communities.”
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006 37
“It is my hope and belief that we are
a better company as a result of our
relationship with AIMD.”
—Larry C. Glasscock
Larry C. Glasscock WellPoint
38 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
Diversity is our business
WellPoint’s
understanding
of diversity as a
business driver
“The health care landscape of
America has changed radically,” says
Mr. Glasscock. “Consolidation in our
industry, technological advancement, and
evolving consumer expectations have all
made the environment today far more
competitive than at any time in the past.”
In such a context, a company’s
business strategies have to be rock-solid—
especially if that company’s declared aim
is WellPoint’s: to transform health care
and become the most valued company in
the industry.
“We know that not all ethnic popu-
lations receive the same medical care, and
that some may be at greater risk for
particular medical conditions,” says Mr.
Glasscock. “However, there is little
standard or centralized data about the
disparities and gaps in care to adequately
address them. We’re developing
approaches to gather that data—while
protecting the rights and the privacy
of patients—as an essential step toward
achieving our long-term aims. It’s
obvious to us that, in a real way, manag-
ing diversity is our business.”
Extending reach and buildingcapacity at the same time
An important way WellPoint reaches
out to the uninsured is through personal,
face-to-face contact via its force of agents.
“We depend on agents and brokers
to reach our markets,” says Deborah
Lachman, president, Individual and Small
Group, West Region. “Our agents and
brokers have to increasingly represent the
diversity of the public we serve, ethnically
and geographically. Yet generally the
population of agents and brokers is not
growing; it’s not a career option that a lot
of young people are exploring.”
To address this deficit, WellPoint
developed what it calls its “Incubator
Program.”
“The Incubator Program addresses
our needs and at the same time allows us
to give something back to the communities
where we operate,” explains Ms.
Lachman. “We recruit young people—
high school and college graduates—and
hire them for a three-year period. Over
that time, we train them to be independent
insurance agents and brokers. But more
importantly, we also train them to be
successful small-business owners and
operators. At the end of the three years,
their employment with us ends, and
they’re fully equipped to go out into their
communities and establish themselves as
independent entrepreneurs. We not only
subsidize their business education
through this program, but also pay for
their licenses.”
WellPoint's first wave of ten
Incubator Program ‘graduates’—all from
the Los Angeles area—went out into the
field in January 2005. Ms. Lachman says
the reach of the program will expand over
time. She’s extremely pleased with the
results so far.
“We’ve helped people become bona
fide entrepreneurs,” she concludes,
“people who were already very gung-ho,
ambitious and dedicated. It’s gratifying to
see how sincerely appreciative they are of
the opportunity, and how determined
they are to succeed.”
Special Feature WellPoint
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006 39
Working the issueR. Roosevelt Thomas Jr., PhD, reflects on WellPoint’s diversity commitment
Since creating the Atlanta-based American Institute forManaging Diversity (AIMD) back in the early 1980s, Dr.Thomas has strived to help American organizations makethe most out of the contributions of their diverse associates.Today, he and his team look beyond workforce diversity to abroader set of management considerations including changemanagement, functional coordination, business-line integration, and acquisitions and mergers.
Dr. Thomas created AIMD to help organizations understandwhy managing diversity is essential not only ethically but also from a business perspective. In the words of the organization’s Web site, AIMD was the “first national, nonprofit diversity think tank.” Engaged in research, education and corporate consultation on diversity issues,AIMD has earned the esteem of many of America’s mostprominent corporations including the Coca-Cola Company,which sponsored the original DLA in Atlanta.
Profiles in Diversity Journal spoke to Dr. Thomas recentlyabout his work and about the experience of collaborating with WellPoint.
What has it been like to work with the WellPoint team on the creation of the Diversity LeadershipAcademy of Greater Indianapolis?
It’s been energizing and exciting to work with Larry Glasscock and David Casey. Their enthusiasmfor the academy is genuine. You see reflected in them the desire for WellPoint to be both a goodcorporate citizen and a good model of strategic diversity management. And I know the academyhas been well received by the community in Indianapolis.
What has been Mr. Glasscock’s role as co-chair of the 20th anniversary celebration?
He’s a committed champion of AIMD, and he was insistent that we needed to have a big celebration for the 20th anniversary. He saw it as a truly important milestone. He was an integralpart of the celebration. He put in a great deal of effort. It was very impressive, given all he has on his plate.
From your perspective, what kind of opportunities does a company like WellPoint have to makereal progress on diversity issues?
Diversity management really amounts to making the most of differences and similarities in themidst of complexities and tensions. WellPoint is poised to move beyond the traditional diversityfoci of workforce numbers and representation. It is also poised to illustrate how the concept ofdiversity management can be applied to other areas of business. To be ready for sustainableprogress, you have to work the issue internally and externally, and that is what WellPoint is doing:combining traditional and non-traditional approaches to strengthen its business and, as the sayinggoes, ‘do the right thing’. You work it inside and outside, for the good of the company and for thecommunity it serves. That’s what I see WellPoint doing, and I think it’s really commendable.
R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr., PhD,
Founder, American Institute for
Managing Diversity
Larry C. Glasscock WellPoint
Speaking the same language
WellPoint’s commitment to communicating with consumers in their language of choice goes beyond just English and Spanish. The company recently began offering services in the spokenMayan dialect Q’anjoval to connect with Guatemalan immigrantcommunities.
“A high percentage of the ethnic communities we serve are uninsured. For example, in California, an estimated 3.3 million ofthe uninsured—some 56 percent—are Latino. A lot of this is due to not understanding how insurance works and how to navigatethe health care system in the United States. If we are to succeedin insuring everyone, we have to reach out in the right languageand with a culturally competent way of doing business. Every market, whether it is determined by lifestyle, ethnicity or life stage,requires a distinct approach. Our responsibility is to help membersand non-members understand how they can access health care.”
Leonor McCall-Rodriguez
Vice President, Emerging Markets
WellPoint, Inc.
You are whoyou work with
Suppliers are an important dimension of corporate diversity
In addition to reaching out to new
and diverse customer groups, WellPoint—
like many leading American corporations—
is seeking to make diversity a routine
component of its supplier relationships.
The company took an important step
forward on that front in August 2005
when Brenda Burke joined WellPoint as
its director of Supplier Diversity.
Ms. Burke is an undeniably apt
choice for the job. As a former director
of administration for the mayor of
Indianapolis, she led the city’s supplier-
diversity program and was recognized
for the success of her efforts with the
2005 Public Service Award from the
Center for Leadership Development.
She notes that “diversity touches
every aspect of life, from hiring the best
talent and career advancement to supplier
relationships.” WellPoint believes a diverse
supplier base enables it to deliver unique
value to culturally distinct markets.
“Supplier diversity also offers
diverse contracting solutions for our cus-
tomers,” says Ms. Burke. “Through our
40 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
Special Feature WellPoint
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006 41
Supplier Diversity Initiative, we are dedi-
cated to diversifying our supplier base to
include businesses that are minority-
owned, woman-owned, and service-
disabled veteran-owned.”
She points to the example of
WellPoint’s nine IT staffing service
providers: One at present is minority-
owned; another is woman-owned. Ms.
Burke says the company’s goal is to
include diverse suppliers in every bidding
opportunity.
She views her job as one of building
on existing momentum. “In 2004,
WellPoint spent $49.1 million with
diverse suppliers. We exceeded that
number in 2005. Ultimately, we want our
supplier-diversity program to be best-in-
class for the health care industry.”
Part of a broader movementWhen it comes to supplier diversity,
WellPoint also understands the value of
collaborative partners. The company is
a national member of the National
Minority Supplier Development Council
(NMSDC), a leading business member-
ship organization that provides a direct
link between corporate America and
minority-owned businesses.
WellPoint is also a member of the
Women’s Business Enterprise Council,
which is dedicated to supporting and
being a resource for women business
owners. In addition, WellPoint is a
corporate partner of the National
Association of Women Business Owners.
WellPoint is also beginning to see its
customers place greater importance on
supplier diversity. Growing numbers of
major corporations are demanding that
they and their corporate suppliers utilize
diverse suppliers. Some are even requiring
quarterly supplier utilization reports.
“Supplier diversity procurement is
no longer an issue of social conscience
alone,” says Ms. Burke. “As we grow our
business, we must pay attention to the
importance of capturing and retaining
the loyalty and trust of our growing and
diverse consumer market. That is the
Meeting the needs of a diverse customer base:
The WellPoint product portfolio
WellPoint continuously researches and designs products thatmeet the needs of diverse consumers. For example:
• Tonik—individual health care coverage, currently available in California and Colorado, designed primarily foryoung people from 19 to 29. All Tonik plans include doctorvisits with copays, as well as low-cost health screenings toencourage preventative care. Approximately 70 percent ofTonik members were previously uninsured.
• Blue Access Economy—an individual plan designed to provide a solid foundation to basic health coverage, including a range of deductible options, prescription drugcard and office visit copayments. To date, 45 percent of new members were previously uninsured.
• Stepping Stones Initiatives—this innovative health and wellness education program allows WellPoint to partner withfaith-based organizations in an effort to reach emerging markets at community events. WellPoint medical associatesgive presentations on key health issues and provide freepreventative screenings.
• Senior Business—specialized products for the diverse senior-citizen population, featuring a wide range of price andhealth care options. WellPoint provides extensive training to its customer service representatives, improving their ability to respond to the needs of this growing population.
Larry C. Glasscock WellPoint
value supplier diversity brings.
Our job now is to see that it
becomes institutionalized.”
Her experience in the
Indianapolis mayor’s office has
given her a realistic appreciation
for the time, effort, and resources
it takes to institutionalize sup-
plier diversity effectively.
“Things don’t happen
overnight. It takes time to really get a
program up and running, especially in a
corporation the size of WellPoint. But
it’s worth the effort,” says Ms. Burke.
