Profiles in Diversity Journal | Jan/Feb 2008

Cover Shot

Chairman and CEO George C. Halvorson Guiding Kaiser Permanente through the Turbulent Waters of the Health Care Industry

Volume 10, Number 1JaNuary / February 2008$12.95 u.S.

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

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WE Will not bE part ofGeneration XXL.

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� Profiles in Diversity Journal j a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 8

L

Goodstein

New Features Launch Us into 2008

Let’s start the year with a cocktail party, okay? Well, maybe not a real cocktail

party, but a virtual one filled with interesting people. That’s what our feature

Black Leaders Leading reminds me of.

We decided to honor Black History Month by profiling more than two dozen

black leaders in much the same way as we present our popular Women Worth

Watching feature. Readers tell us that they love the personal profiles that accom-

pany the women’s mentoring essays. We do, too. And we think (as you move about

our virtual cocktail party) that you will be especially engaged by the backgrounds,

thoughts, and experiences of the leaders profiled in Black Leaders Leading. Each is

someone I’d like to meet in person.

We’re also introducing three new opinion features you’ll enjoy. These columns

offer individual perspectives of longtime diversity practitioners. Contributors in-

clude Carlton Yearwood, chief ethics and diversity officer of Waste Management,

Inc.; the American Institute for Managing Diversity, Inc., with founder Dr. R.

Roosevelt Thomas, Jr. and President Melanie Harrington; and Linda Jimenez, chief

diversity officer and staff vice president—Diversity Leadership at WellPoint, Inc.

These columnists join Catalyst and Janet Crenshaw Smith of Ivy Planning

Group, two organizations whose insights are found in every issue of the magazine.

All are thought-leaders in the best sense of the word.

Saving the best for last, be sure to read this month’s cover story on Kaiser

Permanente. Chairman and CEO George C. Halvorson has assembled a team of

professionals who are advancing diversity and inclusion in an incredibly competi-

tive industry, and they are doing it with flair. Kaiser Permanente’s diversity record

and culture, from its board to its physicians, is a model for large organizations to

emulate. They are doing everything right, and we applaud them.

Enjoy the issue!

John MurphyManaging Editor

James R. RectorP U B L I S H E R

John S. MurphyM A N A G I N G E D I T O R

Cheri MorabitoC R E A T I V E D I R E C T O R

Damian JohnsonM A R K E T I N G D I R E C T O R

Laurel L. FumicC O N T R I B U T I N G E D I T O R

Alina DunaevaO V E R S E A S C O R R E S P O N D E N T

Jason BiceW E B M A S T E R

L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O R

�Commentaries or questions should be

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Sodexho is Being Recognized as a Leader

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

She could be anything she wants at Sodexho

Sodexho proudly celebrates Black History Month.

www.sodexhoUSA.com


Volume 10 • Number 1

January / February 2008

16

60

50

16 OntheCover/SpecialFeature

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

50 Front-Runner/ShirleyDavis

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

60 BlackLeadersLeading

More than two dozen business leaders talk about those who influenced them on their life’s journey. Mini-interviews that will open both minds and hearts.

features




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departments

8 Momentum

Diversity Who, What, Where and When

12 FromMyPerspectiveIntolerance is the True Enemyby Linda Jimenez, Chief Diversity Officer & Staff Vice President—Diversity Leadership, WellPoint, Inc.

14 Catalyst

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

48 MyTurnThoughts Through the Office Door…by Carlton Yearwood, Chief Ethics and Diversity Officer, Waste Management, Inc.

58 ViewpointThe Journey of the Diversity Fieldby American Institute for Managing Diversity, Inc. Founder Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr. and President Melanie Harrington

102 MicroTriggers

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




To view current career opportunities, and to apply online, visit our CAREERS page at

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At UnitedHealth Group, unique is everywhere. In our approach to health care. In each segment of our business. In every professional. In the career op-portunities we offer. As a global leader in health care, UnitedHealth Group is committed to creating a workforce of unique individuals. Their unique per-spectives bring about innovative ideas.

It is the unique backgrounds, lifestyles and beliefs our professionals bring to their work that fuels innovation, creates a healthy environment and drives us towards our goal of creating a better health care system.

Founded in 1974, UnitedHealth Group has since grown into a Fortune 100 company. Our family of businesses work tirelessly to advance the quality and access to care while making services more affordable and easier to use for everyone. Our work impacts the lives of nearly 55 million people and helps coordinate care for more than 20 million more.

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ArvinMeritor Promotes Three Executives

Colleen Hanley

Colleen Hanley has been appointed vice president of Light Vehicle Systems (LVS) business and product strategy at ArvinMeritor. She will lead

strategic business planning, business development, technical planning and advanced marketing. Most recently, Hanley was senior director, LVS Communications, ArvinMeritor. Under Hanley’s leadership, LVS is executing its Smart Systems product strategy to leverage electronics and controls as a core competency. The business unit provides body systems, chassis and wheels to light vehicle customers throughout the world.