“Supplier diversity brings us closer to our
customers and potential customers and
has been found to strengthen brand loy-
alty, customer trust and commitment.”
Leadership = ResponsibilitySupporting communities: a core focus for WellPoint
It is almost impossible not to be
inspired by the obvious passion Dr. Ray
Morales feels for his work as WellPoint’s
director of Social Investment Programs.
Drawn to the medical profession by
a desire to make people’s lives better, his
job at WellPoint gives him the oppor-
tunity to make an enormous and
far-reaching difference in the company’s
diverse communities.
“Our goal is to help children and
families who are uninsured acquire quality
medical insurance coverage. Our com-
mitment is to help children and families
navigate public and private health care
insurance options in a language they
understand and lead a healthy life,” he
explains.
To do so, WellPoint has identified a
set of three interrelated priorities:
1. Access to care
2. Affordability
3. Quality health care initiatives.
And wellness for all...To inform people about their health
coverage options, WellPoint has distributed
thousands of copies of the Health Care
Options Matrix, a comprehensive listing
of coverage available through both public
programs and private insurers. WellPoint
also maintains a 24-hour uninsured help
line providing health care options advice
in English and Spanish.
“Each of these is designed for a
42 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
“All the time, greater numbers of major corpora-tions are demanding thatthey and their partnersmake use of diverse suppliers. The concept isout there.”
Brenda Burke
Director, Supplier
Diversity
WellPoint, Inc.
Special Feature WellPoint
different set of users,” Dr. Morales
explains. “But the overall goal is the same:
to help people determine whether they
qualify for state-supported health insur-
ance or whether they can afford to buy
into a commercial program. Once they
have the answer, they can start making
decisions about how to take care of
themselves and their families.”
He notes that WellPoint deliberately
does not promote its own programs
through these vehicles.
“At this level, we’re really trying to
help people understand the system, to
appreciate the kinds of options available
to them,” Dr. Morales indicates.
“Because many people really don’t know
that they have choices at all.”
Relieving the burden on the ER
Emergency rooms offer a clear illus-
tration of this fact. Significant numbers
of people without health coverage—or
who lack a clear understanding of the
health care system—turn to the ER for
basic medical care. This increases wait
times, raises overall system costs, and
ultimately has a negative impact on the
quality of care people receive.
WellPoint is currently reaching out
to the 230,000 people who live within
the L.A. Housing Authority, circulating a
Spanish/English educational comic book
by celebrated cartoonist and radio host
Martha Montoya. The book’s message is
that everyone should find and depend on
a primary medical caregiver.
“The point of it is this: You need to
have a doctor you can go to for routine
medical issues,” says Dr. Morales.
“Reserve the emergency room for true
emergencies.”
WellPoint works with business
partners and policy makers to control the
costs of health coverage by providing
educational materials that help parents
and children learn about the simple,
healthy habits they can cultivate to
prevent illness and injuries. These range
across issues from childhood obesity and
physical fitness to smoking cessation
for teens.
Building bridgesWellPoint is also partnering with
the American College of Physicians
Foundation to produce a white paper
advocating for the standardization of
prescriptions across the United States.
The goal is to reduce medical errors and
improve outcomes. Dr. Morales cites a
simple but compelling example to illus-
“Our goal is to help children and families who are
uninsured acquire quality medical insurance coverage.
Our commitment is to help children and families navigate
public and private health care insurance options in a
language they understand and lead a healthy life.”
Ray Morales, MD
Director of Social
Investment Programs
WellPoint, Inc.
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006 43
Larry C. Glasscock WellPoint
44 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
trate why this is necessary.
“You might have a prescription
that calls for a particular medicine to
be taken once a day,” he says. “The
word ‘once’ in English means one
time. The same word in Spanish
means eleven. Obviously, all sorts of
confusion can arise from something as
simple as that.”
In addition, WellPoint is partici-
pating in efforts to encourage medical
students to become primary caregivers
rather than specialists—filling a need
that grows greater every year. The
company works with the Association
of Family Physicians to have medical
students spend time in rural areas
shadowing primary caregivers, and
hopefully to gain a sense of the need
and the rewards of working in a
diverse community.
On a similar front, the company
recently donated $1 million to a
collective of the California Latino
Medical Association, the National
Association of Hispanic Nurses, LINC
Telacu, and the Hospitals Association
of Southern California to address the
shortage of nurses within the Latino
community.
“The bottom line is that, from a
diversity perspective, we’ve aligned our
social-investment resources with our
business objectives to achieve the
greatest possible impact on health-
related social issues. It’s part of our
broader mandate as a company, and
I for one am extremely proud to be
part of it,” said Dr. Morales.
Looking forward
To a future in which
diversity management
is the norm
WellPoint is well positioned to
lead the way with respect to diversity
management. People are its business,
after all, and making diversity a priority
within the company will ultimately
enable WellPoint to better reflect the
diversity of the markets it serves.
What seems clear from the com-
pany’s experience to date is that the best
way to implement diversity strategies is
to fully and fundamentally internalize
them: to treat diversity management as
a standard business practice. By embed-
ding diversity values and management
approaches directly into its new
corporate culture, WellPoint has done
exactly this.
As David Casey, vice president of
Diversity and Workplace Culture,
sums up: “We’re looking forward to a
time when diversity management is
the norm throughout corporate
America. We’re proud to be in a position
to help lead the way in that regard, to
show how you can take action on diver-
sity and improve the vitality of your
company—creatively and competitively—
as a result.”
“We’ve aligned our social-
investment resources with our
business objectives to achieve the
greatest possible impact on health-
related social issues. It’s part of our
broader mandate as a company, and
I for one am extremely proud to be
part of it.”—Dr. Ray Morales
PDJPDJ
48 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
Waste Management, Inc. (WMI)provides integrated wasteservices in North America.
Through subsidiaries, the company pro-vides collection, transfer, recycling andresource recovery, and disposal services.Waste Management also develops, operatesand owns waste-to-energy facilities in theUnited States.
The company ranks 168th onFortune’s Top 500 list for 2004 with totalrevenue of $13.07 billion and nearly$21.1 billion in assets.
Its almost 100 renewable energyprojects produce enough electricity topower more than 800,000 homes andsave the equivalent of 8.2 million barrelsof oil a year.
Waste Management Recycle America(WMRA) is North America’s largest recy-cler, handling 5 million tons of com-modities each year, saving more than 26 million trees in newspaper recyclingalone.
The company’s landfills providemore than 16,000 acres of protected landfor wildlife.
About D&I at Waste ManagementPlease give your definition of diversity, of inclusion.We embrace diversity and inclusion astwo sides of the same coin. We’re practicalpeople at Waste Management, so ourteam doesn’t split hairs about these.Together, they mean that our people, atevery level and location, are always treatedwith dignity and respect. And that the
Waste Management work environ-ment constantly improves at encour-aging, allowing and rewarding eachperson to contribute optimally totheir own and our business’ success.
Tell us about your company’sglobal presence: numbers ofemployees, international businesses/branches, marketshare, potential: Waste Management, Inc.’s operations—in the United States, Canada and PuertoRico—consist of 431 collection operations, 381 transfer stations, 286active landfill disposal sites, 17 waste-to-energy plants, 119 recycling plants,and 90 beneficial-use landfill gas projects.Our 52,000 employees deliver excellentservice to nearly 22 million customers.
What are the components of yourcompany’s approach to the globalworkplace? The global marketplace? Is overall D&I management largely U.S.-based or present throughout theworldwide organization?We embrace a global philosophy at the local level. Even though WasteManagement is a North American companywe consciously approach our work knowing that our business universe isextremely diverse. In any of our markets,you’ll encounter several languages, several distinct cultures and value sets. Both ourcustomers and our employees come fromthese environments. So the sensitivityand understanding our leaders must haveare extraordinary. This is the view weinstill in our leadership team.
In today’s marketplace, does yourcompany have any particular challenges to selling or producingyour products/delivering services?Absolutely. We succeed only by beingsensitive and responsive to people, community, and social issues. That’s ourdaily challenge, and it’s a big one. Ourissues touch on environmental responsi-bility—landfills, recycling, and the like.Not only does everyone have an opinion,but there are layers of laws and regula-tions that guide what we do.
And our business networks crossNorth America, with some 21-millioncustomers in diverse communities spreadout across the landscape.
People in Waste Management uniforms and vehicles make a visual andphysical statement about us each andevery day. We want every one of thoseimpressions to be ethically sound, positive for the company, and satisfyingto our customers. That really is our substantial challenge. To our greatadvantage, our profile in the communityis solidly diverse. We reflect in most waysthe customer bases we serve.
Inside Waste Management, Inc.
Carlton Yearwood—vice president of human resources, business
ethics and chief diversity officer—takes us into the culture of Waste
Management and describes the company’s deep-rooted commitment
to diversity at every level. If you think this Marine isn’t serious,
think again.
Interview Carlton Yearwood Waste Management
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006 49
What challenges do you face with hiring and retaining good people?Getting and keeping top talent is ourhighest goal; it’s also our biggest challenge. You know, all businesses arecompeting for the same human capital no matter what the industry. Successdepends on using every innovative business tool we have.
We target the best people in each ofthe communities we serve. Wherever wedo business, our goal is to be considereda neighborhood business. That’s an assetfor us—people think of us as a home-town choice. But that fact also places achallenge squarely in front of us: Wemust stay tuned in to the communitieswe serve. We need to anticipate how anyarea may change and forecast that rippling through the available workforce.
We’ve also found that our associationwith NASCAR on diversity and brandingactivities has delivered benefits on thepeople side as well. In reaching out tominority audiences—women, African-Americans and Hispanics—our motor-sports initiatives introduce us as a positivecompany to important segments whomay not have considered us as a place
to work. And we find that these sameactivities elevate us in the eyes of peoplewho already work here.