Deborah Henderson Deborah Henderson has been ap-pointed vice president and CIO, ArvinMeritor.She will focus on driving the trans-formation of its

global information systems (IS) or-ganization and improving control of IS strategy. She will play a key role in managing the company’s outsourcing relationship with EDS. Ms. Henderson has worked in positions of increasing responsibility since joining the company in January 2002, including site manager of the Detroit LVS facility, vice president of Quality for LVS, and vice presi-dent and general manager of Door

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

amelia Quelas Amelia Quelas has joined ArvinMeritor as vice president and general man-ager of trailers in the Commercial Vehicle Systems business group. She

will lead the global commercial trailer business with a focus on performance and profitability improvement. She will lead business process improve-ment initiatives, develop strategic plans, drive market growth initiatives, and manage customer relationships. Most recently, Ms. Quelas was responsible for Freightliner’s sales and marketing efforts in Mexico and Latin America. She has a master’s degree in systems analysis from CAECE University in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and a master’s degree in management of information systems from UCLA.

Christine Nigro Named President of AXA Advisors, Broker/Dealer NEW YORK—Christine Nigro has

been promoted to President of AXA Advisors, LLC, the broker/dealer for the retail distribu-tion channel of AXA Equitable Life Insurance

Company. Ms. Nigro will report to Nick Lane, head of retail distribution business platforms.

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

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

HANLEY

HENDERSON

NIGRO

QUELAS


Profiles in Diversity Journal j a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 8 �

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

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

and its professionals work together to provide clients access to global sup-port and industry expertise.

New York Life Appoints Eileen Slevin Chief Information Officer

NEW YORK—New York Life Insurance Company has announced that Senior Vice President Eileen T. Slevin has been elected Chief

Information Officer. She reports to Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Frank Boccio. Directing a staff of more than 1300 technology professionals in six U.S. locations, Ms. Slevin is respon-sible for setting the strategic technol-ogy direction of New York Life as the leader of the company’s corporate information department, which provides a wide range of technology services for New York Life custom-ers, employees and agents. She also has direct management responsibility for two other strategic areas of the Company: business resilience and corporate Internet. Ms. Slevin joined New York Life in 1977 and has held several top management positions. She has served two terms in the company’s Management Advisory Council and currently is a steering committee member of New York Life’s Political Action Committee. Ms. Slevin received a bachelor’s degree from Herbert H. Lehman College, City University of New York, and has been a member of the Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA) since 1979.

Patricia L. Barbari Elected Senior Vice President

NEW YORK—New York Life Insurance Company has also announced that Patricia L. Barbari has been elected a senior vice president in the

Individual Policy Services (IPS) de-partment reporting to Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Frank Boccio. Ms. Barbari is now responsible for the IPS department’s new busi-ness operations for the Agency chan-nel. She will retain responsibility for overseeing administrative services and agent contracting and licensing. In addition, she has assumed responsibil-ity for underwriting operations and annuity new business. Prior to joining New York Life in 1989 as a director in the corporate quality department, Ms. Barbari was the manager of the call center at a leading data processing firm in the advertising industry. Ms. Barbari has an MBA degree from Columbia University. She is a certified internal auditor and a registered principal for NYLIFE Securities.

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

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

SLEVIN

BARBARI

CARTLEDGE


10 Profiles in Diversity Journal j a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 8

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

Starbucks Realigns Executive Management TeamWith a focus on rapid global expan-sion, Starbucks Coffee Company (NASDAQ: SBUX) has realigned its executive management team in an effort to maximize operational re-sources and deliver a seamless, global Starbucks Experience. The new management struc-ture includes the appointment of

Martin Coles, currently president, Starbucks Coffee International, to chief operating officer, reporting directly to presi-dent and CEO, Jim Donald.

As chief operating officer, Coles will manage global operations as the company continues its rapid growth.

Coles will be responsible for United States and international store op-erations and store development, the Global Consumer Products Group and supply chain operations. Coles brings significant global re-tail experience having served as presi-dent, Starbucks Coffee International, since 2004. Prior to joining Starbucks, he served as president and CEO of Reebok International. His experience also includes senior man-agement positions at Nike, Gateway, and at one of PepsiCo’s U.S. bottling operations. Coles also served in vari-ous management roles for Procter & Gamble, both in the U.K. and the United States. As part of the realignment, other

key appointments include long-time Starbucks part-ners Jim Alling to president, Starbucks Coffee International, and Launi Skinner to president,

Starbucks Coffee, U.S., who will both report directly to Coles. Alling most recently served as president, Starbucks Coffee U.S. The presidents of the Company’s five international regions will report to Alling, providing a depth of interna-tional support and experience. Alling joined Starbucks in 1997 following a lengthy career with Nestle USA. Ms. Skinner, who most recently

served as senior vice president, store development, joined Starbucks in 1993. She was appointed to her most recent role in October 2004. Under Ms.

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

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

ALLING

SKINNER

PDJPDJ


determines a company’s success.

www.kodak.com/go/supplierdiversity

© Eastman Kodak Company, 2007

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

07KCR6362_ProfilesInDiv.ad.indd 1 8/24/07 2:38:10 PM

www.kodak.com/go/supplierdiversity

1� Profiles in Diversity Journal j a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 8

Aa few weeks ago while on a plane, I was reading another diversity publication. I came across a one-page commentary from a well-known indi-vidual with strong opposition to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals. Initially, I was impressed

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

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

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

Intolerance is the True EnemyBy Linda Jimenez

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

from my perspective…

PDJPDJ

www.wellpoint.com


Intolerance is the True Enemy

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1� Profiles in Diversity Journal j a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 8

Canada is expected to face an increas-ing shortage of workers over the next

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

white/Caucasian women. Finally, there were instances when the stories of visible minority women differed from all other groups—evidence that visible minority women may at times experience “double-outsider” status. Important findings include the following: • Visible minorities and white/Caucasian

women often felt isolated from and uncomfortable in informal networking opportunities involving activities such as drinking in bars and playing or watching sports.

• A lack of multiple mentors who share gender, visible minority status and/or who are influential but demographically different, is a career advancement bar-rier for visible minorities.

• Visible minority men identified mentoring as a strategic relationship for career advancement, and many specified a mentor who was not their manager. Visible minority women, however, spoke more generally about mentoring-style support from their managers and were less likely to have a clearly defined mentor.

• As with other groups, visible minority men and women believe that having a champion is particularly important, yet visible minorities lack access to the critical relationships that are necessary to finding champions.

• Focus group participants indicated that self-promotion helps potential champi-ons know why they should take on the champion role. Visible minority women frequently expressed discomfort at the idea of self-promotion.

The study highlights the importance of informal networking, which builds trust and promotes information sharing. Because this type of networking often revolves around social activities such as

playing and/or watching sports, visible minority women may feel particularly uncomfortable, and it is more difficult for them to find mentors and/or champi-ons. Being left out of such gender-biased activities leaves many visible minorities feeling excluded from opportunities for promotions, access to relationships with clients, or social support. The report makes clear the challenges Canadian businesses face in building more inclusive environments where all employees can succeed. To improve the situation Catalyst recommends that organizations: • Think critically about where informal

networking takes place and how this may exclude certain people.

• Provide formal and targeted networking opportunities for visible minorities.

• Formalize mentoring programs and encourage and train strategic mentoring behavior.

• Ensure the availability of a diverse pool of mentors and encourage diversified mentoring relationships.

• Base career advancement decisions on formal performance evaluations that are consistent for all employees.

• Provide employees with the necessary resources to communicate their achieve-ments and engage champions.

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

By Catalyst

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

PDJPDJ

www.catalyst.org

www.catalyst.org


www.pfi zer.com

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USA

of rapid change for our company and for our industry, we believe that the unique perspective of each Pfi zer employee is vital. Why? Because the tough health care challenges people are facing today call for new, different, and diverse ways of thinking.

That’s why we’re implementing a global strategy to ensure Pfi zer’s culture not only respects, but also leverages each individual employee’s background, character, and life experiences. We’re putting those unique perspectives to

work to fi nd new, innovative solutions for patients, and better ways of working with our customers, our partners, and the communities we serve.

At Pfi zer, we believe diversity means an inclusive and empowering work environment. The result? A happier, healthier tomorrow for us all.

In a time

www.pfizer.com

CEO LEADERSHIPGeorge C. Halvorson :: Chief Executive Officer

16 Profiles in Diversity Journal J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 8

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Special Feature

18 CEO Leadership24 Leadership Perspectives34 National Diversity 42 Community Benefit45 Diversity Heritage

Kaiser Permanente:

Snapshots of Diversity, Leadership, Recognition and Service




Can you tell us about some of the innovations that Kaiser Permanente has planned for 2008? We’re working on further development of the KP HealthConnect electronic medical records system to improve patient care and enable the largest ongoing clini-cal trial examining all aspects of care. In addition, we will be intro-ducing insurance products aimed at giving consumers more options and bringing affordable coverage to the uninsured in our markets.

Most CEOs today say that diversity drives business results. What part did diversity and inclusion play in your company’s 2006 growth/earnings? Diversity is fully integrated into our busi-ness plan. Changing demographics dictate that diversity consider-ations play a significant role in how we deliver care. Being culturally competent as caregivers both helps us serve existing members and attract new ones. Diversity is also a critical piece of our values as a mission-driven organization. It would be impossible for us to improve the health of the communities we serve if we didn’t recognize and support the diversity in those communities. For us, diversity is not an add-on

agenda, but a core business principle, and the diversity of our mem-bers and staff is a reflection of our success.