How does a company as young/established/fast-growing/ fast-changing as yours keep up with diversity development throughout the organization?Communicate clearly. Talk frequently.Follow through tirelessly. Especially in abusiness like ours, with many issues competing for attention, it’s essential forpeople to know your diversity agenda.Our message about diversity is clear andsimple. We talk about it frequently sopeople know it and embrace it. And wereinforce it constantly.
Are there unique opportunities inyour particular industry for imple-menting diversity programs?Our industry has great opportunities forthoughtful diversity programs to make adifference. Our business geographycounts more than 1300 locations wherewe operate truly as a neighborhood business. Our close to 52,000 employeesinteract with not only clients and customers, but also with their ownvibrant networks of friends, family, andrelations. These connections drive deeplyinto the foundations of local communi-ties. So our diversity successes quickly arereflected in the full fabric of communitylife. It may be quite obvious, like ourspending with local minority suppliersand our payroll contributing to localeconomies. And it can be less visible, too,like our contributions to improving thequality of life.
Do international issues ever get inthe way of corporate support fordiversity objectives and processes?What kinds of strategies does the company employ in dealing with them?International boundaries and varying
cross-cultural perspectives magnify differ-ences, so core values and behaviors needto be constant. So we are solid—as aleadership team and as a company—around the fundamental understandingsof our business. That means that any-where in our operating territory—any-where in North America—we treat peoplewith dignity and respect, we encourageeach to contribute to his or her fullpotential, and we do everything underour Code of Ethics.
Do you have any examples of howtapping employee diversity has yieldedsignificant product or profit break-throughs? Inter-business synergies?We manage diversity as a strategic tool to directly affect our stakeholders. Ourkey groups are customers, employees,environment, community, and shareholders.We see diversity as an important, activelymanaged agent to reach corporate objectives. That mindset is from the topdown as well as from the bottom up.
Corporate LeadershipCan you give us a specific example of your company's leadership commitment to diversity? Whatresources (financial and manpower)are allocated on diversity? Waste Management’s diversity commit-ment is clear with our leadership profile.Five positions on our top leadership teamare held by people of diverse back-grounds. I’m absolutely proud to be partof that. But I’m energized even more inknowing that my company has a philoso-phy of bringing the best people possibleto every job. That will inevitably promote diverse individuals into the mostchallenging work.
My own department is a good casestudy. When I came to WM about threeyears ago, I had the charge to build thediversity and inclusion effort. Today, ourgroup numbers close to ten people, each
Interview Carlton Yearwood Waste Management
50 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
dedicated to pursuing an important partof our overall work.
What qualities do you look for whenhiring management? How do youmeasure attitudes or assess theirpast performance in diversity/inclusion?We look for people who anticipate as wellas adapt. Managers who are fluid andflexible in style, decisions and perform-ance jump out of the pack. They’re thekind of people we need today. The paceof change is astoundingly quick. Theentire operating approach to business canalter seemingly overnight. So individualswho take well to these situations do best.
And we probe intelligently aboutevery person’s commitment to diversityand inclusion. Besides the usual due diligence reference checks, a face-to-faceinterview quickly tells you the substanceof a person. Every key person we hirealways talks to several of us first.
Is diversity a linked/compensableannual objective for the executivemanagement team? How do youreward special initiatives? Whataccountability do you employ to meet objectives?If you want performance, pay for it. Ifyou want a result, measure it. We doboth for diversity and inclusion at WasteManagement. As part of an overall annualevaluation that affects compensation,every leader is accountable for objectiveshe or she sets related to progress on diver-sity. We have a rigorous measurementprogram in place called the Ethics andDiversity Inclusion Indicator that clearlylays out results for our executives. And Ipersonally present quarterly summaries ofour progress or or lack of it to our leadersand corporate governance group.
How does your organization dealwith/train for cross-cultural competencies for its leadership? Waste Management leaders live andbreathe diversity and inclusion. We
have workshops and retreats designedspecifically to bring our leaders together.We examine our progress, and test ourthinking. But more than anything, ourleadership team shapes their ideas andperceptions by sharing time with employees.We do a lot of walking around our facilities and sites, meeting people, talking with them, understanding theirpoints of view.
Do you create and maintain management continuity rosters for promotable individuals? How do you ensure diversity candidatesare included? Harnessing succession planning is essential;it’s a key change agent. What we’ve donerecently is to identify promotable, talentedindividuals early in their career path.That’s in line with WM’s culture whereevery person contributes fully and to hisor her highest potential. We review needsand candidates carefully. There can beintervention if somehow diversity andinclusion goals are left wanting—just asattention goes to any business objectivethat may fall short.
Can you give us an example of a program getting “off track,” and whatdid you learn from that experience?Our diversity metric took longer than Iwould have expected or liked to get traction.What the team and I learned from that isthat people weren’t really getting the connection to the business. Everyonebelieved measuring our performance indiversity and ethics was critical, but thedashboard we developed defined diversityand ethics in a broader way, which leftpeople a little confused about what wewere trying to do. I cannot over empha-size the importance of communicationand never assuming people understandyour good intentions and hard work.
How are decisions about diversity made in your organization? Is there a diversitycouncil and who is on it?
Our leadership team models the behaviorwe want for diversity and inclusion.Their actions are a beacon for the wholecompany. Waste Management leaders arecontinually involved in diversity issues. I spend a good portion of my time personally explaining, presenting—andeven defending—what paths the companyshould take. This constant interaction ata significant level is important.
But the backbone of our effort is anetwork of diversity councils that arealigned with each of our operating units,a total of eight. Through these we engageand enroll our 52,000 employees indiversity and inclusion matters. Thecouncils are in touch with employees andlocal communities and surface thoseissues which are affecting life and busi-ness at the personal level. Each councilsets its own agenda, with some overallcorporate guidelines in place, of course.
What makes you confident that youand your team have developedmomentum for the organization inthe right direction? What is the visionfor the company in five years?We keep getting more work! And goodpeople are staying here. We are invited toparticipate in more decisions, to helpother parts of the WM organization usediversity as a way to improve. I’d saythat’s validation at the ground level, andit is, frankly, very gratifying to see. AsHuman Resources leader, I also noticethat our workforce is changing, that it isbecoming more visibly diverse.
That’s a real payoff to our efforts.We hope to do more of the same in theyears ahead, making Waste Managementa recognized and awarded leader.
Employee InclusivenessHow does your company gauge inclusion of employees? What are the tests, measurements and bench-marks that indicate where the company is on the inclusion graph?
Interview Carlton Yearwood Waste Management
Personal Profile Carlton Yearwood Waste Management
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006 51
Carlton YearwoodTitle, Company:Vice President, Human Resources, Business Ethics and Chief Diversity Officer,Waste Management, Inc.
In Current Position: About three years.
Education:I went directly from my high school graduation into the Marine Corps. Thatwas a full education in itself! On returning, I majored in business and inner-city studies at the City University of New York. Then I moved into on-the-joblearning full-time.
First Job:My first job was actually in teaching. I taught classes about government toboth high school students and other teachers. The perspective you have as ateacher—that there’s something to shine in every person—is something Icarry with me even today.
Philosophy:Make the most of your opportunities . . . clear and simple. Life brings only so many chances to move ahead. Some you makehappen yourself, others come by other avenues. But jump at every opening to make a difference, to move toward new horizons.Sure, there’s often discomfort involved. You move from a secure, safe, and recognized position to someplace where you need toprove yourself again. That’s how you grow, both as a person and as a contributor.
What I’m Reading: Frankly, mostly Blackberry messages! But I do like to keep pages open on a couple of books at any one time. One popular business tome I’d recommend is The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman. It’s an eye-opener about the impacts of global diversityon everything we do. Another is The Art of the Strategist, by Bill Cohen, who’s a retired Air Force major general. Good directionon creating objectives and achieving them.
Family:My family is my refuge, my inspiration and cements me to what’s real. Like a lot of people in my position, I’m on the road a lot.And my wife is professionally active in her career, too. So we make time almost every day to talk about the binding connectionsin our lives. These days, it mostly means chatting about the adventures of our daughter as she ladders up through school. Butboth our families are blessed with colorful relatives, so we always have “Guess what Auntie did last week” stories to share.
Interests:I find being near water both invigorating and calming at the same time. I know, it’s a paradox. So sailing is high up on my free-time list. We enjoy doing it as a family. We also find foreign travel a good investment of our time. It’s fraught with hassle,but visiting another country is simply not like reading about it. Usually, you learn more on the cab ride from the airport than from any textbook or travel guide. And I do enjoy food, both eating and cooking. Unfortunately, that also demands becoming aregular at our local work-out club.
Childhood Hero:I put Vince Lombardi on a pedestal when I was growing up; he’s still there for me now. He possessed a unique collection of traitsin building teams, motivating performance and winning challenges. That’s really a lot about what we do both in business, andback at home.
Favorite Game:Well, with a legendary coach as a hero, it shouldn’t be surprising that I do like to catch a professional football game on TV when-ever I can. I'll admit to being a Monday Night Football junkie.
Lunch Guest:Colin Powell would be my hope for a dream table companion. Imagine spending two hours or so with this gentleman where hecould share informal stories about these recent years of history, even if he’d have to leave out many names! In a time when somany public leaders are stained by their own personal choices, he stands out for being honest to himself, his friends and family,and his country.
“Best” Film/Art:Our household enjoys art in its many forms, but I’m no artist, for sure. Both the Museum of Contemporary Art and the SamuelAkainyah art gallery are located in Chicago. They both have wonderful multicultural collections, and both indoor and outdoorexhibits. Every visit there we find some artwork that challenges our senses or perceptions. To attend an unveiling at AkainyahGallery is a history lesson, an art appreciation lesson, and a draw on your emotions. They are all indescribable and unique.
Our managers have precise, measured,and comparable information about diversity.An important tool we’ve developed is theEthics and Diversity Inclusion Indicator.It gives our managers—and our leaders—specific insights about their progress inkey diversity, inclusion and ethics dimen-sions. Our people understand it becausewe talk about the same things—the samesix specific measures—at every point inour company, from the board room tooperating sites. It really helps our peopleunderstand the complex web of relation-ships that is the basis for all that we do.
Yet, sometimes diversity is referredto as a “numbers game.” How doesyour company know its culture is notjust tied up in numbers? How do thehuman stories circulate in-house andhow do you celebrate success?Numbers can be great, but negative“buzz” stops things dead. So we take careto grow our diversity and inclusion culture on solid perception, good communication, and positive motivation.I interact personally with as many peopleas I possibly can—at all levels. Believeme, people jump at the chance to tell yousomething’s not right. Or to complimentan effort that’s going well. I encourageeveryone on my staff to get networked inthe same way, to get involved with other
employees everywhere. And on occasion,we bring people together around anevent. We put together a Minority andWomen Network Conference a shorttime ago—the first ever company-widegathering. The feedback was great! It elevated our work, and people started tothink about how our work could helpthem do their job. That’s perfect.
Are employees more involved in thecompany than they were two yearsago? In what ways?Everything we do is designed to engageour people around diversity in thoughtfulways. In the years I’ve managed the function, we’ve elevated diversity andinclusion substantially. We have best-in-class programs that involve peoplemeaningfully in activities that relate totheir work and life. Our people reach outto partners nationally and locally, becoming players in decisions beyond ourbusiness walls.
How are their opinions solicited andvalued? Do you have an employeesuggestion box system, and whomonitors and responds?People’s voices need to be heard, so weencourage it. We look first to ourIntegrity Help Line. It’s a component ofour Ethics and Diversity Indicator
process, and an immediate gauge as toany ‘hot spots’ in the company. We alsohave a new employee idea program calledWMIdea XChange that helps drive collaboration deeper into the organiza-tion—all the way to the front line. Ourcorporate culture is an open-door onethat encourages people to simply walk-inand talk. That’s what generates honest com-munication and ideas that we can act on.
Have you encountered/how do youdeal with those who perceive inclu-sion programs for underrepresentedgroups as being exclusionary for others?When your top focus is encouraging success, people don’t undermine that.We really don’t encounter much of thisnay-saying about our work. And I believethat’s because the benefits are obviousand relevant to our company and people.
Please describe your method for orienting new hires into your culture,for enriching employees’ awarenessor introducing new issues.My job is as much about orienting thecompany to cultural diversity in our markets as it is about successfully includingpeople from our markets in the business.It’s a two-way proposition. To build
52 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
Interview Carlton Yearwood Waste Management
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006 53
employees’ awareness of our culture,we’ve developed materials and trainingthat acquaint them with behavior expec-tations. We rely to a good degree on ourpublished Code of Conduct, which ourgroup reviewed and reissued a short timeago. We have an orientation modulefocused just on it, for example. But weexpect new people to bring into the com-pany new perspectives and approachesthat will help us evolve organizationallyinto an ever-improving business.
Can you name specific ways yourcompany supports upward develop-ment toward management positions? We support people challenging them-selves personally and professionally. Wehave a system—both formal and informal—that encourages people at every posi-tion within Waste Management to seekcontinual improvement. Besides havingjob postings and internal job fairs, ourannual review process builds in ways toassess training that people want and needand to recommend moves in the organi-zation that would build a person’s skill set.
How does the company includewomen and minority employees intothe fabric of the organization?Women and minorities weave into ourcorporate fabric through performance,
contribution, and teamwork—like every-one else. Our culture encourages everyemployee to grow, and we take everyeffort to make that philosophy work. Wedo help in a number of ways. One is by encouraging formal and informal networking where people can learn fromothers, develop mentoring relationships,and get on the road to acquiring the personal tools each needs for success.
Supplier/Community/CustomersWhat is the company’s commitmentto minority suppliers?Waste Management’s Supplier DiversityProgram is sound strategic business. Ithelps us and our partners grow. We havea future goal of a ten percent spend ratewith these firms. We’re not there yet, butwe are making progress each quarter.
How do you educate/promote diversityand inclusion for vendors, customers,or the general public?Outreach is not enough for supplierdiversity; you need to nurture these busi-nesses as potential partners. So beyondthe usual initiatives like vendor validationand Web site sign-up, a key element inour Supplier Diversity Program is our
topline approach: We look at how diversesuppliers might help us maximize ourown business opportunities. This means,then, that we work closely with firms.We show them how to work with us,where they may need to improve productand process. And, for some, we evenmutually agree to a timeline with somebenchmark achievement targets.
Executive-ProfessionalProfileWhere does your personal belief indiversity and inclusion come from:who were your role models, or wasthere a pivotal experience thathelped shape your view?My commitment is simply a big part ofwho I am. I can’t say that I’ve experi-enced any singularly defining momentsabout diversity and inclusion. But I’mboth an involved participant and an acuteobserver of all that’s gone on in businessdiversity for close to 30 years. I’ll say thatat the core I have strong values aboutequality, worth, and opportunity. Butevery day brings circumstances that testthose beliefs in varying and sometimesunique ways.
How did you get to your present position? What was your career path?
Interview Carlton Yearwood Waste Management
Carlton Yearwood with team members
Dawn Ripley, senior manager corporate staffing,
and Derrick Hanilton, director strategic staffing.
54 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
My path to this position came from othergood jobs at other excellent businesses,Allstate and PriceWaterhouseCoopers.At both of those companies, I manageddiversity groups and activities. The expe-riences were all gratifying, rewarding, andcertainly challenging. I use what Ilearned in those earlier jobs every day.When the position at Waste Managementwas offered to me, I accepted because itseemed to be both a cultural fit, and onein which I could contribute significantly.
Who were/are your mentors? Whatabout their business skill or styleinfluenced you? How did they help inyour professional and personal life?Are you mentoring anyone today?Without hesitation, my Mom had thegreatest effect on my life in a lot of ways,and that’s saying something from an ex-Marine. Not that my Mom ran aboot-camp at home. Not at all. Shealways encouraged me to push myself, tomake the most of my ability. She instilleda value system of what’s clearly right andwhat’s clearly wrong. And that workinghard is just fine. I remember telling mymother one morning, in an attempt toskip school, that my back hurt. Her
response was I didn’t have a back, that I only had gristle back there, that onlypeople who worked had a back. I remem-ber that as if it was yesterday. What shewas telling me is that working hard buildscharacter and strength.
What business books or journals doyou read regularly or recommend for aspiring leaders?Profiles in Diversity Journal, for sure! It’simportant to stay on top of things inbusiness, the profession and your indus-try—whatever it may be. So the rightmix of periodicals is going to vary, butHarvard Business Review and Fortune orBusiness Week should be part of the must-reads every issue. A good book I’d rec-ommend right now is The World Is Flatby Thomas Friedman. It’s an eye-openerabout the effects of global diversity.
I also love How to Think LikeLeonard Da Vinci by Michael J. Gelb. It isabout finding and unleashing one’s owngenius. I think it is great. Most recently,I have been recommending The MediciEffect by Frans Johansson. We are puttingthis on our reading list for diversity councils.It is an excellent piece on diversity andinnovation.
How would you describe your concept and style of leadership?Think boldly, commit personally and actaccountably. Diversity needs to moveahead with agendas larger than the tradi-tional. Most often, you can do this yourself.So do so. And then stand by the results.
What are your specific responsibilitiesfor advancing diversity and inclusionin your organization? What are thestrategies you employ to move inclusion forward?It’s important to create ways that leadersand managers can personalize diversityand inclusion. That means bringingactivity to a level that individuals canrelate to and implement. So our processesat Waste Management place a premiumon finding ways to engage people in whatwe’re doing, and then to enroll them as individuals who can change things for the better.
Have you any “mottos” to rally yourteam regarding D&I?Look your work in the eye every morning.
Interview Carlton Yearwood Waste Management
Carlton Yearwood and Steve Neff (left),
vice president, strategic business
development, collaborate
on marketing programs that
ensure continued commitment
to the company’s diversity
and inclusion efforts.
56 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
How have you modeled your company’sdiversity and inclusion initiatives in your own team selection, management or development?You do have to “walk the talk.” It’s essen-tial that leaders model behaviors youwant the organization to have. So, yes,I’ve taken that into mind when staffingmy team. Everyone who works on thediversity and inclusion group is a bigevangelist for our philosophy, both inword and action.
How are you as a manager measuredin terms of performance? Is your compensation related to diversityperformance?We measure for results and pay for them.Like everyone else at Waste Management,my performance is measured against veryspecific objectives. And my compensa-
tion is based on those results. That’s whyyou need to develop a process that buildsconfidence. We’ve done that.
What has been your proudest momentas leader in this company?I hope I haven’t experienced my proudestmoment yet. I want to believe that mynext contribution to leadership is goingto be my best.
Are there particular areas or employee sectors you feel stillneed improvement?Every organization should improve constantly. We take that to heart atWaste Management. I recently spenttime with our employees in New Orleans,dealing with the many needs there fromHurricane Katrina. I was overwhelmedwith the generosity, good will, and easy
communication. Those are traits I wantto extend more earnestly throughout ourcompany’s diversity and inclusion work. I’llfind a way.
Do you have any words of advice toanyone who wants to rise in theirorganization? What do you say topeople you mentor?Believe in yourself and in your potentialto change yourself and to make changehappen. Good things happen in businesswhen people have an idea, commit to it,and then make it a reality. There’s a wealth of meaningful diversity andinclusion activity that has preceded you.Build on it. Improve it. Use it as athoughtful legacy to launch yourself.