For the sake of perspective, how big has Kaiser Permanente become? Kaiser now serves 8.7 million people in nine states and the District of Columbia. We are the second largest health plan in the State of California and our market share continues to grow in all the markets we serve. We employ more than 160,000 people.

Given the size and scope of your operation, what challenges do you face in terms of delivering your services or recruit-ing and hiring good people? Like other large organizations, we know that we increasingly will face a shrinking labor pool as Baby Boomers exit for retirement. We will need to attract and recruit huge numbers of caregivers to replace them. Our strategy for attract-ing the best and most diverse workers is to reinforce our standing as a “best place to work,” nurture an inclusive welcoming workplace environment, and encourage internal movement that yields more women and minority executives.

Corporate ProfileCompany Name Kaiser Foundation Health Plan & Hospitals or Kaiser Permanente

Headquarters: Oakland, California

Web Site: www.kp.org

Primary Business: Health care delivery and insurance

Industry Ranking: Largest integrated health system in the United States

2006 Revenues: $34.4 billion

Diversity Reflections from the C-SuiteMeet George C. Halvorson :: Chairman and CEO, Kaiser Permanente

Questions&Answers

George C. Halvorson is chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente, a colos-

sus of a company by any measure. It takes a special individual to guide

a company like Kaiser through the turbulent waters of the health care

industry. But Kaiser, under Halvorson, has done more than just success-

fully navigate the rough seas of a complex industry that is constantly

under scrutiny. The company has pushed forward with innovative pro-

grams resulting in the concrete outcomes we all find desirable: Improving

the quality of care patients receive through the health care system while

providing physicians greater satisfaction in the practice of medicine. The

KP HealthConnect program you’ll learn about in this feature is exciting,

bold and cutting edge.

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

www.kp.org


CEO LEADERSHIPSpecial Feature :: Kaiser Permanente

Profiles in Diversity Journal J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 8 19

Our employees know the data—that 74 percent of our workforce are women, for example, 45 percent of our executives are women and 54 percent of our total workforce are people of color—and choose us because of it. We are constantly learning more about the link between health care and ethnicity. For example, we know that certain cultures are more prone to particular health care issues. We also know that some treatments affect individuals differently depending on their culture. Our challenge is to continue to learn about these connections so that we can lead the nation in providing the best care and eliminating health disparities.

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

It appears that there are unique opportunities in your par-ticular industry for implementing diversity programs. Is that right? In some industries there are perhaps only vague connections between diversity and the work of the organization. Not with us. We have research which proves the connection between health care and diversity, and this knowledge gives us a compelling case for under-standing, leveraging and embracing diversity and its application in our core business.

Do international issues ever get in the way of corporate sup-port for diversity objectives and processes? What kinds of strat-egies does the company employ in dealing with them? Actually, quite the opposite. We only operate in the United States, but we are constantly looking at how other countries deliver care to learn from them. I have also had the opportunity to share some of our expertise abroad by helping to build health systems in developing countries. I have been privileged to assist in creating health care programs in Uganda, Jamaica and several other countries.

LEADERSHIPWhat resources (financial and manpower) are allocated to diversity? We have a robust staff devoted to diversity. Diversity Directors, EEO Directors, CLAS leaders, Diversity Councils, Multicultural Staff Associations and a full diversity staff in the corporate headquarters office comprise the core infrastructure that supports implementation of our diversity strategy.

How do your diversity and inclusion efforts impact your company’s bottom line? Our bottom line, as a not-for-profit health care delivery system, is mission-driven: improving the health and health status of the communities we serve. The multicultural dimensions of these communities are inescapable. Accordingly, the efforts that we have undertaken to increase our cultural com-petency—the provider handbooks on culturally competent care, interpreter training and service programs, and centers of excellence focusing on ethnically diverse populations and women’s health—all contribute to achieving our mission, our bottom line. Responses to these efforts from the community, advocacy groups and our members demonstrate the positive impact that diversity has on our “bottom line.”

Let’s talk about recruiting. What qualities do you look for when hiring management? How do you measure attitudes? We look for individuals who are at the high end of the scale with respect to overall capability. We look for individuals who bring a depth of knowledge but who also understand the relationship between their area of expertise and the other functions with which they will have to interact. We deeply value collaboration skills. We also value individuals who are flexible in their management style and who can work with a variety of styles, genders and ethnici-ties. With a workforce composed of 74 percent women and 54 per-cent people of color, these are essential management competencies.

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




How do you deal with or train for cross-cultural competencies for leadership? What accountability do you employ to meet objectives? Are Kaiser Permanente’s diversity initiatives linked with compensation? Commitment to diversity at the most senior level is not a simple “bonus” issue—it is a core accountability and a condition of continued membership on the leadership team. The national executive leadership team is accountable for achieving the objectives of a formal diversity agenda, consisting of executive work-force diversity, executive mentoring and supplier diversity. I am also accountable for these objectives, as well as for a host of additional diversity initiatives specific to my role as CEO.

Do you have in place methods or ways to track promotable individuals? How do you ensure minority candidates are con-sidered for promotions that become available? Yes, we have back-up development programs for every senior position and diversity candidates are a core part of that development process. Our senior executive strategy sessions and executive development help us iden-tify where we have gaps that need to be filled. And we recognize the necessity and value of a diverse leadership group to our organization’s ongoing success.

Can you give us an example of a program getting “off track,” and what did you learn from that experience? There is no dramatic example of going “off track,” but we have learned that, in general, improving diversity takes discipline, and if you take your eye off of it, you will often get slippage in various parts of the organization. Executive workforce diversity for people of color is an example of the need for vigilance to preserve gains and achieve progress. Although we did not experience dramatic slippage, we did not sustain the rate of increase that previous efforts had yielded. We have now institutionalized these efforts and accountabilities and are experiencing the growth and sustained momentum to meet our needs and established targets.

Let’s talk a little bit about the leadership at Kaiser in terms of diversity. For example, who chairs your company’s diversity council? Does your lead diversity officer report to you directly?

How are decisions about diversity made in your organiza-tion? Ronald Copeland, MD, president and executive medical director of the Ohio Permanente Medical Group and chair of our overall medical directors group, and Ronald Knox, vice president and chief diversity officer, co-chair our programwide National Diversity Council. Our lead diversity officer reports to our chief HR officer and also works directly with me. Decisions about diversity are made both at the local level and the national level. However, national diversity policy for-mulation, recommendations and operations decisions are made at the National Diversity Council and National Diversity Office levels of the organization. Major diversity policies are presented to the senior-most operations group of the organization for endorsement, approval and sponsorship.

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

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

George Halvorson celebrates the Dragon Boat festivities with Dr. Anne Tang (left), KP physician and Chief of the Chinese Language Module at the SF Medical Center; and Claudine Cheng, President/Chair of the Treasure Island Development Authority.




ciations, undergraduate internship programs, high school summer employment programs and programs like the Hippocrates Circle. This program pairs our physicians with elementary school students in underserved neighborhoods to provide first-hand exposure to medical professions and encourage their consideration as viable and attainable career goals.

EMPLOYEE INCLUSIVENESSSometimes diversity is referred to as a numbers game. How does your company know its culture is not just tied up in num-bers? We have a very diverse set of senior leaders and we make that diversity very visible so people at all levels can recognize that diver-sity for us is a practice, not an aspiration. We also utilize the diverse cultural and language skills of our workforce in very tangible ways to provide quality care and services to our members. Therefore, it is understood that workforce diversity is not about numbers, but about the diverse talent and skillsets needed to provide quality, culturally informed care and services to diverse populations.

Would you say that employees are more engaged in the com-pany than they were two years ago? Yes. We are currently insti-tuting unit-based teams to do more collaborative work at our various worksites. These teams are at the front line of the organization and they are designed to increase participation in making improvements in the delivery of care and in other organizational processes. Company sponsored activities, such as the Martin Luther King Day of Volunteerism and a Week of Caring, allow employees to make meaningful contributions in service to the communities most in need of volunteer efforts and support. These include working in homeless shelters and food banks, painting neighborhood schools and distributing warm winter clothing to those most in need. As a community benefit organization, these activities involve our employ-ees directly in core functions of the organization.

How are employees’ opinions solicited? Do you have an employee ‘suggestion box’ or similar system and how is it monitored and responded to? Our unit-based teams solicit input from all team members. In addition, I encourage employees to talk to their managers and leaders and to talk directly to me via e-mail to help us improve. Open communications are vital if we are to be a learning organization. I read all the e-mail I receive from employees and respond when appropriate. In September 2007, I started a weekly dialogue with employees via e-mail to further encourage their feedback and to share my thoughts on the culture

we are trying to create. I am looking forward to continuing this new conversation with employees. We also, of course, periodically conduct a massive, system-wide survey of employee attitudes and concerns. I also hold regular town hall meetings and an open Q&A forum following my annual keynote address at our National Diversity Conference which draws more than a thousand participants and hundreds more through national video simulcast from across the organization.

Have you encountered those who perceive inclusion programs for underrepresented groups as being exclusionary for others? This has not been a big issue for us to deal with. When inclusion is the obvious value, it doesn’t feel like exclusion for anyone. In other settings, where exclusion is the cultural approach, these kinds of challenges can occur.