Interview Carlton Yearwood Waste Management
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58 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
JOHN M. BELL VERIZON
WILLIE BROWN STATE FARM INSURANCE
JOHN C. COMPTON QUAKER-TROPICANA-GATORADE,
A DIVISION OF PEPSICO
DONALD DUGGAN BANK OF THE WEST
MONICA E. EMERSON DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION
EMERSON U. FULLWOOD XEROX CORPORATION
ALBERT L. GAYLOR SYSCO CORPORATION
GLORIA JOHNSON GOINS THE HOME DEPOT
TIANE MITCHELL GORDON AMERICA ONLINE, INC.
BOB HAGANS JR. AARP
KEVIN N. HILL EXCELLUS BLUECROSS BLUESHIELD
TERRY HOWARD TEXAS INSTRUMENTS
GERALD JOHNSON GENERAL MOTORS
MARCIA JOHNSON SOUTHERN CO.
EVON JONES BAUSCH & LOMB
LEE KARBOWSKI NORTHROP GRUMMAN
PAUL D. MCKINNON DELL INC.
BRENDA J. MULLINS AFLAC WORLD HEADQUARTERS
D. ERIC POGUE AMERICAN RED CROSS
GEORGE PYNE NASCAR
STEPHEN W. ROCHON U.S. COAST GUARD
SONYA V. STEWART LOCKHEED MARTIN
KAREN D. TAYLOR RELIANT ENERGY, INC.
MICHAEL A. WATSON NEW YORK LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
SHEILA W. WELLINGTON NEW YORK UNIVERSITY,
LEONARD N. STERN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
ANISE D. WILEY-LITTLE ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 200 59
60 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
Bob Hagans Jr.CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICERAARP
During Black History Month,I look for inspiration to
leaders who develop their ownpath where no path exists; whomaintain their integrity andresilience in the midst of adver-sity and obstacles; and who havetrue vision for our future. Of thethree leaders who immediatelycome to mind, two are well-known to everyone—NelsonMandela and General Colin Powell.
The third, Robert Randall, isnot familiar to most people, but he has had a profound effect onmy life and leadership style. Born in 1922, he graduated first inhis high school class and was awarded a four-year scholarship toYale University, where he was the only African American in hisclass. The support of his family and community made it possiblefor him to endure racism. He graduated with a bachelor’s degreein mathematics and became an officer in the Air Force with thefamous 99th Squadron in Tuskegee, Alabama.
Mr. Randall returned to civilian life and in 1952 became thefirst African-American actuary in the United States and the firstAfrican American to achieve the status of Fellow with the Societyof Actuaries. He was the first African-American employee ofMutual Life Insurance Company of New York, a vice presidentand actuary of the Equitable Life Insurance Society, and he founded and served as the first president of Intra-American LifeInsurance Company of New York. There are as many as 100African-American actuaries today in the United States and Mr.Randall was truly a trailblazer for them all.
Brenda J. MullinsSECOND VICE PRESIDENT,HUMAN RESOURCES, DIVERSITY OFFICERAFLAC WORLD HEADQUARTERS
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influ-
ential visionaries of the 20th century. He dreamed of an Americawhere equality existed for everyone.At Aflac, our commitment todiversity reflects Dr. King’s dream.
As our nation prepares to celebrate Black History Month, Aflacrecognizes the significant contributions that African Americanshave made to corporate America. We’re ever mindful and supportive of the efforts of Dr. King and others who paved theway for justice and equality.
Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos is the 2004 recipient ofthe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Award presented annually atthe MLK Unity Breakfast held at the Columbus Convention andTrade Center in Georgia. In accepting the award Dan Amos said,“We must always remember the magnitude of Dr. King’s contribution to this country.”
In January 2005, Aflac announced a $1 million gift to theMartin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation toconstruct a memorial commemorating Dr. King’s life and work.To preserve the rich heritage and culture of African Americans,Aflac presented a $1 million check in June 2005 to the NationalMuseum of African American History and Culture, which will belocated on or near the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Anise D. Wiley-Little DIRECTOR, DIVERSITY ANDWORK LIFE ALLSTATE INSURANCECOMPANY
As a black woman in corpo-rate America, I have choices
and opportunities that did notprevail in my parents’ generation.Many strong black Americans
have paved the way for me to reach as far as I desire. This freedomof opportunity and choice allows me and my husband to set thetone for the freedom of choice for our son and daughter. They arelimited only by the choices they make and not by those makingchoices for them. I remind my children that black history shouldbe celebrated each and every day that they wake up in a freeAmerica and make a choice about how they live their lives.
There are many African Americans to admire who have stoodstrong to share their art, vocal abilities, business skills and numerous other talents. I cherish each of them for giving me whatI have today. But, most of all, I admire my father, a finance executive, who never allowed me not to achieve because of mygender or the color of my skin—a man who grew up at a timewhen the Little Rock Nine stood up to the burning lights of themedia cameras and the jeers and taunting of those not wantingthem to have equal opportunity through education.
MFHA 10THANNIVERSARYCONFERENCECELEBRATE A DECADE OF DIVERSITY
1996 • Gerry Fernandez, a General Mills executive, gathers 17 companies to form an organization dedicated to the advancement of people of color in the industry
1997 • Magaly Penn, formerly of Denny’s, named MFHA’s first Chair
1998 • MFHA hosts its inaugural National Conference in Atlanta
1999 • First Diverse Supplier Directory published for the foodservice and hospitality industry
2000 • Showcase of the Stars™, an industry career exploration program for students, launched in Chicago
2001 • The Coca-Cola Company and Nation’s Restaurant News pilot a Benchmark Survey of Diversity Practices
2002 • Joe Lee, Chairman & CEO of Darden Restaurants, wins the Ernest H. Royal Pioneer Award
2003 • Alice Elliot, CEO of the Elliot Group, chairs CEO Panel at MFHA’s inaugural Symposium in Dallas
2004 • Bill Groux, CEO of Retention Education, launches Sed de Saber (electronic ESL kit) at MFHA’s national conference in Washinton DC
2005 • Pat Harris of McDonald's passes the torch of leadership to incoming Chair Catalina Ganis of The Elliot Group
2006 • Celebration of the 10th Anniversary Conference
For more information visit www.mfha.net
AUGUST 6-8, 2006 • HYATT REGENCY • BOSTON, MA
62 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
D. Eric Pogue SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT,HUMAN RESOURCES,CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICERAMERICAN RED CROSS
The advent of Black HistoryMonth 2006 highlights the
opportunity to reflect on the contributions of those whohelped bring us this far. The list
of leaders from all walks of life is long and continues to growbecause of the actions of those who have gone before us.
One of the things I particularly enjoy doing is spotlighting theaccomplishments of selected leaders with my college-age son. Partof the significance of this month for me is to identify these rolemodels to my son as examples of the limitless possibilities of careers he ultimately may choose. I point to contemporaryleaders, such as Ken Chenault from the private sector and BarackObama from the political arena. At the same time, I like to talkabout Ossie Davis from the entertainment industry and Dr.Charles Drew from the medical field. This is how we emphasizehistory and pave the way for ever greater developments.
Tiane Mitchell GordonVICE PRESIDENT, OFFICE OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIONAMERICA ONLINE, INC.
In the 50 years that I’ve beenon this planet, I’ve seen a lot
of change. That change hascome because there are peoplewho put stakes in the ground.During Black History Monthand throughout the year I askmyself, “Am I living a life worthyof the sacrifices that others havemade before me?”
One leader I emulate is MaryMcLeod Bethune, the educatorwho founded Bethune-
Cookman College. The youngest of 17 children born to formerslaves, she devoted her life to ensuring education for blackAmericans—particularly African-American girls in the South. Awoman of grace and deep faith, Mary Bethune overcame greatchallenges to improve the lives of others. She spoke at my mother’shigh school graduation and this ignited my mother’s own passion
about education. My parents almost named me Mary Bethuneso that her spirit of service would be with me. It is anyway.
Donald DugganEXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENTAND CHIEF TECHNOLOGYOFFICERBANK OF THE WEST
Many African-Americanshave had a profound
impact on our society, and it’simportant for us to remembertheir contributions. Despite all
of the challenges and obstacles that they encountered, theyremained committed to their goals for social change and equality.Let us make sure that we’re providing role models and successstories for our children. It’s important for them to know that thecolor of their skin should not impede their ability to set andreach goals and to be successful in life.
We also must continue to push for equality in the workplace.Individuals should be judged on their contributions to theirorganizations and not by the color of their skin, their nationalityor their gender. Our society should strive to display the samestrength, commitment and patience that Dr. Martin Luther KingJr. showed during his campaign for equality for all people.
Evon JonesCIOBAUSCH & LOMB
The contributions of AfricanAmericans are present every
day of the year. Black HistoryMonth reminds us to pause andconsciously reflect on our historyand contributions to society.
This year marked the passingof Rosa Parks, an ordinary person who made an extraordinarydifference, bringing to the forefront of our consciousness theimpact that one individual can have on an entire society. Sheacted on what she believed. The lesson here is that we all canmake a difference regardless of who we are.
U.S. dignitaries such as Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice,the former and current secretary of state, demonstrate the
64 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
influence African Americans can have on the world stage. Theymotivate us to achieve, and they confirm that we can.
The field of African-American leaders is vast and rich. I try toemulate a little of the greatness of each—from the leadership ofDr. Martin Luther King Jr. to the focus and determination ofMarcus Garvey.
During Black History Month, I spend time educating mychildren about our rich history and contributions. It’s importantfor them to know about the journey taken, not only by African-Americans, but also by society as a whole, to get us where we arenow. Black History Month reminds us of how far we’ve comeand how much we can contribute going forward.
Monica E. EmersonEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,CORPORATE DIVERSITY OFFICEDAIMLERCHRYSLERCORPORATION
Love is the only force capableof transforming an enemy
into a friend,” Dr. MartinLuther King Jr. once said.These few words strung together
so eloquently form a prophetic statement.Dr. King’s contribution to society symbolizes what can be
accomplished with one person’s determination. He courageouslyled the cause for civil and human rights driven not by hate forthose who lacked understanding, but by his unquestionable lovefor all people, regardless of difference.