Can you describe your method for orienting new hires into your culture? For enriching employees’ awareness or introducing new issues? We have several orientation programs for new hires. We are currently examining them to provide more consistency; however, we want to continue to respect the differences across our company. Another important resource in the orientation of new employ-ees into our culture is enlisting the assistance and services of our many multicultural staff associations. They provide invaluable sup-port for new employees and accelerate the orientation and learning curve by providing practical information, an affinity group network and support throughout the onboarding process. For enriching employee awareness, we conduct periodic town hall meetings, and over the past couple of years, we have introduced executive forums, which give employees additional opportunity to hear from and ask questions of senior management.

Can you name specific ways KP supports upward development toward management positions? We support upward development of all employees—with inclusion and diversity as key goals—through our formal succession planning process. This is a bottom-up process in which we review career and promotion opportunities. We also provide tuition reimbursement along with formal and informal lead-ership development programs. Besides those programs, we are preparing to launch an executive mentoring program that involves the most senior executives in the organization. They will act as mentors to high potential employees with a particular emphasis on executive workforce diversity.

What about bringing women and minority employees into the fabric of the organization? What programs are in place or on the drawing board to advance women and minorities? Our strategy for attracting the best and most diverse workers is to reinforce our standing as a “best place to work,” nurture an inclu-sive, welcoming workplace environment, and encourage internal movement that yields more women and minority executives. Our employees know that 74 percent of our workforce are women and 45 percent of our executives are women and choose us because of it. We have won multiple awards and recognitions for our status as a diversity-friendly employer. We tend to celebrate these awards with all employees, to set a tone of values and inclusion.

George Halvorson at The Kaiser Permanente International Dragon Boat Festival.




SUPPLIER / COMMUNITY / CUSTOMERSSupplier diversity continues to be a big issue in the workplace today. What is your commitment to minority suppliers? Do you set specific percentage or dollar targets? How do you measure success? We have a definite commitment to using minority suppli-ers. We set goals and track our success. This is an area of considerable opportunity that further aligns with our business goals and mission. Increasing subcontracting opportunities for minority and women business owners also translates to greater employment opportuni-ties in local communities and thereby contributes to their economic vitality. Further, supplier diversity is good for business as increased competition among suppliers promotes higher levels of performance and quality as well as cost reductions. Our keys to success include holding leaders accountable to the CEO and substantively demonstrating progress toward achievement of established targets. Proactive measures are taken to increase utili-zation of minority and women suppliers. For example, we offer open houses and supplier mentoring opportunities in order to expand opportunities for new and existing diverse suppliers.

CEO PROFILEWhere does your personal belief in diversity and inclusion come from? Who were your role models, or was there a pivotal experience that helped shape your view? For me, diversity has been a lifelong interest and it is a core value. I have written articles and made multiple presentations on these topics. I am very near completion of a new book on just that topic. My values on that set of issues have been rewarded for me per-sonally by being blessed with multi-racial grandchildren—incredibly lovely, bright and talented grandchildren who have blessed me with their existence and reinforced my commitment from both my head and my heart.

So, I have a special self-interest in diversity because of the racial and ethnic diversity in my own family. Over the years, I have spent a great deal of time studying other cultures and working on research as well as health plans in other countries that confront the oppor-tunities and challenges of diversity. I have come to the conclusion that it is human nature for people to view other people in “us versus them” terms. Understanding, rejecting, and overcoming this tendency is, I believe, both very doable and imperative to our success and survival.

Who has shaped your thinking as a business leader? What about their business skill or style influenced you? My father used to say, if you do a job you love, you’ll never work another day in your life. He also told me never to judge until you have all the facts. And he told me never to judge another man “until you have walked a mile in his shoes.” I’ve found his lessons to be incredibly useful my entire life.

How did you get to your present posi-tion? What was your career path? I’ve held several executive positions in the health insurance industry, most recently leading HealthPartners, the largest health care co-op in the United States. Coming to Kaiser has given me the opportunity to work with an orga-nization with an historical and financial commitment to diversity and innova-tion, the two areas that will define 21st century success in our industry. Kaiser’s commitment to diversity was an important factor in accepting

George C. Halvorson: A Look Back…

A younger Halvorson at a speaking engage-ment. He speaks to groups several times a week and estimates speaking to thousands of audiences over his career.

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

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

George with one of his heroes, Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

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

George gets press as an early propo-nent of managed care in Minnesota.

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




my current position, as it affords me a rich legacy on which to build. The opportunities at this point in American history are so great for the pursuit of diversity that I believe it is also a needed area of focus for leaders. We need to “make a difference” in our society. Organizations provide a microcosm and a laboratory for ways our nation can better capitalize on our diversity. It is extremely rewarding to watch this experiment play out within our company. We need a similar agenda to play out across corporate America.

Who were/are your mentors? How did they help in your profes-sional and personal life? I learned a great deal from Jim Regnier, former president of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. He was a farmer from rural Minnesota who taught me the importance of common sense. As I mentioned before, my father also influenced my professional and personal development a great deal.

If you were in a roomful of colleagues, what might they say about you, your style or your business sense? I very directly strive to do the right thing and do it consistently over time. My beliefs, practices and values took years to develop, but once devel-oped, they have been extremely consistent over time. People say they are very clear about what I am doing and why I am doing it.

How would you describe your concept and style of leadership? Inclusive, open, strategic, transparent, value driven, and consistent.

What business books or journals do you read regularly or recommend for aspiring leaders? In terms of general business publications, I think that The Economist and the Harvard Business Review do a very nice job of capturing trends and telling stories in a very readable way. I also read Forbes and Fortune and the Wall Street Journal. Scientific American, Discovery, Psychology Today and Psychotherapy Networker are also on my reading stacks. I also think it is critical to read the trades and journals in my chosen field, because that is the best way to understand your market and your competition. Modern Healthcare and Health Affairs are both must-reads for me.

Have you any “mottos” to rally your team regarding diver-sity & inclusion? Begin with the end in mind. Each thing in its turn—each thing in its time.When the student is ready, if you are the teacher, be even more ready. That’s your job.

Were there any experiences that discouraged you or taught you hard lessons about diversity & inclusion implementation? I was stunned back in the 1970s when I brought both women and minority employees into professional jobs and saw how angry and upset the people were in those work areas. I did not expect that much resistance. However, they and I persevered. I have seen significant progress in this area over the years and have been dedicated myself to creating a diverse workforce wherever I have worked.

George C. Halvorson :: Personal Profile

COMPANY: Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals.

TITLE: Chairman & Chief Executive Officer.

YEARS IN CURRENT POSITION: 5

AGE: 60

EDUCATION: BA, history, political sci-ence and English from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn.; graduate studies at the University of Minnesota; senior fellow, University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo.; Senior lecture MBA Program, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn.

FIRST JOB: Bait-house kid. I sorted minnows, counted worms, waited on customers and sold fishing tackle.

PHILOSOPHY: Do a job you love—you’ll never work another day in your life.

WHAT I’M READING: I used to read more books. Now I primarily read magazines. Seed is a great new magazine find.

FAMILY: Engaged, four sons, with a stepson soon to be added. Four lovely grandchildren.

INTERESTS: Writing, science, sociology, health care, public policy, political science, various water sports, travel, and people.

CHILDHOOD HERO: Charles Darwin and Frederick Douglass—two men whose books changed how the world thought.

“BEST” PICTURE (FILM/ART): Tom Jones, The Godfather, Prairie Home Companion, and Big Fish.

MY MUSIC: The blues—particularly the blues harmonica (the Blues Harp).

FAVORITE GAME: Chess, for many years. I seldom play now. I love to watch television football or any sport being played by my sons or grandchildren.

DESK-DRAWER MUNCHIES: Granola.

FAVORITE CHARITY: Community clinics.

PERSON (HISTORICAL/FICTIONAL/ACTUAL) I’D LIKE TO GET TO KNOW OVER LUNCH: Jesus Christ, to learn, but not over lunch.

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

What words of advice would you give to those who want to advance in their organization? Know your job. Know your co-workers. Help people. Maintain absolute ethics so no one ever won-ders what you are really up to. Work hard and smart. Never be a jerk and don’t encourage, support or retain jerks on your team. Love your job or find a job you love.

George Halvorson’s grandchildren, Marcus, 12; McKenna, 3; Maya, 8.


LEADERSHIP PERSPECTIVESSpecial Feature :: Kaiser Permanente


IRonald Knox Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer

In describing the diversity strategy of Kaiser Permanente, vice presi-dent and chief diversity officer and co-chair of the National Diversity Council, Ronald Knox calls it multi-faceted. “Central components of our approach to diversity management are building and leveraging our considerable diverse human talent and cultural competency to meet the organization’s noble mission of improving the health and health

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

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

There is considerable data to demonstrate the CEO’s active commitment to diversity:

• The governing board is 36 percent women and 50 percent people of color.

• The three most senior operations leaders consist of one woman, one African American, and one Caucasian.

• The composition of the eight regional presidents is 75 percent women and 35 percent people of color.

• George Halvorson is the sponsor of a four-pronged, robust diversity agenda for which the top 20 senior executives in the organization are held accountable.

“ And that’s the CEO suite only,” Knox says. “There are other data points to support our claim of work-force diversity accomplishments.”

• Women and people of color comprise 74 percent and 54 percent of the total Kaiser Permanente workforce, respectively.

• 44 percent of the physicians are people of color, and 39 percent are women.