Black History Month is a time to focus and reflect on the contributions that all Americans have made to shape our nation’srich history. Individuals and groups—all with different back-grounds but working together—have produced amazing inventions, great technological advances, and extraordinary featsof accomplishment.
Dr. King’s principles exemplify the level of cooperation andunderstanding that is needed to succeed not just in business, butin society as well. His work has inspired me to lead by exampleand leave a legacy built upon the foundations of community thatI can call my own.
Paul D. McKinnonSENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCESDELL INC.
Dell’s commitment to diversity is integral to our
corporate values year-round.However, we are especiallymindful of the importance ofour diverse workforce, suppliers,customers and community part-ners when we celebrate MartinLuther King Jr. Day and BlackHistory Month.
By continuing to drive diver-sity initiatives throughout Dell,we unleash each individual’s full
potential, provide a superior customer experience, tap the bestand brightest talent, improve operating results, become a betterplace to work and further our global citizenship efforts in themany cultures we call home.
Much of the credit for Dell’s culture of diversity and apprecia-tion for the African-American community belongs to the blackleader that I most admire, my friend and colleague, ThurmondB. Woodard, Dell’s chief ethics and compliance officer and vicepresident of global diversity. As the catalyst for diversity at Dell,Thurmond ensures that our approach to diversity is global in itsinclusion and in its respect for the many people and cultures weencounter every day through our business operations worldwide.Thurmond combines the principles of doing what’s right withdoing what’s smart business. He has galvanized our internal beliefthat in order to be a successful company and a great place towork, Dell must leverage the similarities and differences of allteam members.
This is my tribute to Thurmond and to all wonderful blackleaders who have and continue to help build the greatness of corporate America.
Kevin N. HillPRESIDENT AND CHIEFOPERATING OFFICEREXCELLUS BLUECROSSBLUESHIELD
This month we honor manyremarkable men and
women who have made ground-breaking contributions. Amongthem is General Colin Powell, avisionary who inspires me, not
“
66 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
only for his many great contributions to our country, but also forhis thought-provoking observations.
General Powell once said, “Organization doesn’t really accom-plish anything. Plans don’t accomplish anything, either. Theoriesof management don’t much matter. Endeavors succeed or failbecause of the people involved. Only by attracting the best peoplewill you accomplish great deeds.”
This principle lies at the core of Excellus BlueCrossBlueShield’s values. For us, diversity is a compelling business priority. We recognize, respect and appreciate the valuable anddifferent perspectives that each of us brings. Our goal is to createan environment that maximizes the contributions of all employeesand to make sure that diversity is woven into all of our day-to-day business practices. Treating each individual with dignity and respect is a commitment we make to our employees, ourcustomers and the communities we serve.
This month, as we celebrate the accomplishments of now familiar names and faces, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield gratefullyacknowledges the accomplishments of the heroes in our work force.
Gerald JohnsonMANUFACTURING MANAGER,CHAIR OF THE GM AFRICANANCESTRY NETWORKGENERAL MOTORS
The month of February is oneof celebration among mem-
bers of the GM African AncestryNetwork (GMAAN), one of nineinternal affinity groups formed at
General Motors to create professional development opportunitiesfor group members and to serve as an information resource to the corporation on issues that affect each constituency. Affinity groups play an important role in the success of GM as a global corporation.
GMAAN has several events planned for Black History Month.These include increasing awareness of great African Americansusing GM’s closed-circuit TV, featuring guest speakers at theLunch & Learn series, displaying African-American art, andshowcasing soul food items on cafeteria menus at participatingGM locations throughout the country. Highlights of the monthalso include an essay and coloring contest for GM employees’children and a wrap-up celebration at the Charles H. WrightMuseum of African-American History, the largest museum of itskind in the country.
Black History Month honors the African-American leaderswho have contributed to the strength of this nation. I have
always admired the strong leadership qualities of General ColinPowell, former U.S. secretary of state. His ability to lead underduress has had a great impact on my capability to face the manyopportunities and challenges in leading seven GM manufactur-ing facilities.
Gloria Johnson GoinsVICE PRESIDENT OF DIVERSITYAND INCLUSIONTHE HOME DEPOT
From a professional stand-point, Black History Month
should be a time to develop andimplement company events thatshowcase the contributionsAfrican Americans have made to
our society. In addition, it is an opportunity to bring key community leaders inside the company to share their viewpoints.Personally, I like to take this time and reflect on my accomplish-ments and then focus on the values that I want to impart to mychildren.
If there is one black leader I emulate, then I would say it isOprah Winfrey. She is a self-made success—perhaps the mostnotable television personality in our lifetime—yet her generosityto everyone she encounters is so visible and admirable.
I think it is important to commemorate black history year-round because black history is American history. There are innu-merable accomplishments by African Americans whose contribu-tions have benefited our country and the entire world. Forinstance, an African American was the first person to successfullyperform open-heart surgery. There are many facts like this onethat are not common knowledge, and it is important to have afull understanding of these significant accomplishments.
Sonya V. StewartPROGRAM DIRECTOR, GLOBALMISSION SOLUTIONS, TECHNICAL OPERATIONS LOCKHEED MARTIN
There is not one black leaderwho informs me, but
many, each at different timesand circumstances. For me, thecelebration of black history
transcends the pages of books, intellectual knowledge and specialcelebrations, as it has become a living spirit within me.
All the black leaders of yesterday and today inform and inspireme as I seek to emulate the best of each. Dr. Charles Drewinspires tenacity and dedication when the solution seems elusive.Madam C. J. Walker redirects focus onto the value of the practical coupled with creativity to enrich the bottom line.General Colin Powell and Oprah Winfrey offer a primer onretaining one’s character and values while negotiating a seat atthe table of power, influence and wealth.
I aspire to the vision of leadership, character and excellenceexhibited by my ancestors. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. articulatedthe vision for leadership in his 1957 speech, “Facing theChallenge of a New Age.” He said that we need “intelligent,courageous and dedicated leadership … leaders not in love withmoney but in love with justice; leaders not in love with publicity,but in love with humanity; leaders who can subject their particular egos to the greatness of the cause.”
By faith, I am the hope for which my ancestors lived; and byfaith, I am laying the new road over which future generationswill travel. For they are the hope for which I live today.
George PyneCHIEF OPERATING OFFICERNASCAR
NASCAR’s biggest event,the Daytona 500,
coincides with Black HistoryMonth, which allows us theopportunity to celebrate on a large stage. We use theopportunity to raise awareness
about the contributions of African Americans in NASCAR andthe opportunities that exist today for participation in the sport asprospective employees, partners or fans.
The black leaders most admired and emulated are the athleteswho have been leaders in their respective sports and in life, setting examples for all of us. First, in our own sport, WendellScott, who drove in 495 races over a 12-year career, was a pioneer and earned the respect of his fellow competitors. Earvin“Magic” Johnson, who serves with me as the co-chair of
68 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
NASCAR’s Executive Committee for Diversity, redefined theNBA, became a leader on social issues and is a remarkable busi-nessman. The others include Arthur Ashe, Frank Robinson andOzzie Newsome.
It is important to commemorate and recognize the values ofBlack History Month not only in February, but also throughoutthe year, because diversity makes our sport better and makes all ofus as a community better.
Michael A. WatsonFIRST VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSELNEW YORK LIFE INSURANCECOMPANY
Since childhood, I have alwayspaid particular attention to
programming that told the stories of famous AfricanAmericans. I was proud that
New York Life Insurance Co. was the sole sponsor last February ofthe PBS series, “Slavery and the Making of America,” which putthe notion of slavery at the epicenter of the founding of theUnited States. As author James Horton said when asked about theseries, “Slavery was no sideshow; it was the main event.”
As a lawyer, I emulate Justice Thurgood Marshall, the firstAfrican American on the U.S. Supreme Court, and his teacherCharles Hamilton Houston, who taught us to use law as a meansto social change. I live and work by Houston’s philosophy, “Alawyer who is not a social engineer is a parasite.”
I take daily inspiration from Frederick Douglass, who was borna slave and rose to become a counselor to two U.S. presidents—Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. I also admire the work ofthe Rev. Jesse Jackson, who revolutionized the American politicalscene by proving that an African American could be a crediblecandidate for the U.S. presidency.
Sheila W. WellingtonCLINICAL PROFESSOR OFMANAGEMENTNEW YORK UNIVERSITY,LEONARD N. STERN SCHOOLOF BUSINESS
Iam the least athletic person I know. I do not swim. I do
not ride a bike. I do not play
Ping-Pong. Yet, the hero that I choose for Black History Month,for any month, is Jackie Robinson.
When I was that nonathletic little girl growing up in New YorkCity, my older brother took me to a Dodgers game at EbbittsField. He told me to applaud when he did and to yell, “Yea,Jackie,” whenever he did. When the Dodgers came out on thefield, half the stadium booed and cursed and threw things ontothe field. The other half cheered. My brother and I cheered.
I got the picture of what was going on pretty fast. JackieRobinson was the one black man out there, the object of all thecommotion. I can remember that sight to this day. To my utteramazement, Jackie Robinson did nothing. He was an island ofcalm and purpose. He just played baseball.
What a feat of heroism! By not responding to the jeers in thecrowd, the petition that his fellow players circulated against him,the death threats he received in the mail, Jackie Robinson changedbaseball and began a process that changed America.
That process, of truly diversifying this nation, remains incom-plete. But for those of us who began our commitment to equalrights so long ago, it remains a challenge ignited on a baseballfield by a man who looked hatred in the face and gave us lessonsin courage and diversity.
Lee Karbowski
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY’S DIRECTOR OF WORKPLACERELATIONS AND DIVERSITYNORTHROP GRUMMAN
In light of Rosa Park’s recent pass-ing, this courageous black leader
comes to mind as one of the manyleaders I emulate. In the words ofRosa Parks, “Our mistreatment wasjust not right, and I was tired of it.”Indeed, Rosa Parks’ frustration overracial inequalities and the overalltreatment of black people sparkedthe civil rights movement, whichled the way to freedom for all. Her courage, devotion and vision
for a better America encourage the people and leaders of our organiza-tion to be inclusive and to do the right thing.
One of our company values is the inclusion of all people. We have an environment where these values are displayed byeveryone, each and every day. It is important to celebrate the legacy of Rosa Parks and all civil rights leaders not only duringBlack History Month, but also as we carry on their legacy in allaspects of our lives.
Northrop Grumman’s strong commitment to work force diver-
70 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
sity encourages inclusion of all people by maintaining a workenvironment supported by policies and procedures that foster a nondiscriminatory workplace. The strength of our company is greater than the sum of its extraordinary parts—people, customers, suppliers and communities—combining toform a synergy of diversity that promotes innovative thinking.
John C. ComptonPRESIDENT AND CEOQUAKER-TROPICANA-GATORADE, A DIVISION OFPEPSICO
At PepsiCo, we strive to recognize the accomplish-
ments of our past, present andfuture African-American leadersby integrating diversity andinclusion into every fiber of our
business and values. As CEO of PepsiCo’s QTG division, I’mextremely proud to serve as executive sponsor of our African-American employee networks. Our networks have a voice at thetable, helping to make our associates heard and our businessstronger.
One particularly inspirational leader was Harvey C. Russell, former PepsiCo executive. Harvey’s ascension to his position asone of the first African-American vice presidents of a Fortune 500company caused the Ku Klux Klan to organize a national boycottagainst Pepsi. The company held fast, standing by Harvey and itsdecision.
To honor Harvey’s passion for corporate citizenship, PepsiCo’sannual Harvey C. Russell Award recognizes employees and part-ners who have demonstrated excellence in advancing diversityand inclusion.
But it’s not just Harvey’s story that’s so inspiring. There areAfrican-American heroes everywhere—and many of their storieshave yet to be told. They’re quietly carrying forward with thecourage and conviction to shape our collective future.
Karen D. TaylorSENIOR VICE PRESIDENT,HUMAN RESOURCES, ANDCHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICERRELIANT ENERGY, INC.
When my son was in gradeschool, he selected a black
leader to research for Black
History Month. His selection of Dr. King caused me to read thefamous speech, “I Have a Dream,” joining the many thousands of people who have read those words and heard the passion forequality, felt the pain of past wrongs and joined the call to thenation to deliver upon its most basic promise—freedom. And for the first time, I was able to reflect on how Dr. King has influenced my own personal and professional life.
Growing up in North Louisiana in the ’60s and ’70s, I experienced firsthand some of the changes that Dr. King championed. I was in high school when the predominantly whiteand black high schools were integrated. Prior to that time, I hadknown only one person of color who was my age. I did not realizeuntil then how narrow my experiences and relationships had been.
And now, as a professional, I have a strong commitment tolearning about other cultures, sharing those discoveries with others and making a difference in my own life and work force.At Reliant Energy, we aspire to Dr. King’s dream for his ownchildren—that we might live and work “. . .in a nation wherethey will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Marcia JohnsonCHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICERSOUTHERN CO.
During the 1960s, I startedto understand that how
history is told is based on whois telling it. I learned thatmajor events could be distortedor even omitted in accounts ofhistory.
Just as African-Americansown the telling of our history,we own the power to connectpast, present and future. Weown the responsibility for our
children and their children knowing their heritage. We own alegacy of greatness, intellect, courage, vision, perseverance andresilience as we write tomorrow’s history today.
Weaving the true history and vast contributions of African-Americans into the rich fabric of the American story is essentialto any telling of U.S. history. Black History Month highlightsour history for a concentrated period of time. The real power ofour history takes place not only as we tell it, but also as we makeit and shape it through our daily actions.
Black History Month is a limited time that highlights unlimitedpride in who we are as a people. It is a public testament to thedaily private acknowledgements of many ordinary people who
72 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
make extraordinary contributions. For me, it is a time to be reenergized by the work and life of people like Nannie HelenBurroughs. It is a time to be buoyed by her motto for the schoolshe founded: “We specialize in the wholly impossible.”
Willie BrownEXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENTSTATE FARM INSURANCE
To celebrate Black HistoryMonth, I listen to speeches
of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In hearing his voice and his words, I know that his heart was free ofhate and full of good will and love
for all. I also honor Black History Month by helping othersbecome the best they can be. The more people I can help, themore joy it brings to my heart.
Obviously, I admire leaders such as General Colin Powell, thelate Ron Brown and the late Barbara Jordan, but I’ve only seenthem on television or read about them. The person I try to emulate is a colleague of mine, Greg Jones. Greg started at entrylevel at State Farm and is now a senior executive in charge ofState Farm’s California operations.
While working at State Farm, Greg put himself through college, earning a bachelor’s degree and MBA. He worked hardto learn the insurance business, the art of leadership and how todevelop people. Greg did all this with grace and dignity.Throughout his career, Greg has never stopped reaching back tolend a helping hand.
Black history is American history. We can’t talk about or studyAmerican history without including black history. American history is replete with the good, the bad and the ugly of whatmakes America the greatest country ever. America wouldn’t beAmerica without the many significant contributions of blackAmericans. We need to celebrate and honor these contributions12 months of the year, not just in February!
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74 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
Albert L. GaylorVICE PRESIDENT, INDUSTRYRELATIONS AND DIVERSITYSYSCO CORPORATION
As a young person growing upin Natchez, Miss., my par-
ents encouraged me to recognizeand celebrate Black HistoryMonth, which at that time wasreferred to as Negro History
Week. Today, as a resident of Houston, Texas, I carry on this tra-dition of celebration by attending local cultural events, includingcommunity plays, citywide parades and worship services dedicat-ed to the recognition of Black History Month. I am keenly awareand proud throughout the year of the many sacrifices and contri-butions my ancestors have made toward building our nation.
Looking across the landscape of African-American leaders, it isvitally important that individuals such as Dr. Martin LutherKing Jr., a pioneer in the struggle for civil rights, be recognizedand celebrated. Contemporary achievers, such as the late John H.Johnson, founder and publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines, alsoshould be recognized for vision and leadership. Recipient of the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, Mr.Johnson embodied the American Dream. One of his close colleagues said, “Considering the depth from which he came and the height he climbed and the obstacles he overcame, he was the greatest of all American publishers, black or white.”
As we celebrate Black History Month, SYSCO remains com-mitted to diversity and inclusion. By supporting and embracingdiversity, we gain new ideas and learn new ways to approachchallenges. This allows us to make better business decisions thathave far-reaching and lasting benefits for everyone our businesstouches: our customers, our associates and the communities inwhich we live and work.
Terry HowardWORLDWIDE DIVERSITYDIRECTORTEXAS INSTRUMENTS
From Boston’s Copley Square Icould see flames shooting up
from an apartment building a few
blocks away on Columbus Avenue. The closer I got, I realizedthat the apartment building in flames was number 320, wheremy brother Mike shared an apartment with MIT doctoral stu-dent Ronald E. McNair. Against my better judgment, I leapedover the yellow barricade tape and bolted up the steps fullyintending to get to the third floor to assess any damage done toMike and Ron’s apartment. I only made it to the first floor stairwell.
There sat Ron McNair clutching a baseball bat in his hands,blocking access and entry to any of the apartments on the lowlevel floors. His explanation? “Most of the people in this apart-ment building are as broke as I am. I’m just trying to help protect their stuff.” That incident, permanently etched in mymind, embodied in so many ways what Dr. Ronald E. McNairwas really all about.
In The Spirit of Ronald E. McNair, Astronaut—An AmericanHero, written by his brother, Carl McNair, superbly captures inwritten form the short life of an incredible man whose life wassnuffed out prematurely during the space shuttle Challenger disaster 20 years ago.
Without doubt, there are scores of anecdotes, words, andimages conjured up by the many people who knew and weresomehow touched by Ron McNair. My image would be ofsomeone who lived on the edge, raised the bar, and pushed theenvelope; all of which are perfect descriptive companions toRon’s “failure not an option” credo.
I stare off into space as I write this in the same way, I’m sure,that Ron did during his first shuttle flight in 1984. I’m seeingthe image of a young black boy sprawled out on his back in afield in tiny Lake City, South Carolina, staring at the sky and theheavens, and seeing the many possibilities, his heart filled withboth a dare and a dream to get there one day. And that, he did.
Dr. Ronald E. McNair joined immortality on the cold morningof January 28, 1986, and now sits in his rightful place next tothe truly great ones, not only in African-American History, butin history period!
Stephen W. RochonDIRECTOR OF PERSONNELMANAGEMENTU.S. COAST GUARD
Every February, I am upliftedby events highlighting the
achievements of African-American leaders. These greatleaders share common denominators of high values,
ethical behavior, integrity, passion and a determination to succeed—
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006 75
qualities that my mother and grandfather instilled in me early inlife. One in particular has provided a compass to me in navigatingthrough my career—Richard Etheridge, a former slave.
In 1896, Richard Etheridge and his brave crew were stationedat the U.S. Coast Guard Lifesaving Station on Pea Island off theOuter Banks of North Carolina. As station keeper, Etheridge’sprofessionalism, leadership and preparedness were severely testedwhen he and his all-black crew faced a raging hurricane to savenine souls who were clinging to a grounded schooner. For thisfeat, Etheridge and his crew posthumously were awarded ournation’s Gold Lifesaving Medal 100 years later. Their legacy lives on today as America witnessed modern day Coast Guardrescuers from all cultural backgrounds respond admirably to thedevastation of Hurricane Katrina.
There were no cameras on Pea Island to capture the heroics of Etheridge and his brave crew, but Black History Month givesus a unique opportunity to tell their story and to celebrate theirgreatness. In the immortal words of my former mentor andrenowned author, Alex P. Haley, I make use of February andevery other month to “Find the good and praise it!”
John M. Bell SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT,DOMESTIC TELECOM HR VERIZON
Black history is American his-tory. We should celebrate it
every day, not just once a year.Answer the telephone, open arefrigerator, turn on a computer,flip a light switch or stop at atraffic signal and you’re benefiting
from African-American innovation. The contributions of peopleof color are undeniable.
At Verizon, we value these contributions. We’re committed to ensuring an inclusive environment that leverages the talents of all employees. As an industry leader, we count on the innovation and creativity of a diverse work force to help usenhance our customers’ lives.
Celebrating Americans of African descent—whose faith,courage and perseverance opened doors for so many of us—isimportant. We reached for our dreams standing on their shoulders.Many of them were everyday people like my father, John Bell.He only got as far as the fifth grade. But he taught himself therest and led by example. Through his work ethic and pride, heshowed his children that there were no limits to what we couldaccomplish. And he was right.
Yet, in 2006, there is still reluctance by some to recognize thevalue of diverse perspectives. So our challenge every day is tobring to the table the full weight of our experiences, thoughts,ideas and energy. By doing so, we honor and repay the unsungheroes who came before us and pave the way for generations yetto come.
Emerson U. Fullwood EXECUTIVE CHIEF STAFF ANDMARKETING OFFICER FOR THE NORTH AMERICAGROUPXEROX CORPORATION
In celebrating Black HistoryMonth, Xerox recognizes the
power of diversity to helpchange the world and secure a
competitive advantage in the marketplace. I’ve witnessed thispower because Xerox has embraced diversity from the beginningin the visionary leadership of our first CEO, Joe Wilson.
I often reflect on the legacies of past heroes—NelsonMandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks—and also recognize that we have great role models today. Forexample, Stan O’Neal, chairman and CEO of Merrill Lynch, wasamong the first black students to integrate Atlanta’s West FultonHigh School. Ken Chenault, chairman and CEO of AmericanExpress, worked his way through Bowdoin College and HarvardLaw School.
Each of us, too, needs to carry the torch of diversity. We musttake the road in front of us farther than it extends today, and wemust also pave it and make it smoother for those who will followus. Take clear action: mentor people; promote education; fightfor more inclusive business policies; hold people accountable forour shared values. Action will determine success, and our actionsmust continually drive efforts to make diversity a vital intellectualand technical force.
PDJPDJ
76 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
According to Washington, DC-based Diversity Best Practices, 97percent of the Fortune 500 and
all government departments and agencieshave set goals and assigned a supplierdiversity manager or executive, often avice president, to support the function.
Diversity Best Practices has compileda list of the 15 best practices for supplierdiversity.
1. Gain executive commitment fromCEO, the Diversity Council, the topexecutive for Procurement and othersin the leadership for the overall sup-plier diversity program. The establish-ment of top executive support is significant to success.
2. Prepare a written vision statement asthe program must be “good for busi-ness” with commitment to leadership.
3. Commit staffing and budget for theprogram. Assign responsibility andaccountability clearly including theprocurement leadership, diversityofficer and council, and operatingbusiness heads.
4. Write a clear mission statement andbusiness plan.
5. Set goals and measure results. Reviewgoals on both dollar spend and
percentage spend. Review how toachieve these and report results on aregular basis. Make the success publicinternally and externally.
6. Assure clear policies and review themon regular basis. Prepare and educateon written procedures.
7. Review the certification program andrelationships with third parties thatcertify. Use third-party certificationwherever possible.
8. Participate with leading organizationssupporting certified women andminority entrepreneurs and attendsupplier diversity events.
9. Ensure that the Internet site is user-friendly for suppliers; update yourWeb site for suppliers.
10. Build mentoring and executive educa-tion programs. Many companies arechoosing to support their suppliers,perhaps by decreasing the total num-ber of suppliers but increasing thedollars spent with major women andminority firms. Two excellent educa-tion resources are the advanced train-ing programs offered by the KelloggSchool of Business at NorthwesternUniversity in cooperation with theNational Minority SupplierDevelopment Council, and the
Dartmouth program of the AmosTuck School with the Women’sBusiness Enterprise DevelopmentCouncil.
11. Integrate your suppliers into youreducational programs; showcase sup-pliers on your Web site and in yourmaterials and advertisements.
12. Tie your suppliers to your communityprogram and have them participate inevents and conferences with you.
13. Consider what makes an award-winning program and build successfactors.
14. Assure that communications andeducation are part of the program.
15. Measure and report. Measure andreport. Set the bar higher. Reportresults.
Diversity Best Practices (DBP) is a membership-based service that is pioneering new ways to achieve businessresults through diversity. Since its incep-tion over 200 Fortune 1000 companies,federal government agencies, and nonprofitorganizations have participated in itsbenchmarking programs and services. Tolearn more, visit DBP’s Web site atwww.diversitybestpractices.com.
Supplier diversity is an area of growing interest for corporate America and for thegovernment. Corporations are setting ambitious goals for themselves to reach out to businesses not traditionally included in the supply chain.
By Diversity Best Practices
Supplier Diversity Gains Traction Among
PDJPDJ
Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006 77
Fortune 500 Firms
Trends in Supplier Diversity
• Staffing for supplier diversity is increasing; on average, there are two to three people
assigned to the function throughout most leading companies. Within General Motors,
Daimler-Chrysler, SBC and Verizon, for example, DBP finds as many as 10-15 people
assigned to support supplier diversity.
• Budgets for the supplier diversity function are growing as personnel, programs,
advertising and marketing, training, conferences and seminars increase.
• Ancillary programs, such as mentor-protégé and training, will grow. DBP finds that
many companies are adding mentorship programs to support minority suppliers.
• As the supplier function grows, the pressure will increase as report cards are sent to
corporate CEOs, shared with government officials, and published in the media. Awards
and recognition in this area are on the rise. Magazines and communications vehicles
cover results and the awards for being the best in supplier diversity are being given by
minority and women’s organizations and the media.
78 Profiles in Diversity Journal January/February 2006
The 2006 Profiles in Diversity Journal3rd Annual International Innovation in Diversity Awards
will honor ten organizations
and institutions that have
developed innovative solutions
offering measurable outcomes
in the area of workforce
diversity and inclusion.
OVERVIEWThe annual Profiles in Diversity Journal International Innovation in Diversity Awards honor individuals and teams working in organizations and institutions anywhere in the world that have developed innovative solutions offeringmeasurable outcomes in the area of workforce diversity and inclusion. Our objective is to encourage and increase thenumber of businesses and institutions implementing innovative programs, projects, or practices that will help toimprove workforce diversity/inclusion excellence.
Ten organizations will be selected as honorees. In defining innovation, we use Webster’s definition as “effecting achange in the established order; the creating of something new.” Innovations can be in the form of new ideas, methods, services, or processes that improve the quality of life or enhance productivity within an organization.Diversity includes variations among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability,race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and any other human distinction.
These awards will recognize innovations within the organization that have been launched within the past two years,and have had an influence and delivered a positive outcome on diversity management, staff recruitment, and/ortoward inclusiveness and improved equity in the workplace. Any one idea or project qualifies so long as the ensuingresults are already making a greater impact on diversity management and/or business and institutional diversity/inclusion excellence than anything prior.
THE AWARDS AIM TO: • Encourage and share best practices toward innovation in diversity• Recognize and reward innovations in diversity • Increase the profile of innovative diversity practices within organizations• Inspire organizations and institutions to take innovative approaches to diversity management.
SELECTION CRITERIA INCLUDE:• Ease of implementation• Effectiveness in improving diversity awareness/management, staff recruitment, employee
retention and/or inclusiveness and improved equity in the workplace• Evidence of commitment and involvement from senior management and employees• Genuine measurable outcomes (tangible and/or intangible) due solely, or primarily, to that the checklist
Go to www.diversityjournal.com for full information, or call Jim Rector at 800-573-2867.Entry deadline: April 21, 2006
2005 Winners:SODEXHO • FORD MOTOR COMPANY • DAIMLERCHRYSLER • GEORGIA POWER • ENTERGY CREDIT SUISSE • PEPSICO • GM • SHELL INTERNATIONAL • NEW YORK LIFE INSURANCE
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AARP Services, Inc. page 57www.aarp.org
Bank of the West 80www.bankofthewest.com
Bausch & Lomb 71www.bausch.com
BellSouth Corporation 69www.bellsouth.com
The Boeing Company 55www.boeing.com
DaimlerChrysler Corporation 16www.daimlerchrysler.com
Dell, Inc. 7www.dell.com
Eastman Kodak Company 5www.kodak.com
Ford Motor Company cover 2www.ford.com
Georgia Power 67www.southernco.com/gapower
Halliburton 65www.halliburton.com
Ivy Planning 79www.ivygroupllc.com
Lockheed Martin 13www.lockheedmartin.com
MFHA 61www.mfha.net
MGM Mirage 63www.mgmmirage.com
Nationwide Insurance 45www.nationwide.com
PepsiCo, Inc. 3www.pepsico.com
Sodexho 11www.sodexhousa.com
State Farm Insurance Companies 73www.statefarm.com
Time Warner, Inc. 9www.twsupplierdiversity.com
Waste Management, Inc. cover 3www.wm.com
WellPoint cover 4www.wellpoint.com
Whirlpool Corporation 56www.whirlpool.com
Winters Group 72www.wintersgroup.com
illions of customers a week see our green trucks and green-uni-formed employees. Naturally, when you are as involved with the
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