Kaiser Permanente’s Diversity Strategy

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Ronald Knox




WWhen Jack Cochran was named executive director of the Permanente Federation, he brought to the position a history of diversity leader-ship. While Cochran served as Executive Director and President of the Colorado Permanente Group, his executive team—which included an African-American female associate executive medical director—set a national diversity benchmark in physician leadership among large employers. He is the only executive medical director to receive Kaiser Permanente’s prestigious R.J. Erickson Diversity Achievement Award. And he doesn’t plan to change course in his new position. “My value of diversity is endemic to who I am, so I will carry

those values wherever I go,” Cochran says. “As an organization involved in a service as vital and personal as health care, we cannot afford to ignore diversity and its importance to meeting our mission and remaining competitive in the field. We have a great opportu-nity and an equally great obligation to integrate diversity into every aspect of the work we do.” Cochran values diversity, in part, because of the business advantages it provides. “Our diversity enables us to be aware of and consider a variety of perspectives and values that a homogenous

group is simply incapa-ble of due to the limita-tions of cultural experi-ence that we all face,” he asserts. “In this way, we make culturally informed and higher quality deci-sions; we capitalize on the advantage of affinity group affiliation in com-munity outreach, educa-tion and partnership. A senior executive team that mirrors the racial, ethnic and gender diversity of our community provides

culture-specific knowledge and expertise that has high utility in the marketplace and in care delivery. Additionally, it speaks volumes to

affinity groups about our values without ever needing to articulate them. This is an enormous business advantage.”

Another business advantage comes with recruiting. “You will frequently hear physicians and employees say, ‘Kaiser Permanente’s diversity tradition and reputation is a primary reason that I joined the organization,’” Cochran says. “In some ways, this makes our job as leaders of diversity easier, because diversity is a visible and

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

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

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

Jack Cochran, MD, FACS, recently named

Executive Director of the Permanente Federation.

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

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

How the Labor Management Partnership Supports the National Diversity Agenda

Perspective from John August, Executive Director of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions

John August

A Tradition of Diversity Leadership

Kaiser Permanente takes pride in its history of diversity leadership. Starting in the 1940s, Kaiser Permanente opened its first

hospitals on the West Coast by welcoming black Americans alongside white patients two decades before most hospitals

began to end racial segregation.

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

tapped Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals Board Chairman Edgar F. Kaiser Jr., son of Henry J. Kaiser, for his Equal

Employment Opportunity Committee. President Kennedy’s staff picked Edgar Kaiser in part because of the comparatively

high rate of minority employment at Kaiser Permanente. In turn, Edgar Kaiser, as president of Kaiser Industries, insisted that

all parts of Kaiser Industries reflect the ideal of equal employment opportunities—making Kaiser Permanente a national

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

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

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

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

attract high-profile people who were well regarded in their professional fields. The election of Dr. Spellman, who is director emeritus of Academic

Alliances and International Exchange Programs at Harvard Medical International, was in that tradition.

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

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

Henry J. Kaiser

KAISER PERMANENTE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Left to Right Front Row Daniel P. Garcia

Cynthia A. Telles Jenny J. Ming

Sandra P. Thompkins Judith A. Johansen

George C. Halvorson

Left to Right Back Row J. Eugene Grigsby III

J. Neal Purcell William R. Graber

Thomas W. Chapman Kim J. Kaiser

Christine K. Cassel Edward Y. W. Pei

Missing from the photo: Philip Marineau




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

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

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Kaiser Permanente Board of Directors:

A Personal Commitment

KAISER PERMANENTE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Left to Right Front Row Daniel P. Garcia

Cynthia A. Telles Jenny J. Ming

Sandra P. Thompkins Judith A. Johansen

George C. Halvorson

Left to Right Back Row J. Eugene Grigsby III

J. Neal Purcell William R. Graber

Thomas W. Chapman Kim J. Kaiser

Christine K. Cassel Edward Y. W. Pei

Missing from the photo: Philip Marineau

Two standing board committees, the Quality and Health Improvement Committee

and the Community Benefit Committee support diversity issues through approval of

grants and donations, and policies designed to support initiatives that aim to improve

cultural competency and linguistic programs. The committee also presents annual

community service awards related to diversity and inclusion.




CHRISTINE K. CASSEL, MDPresident and CEOAmerican Board of Internal Medicine

Kaiser Permanente has undertaken the massive task of collecting racial, ethnic and language preference

data on its Health Plan members and patients to inform our efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic health

disparities, to increase access and quality of care for individuals with limited English proficiency, and

to validate the efficacy of treatment protocols developed for various population segments. We are com-

mitted to all of the six aims established by the Institute of Medicine—that health care be safe, effective,

timely, patient-centered, efficient and equitable. The goal of equity requires that we understand health status and assess disparities among our

members, to address improvements. This work is critically important to Kaiser Permanente’s Quality Agenda, as well as our social mission

and favorably positioning the organization in the competitive marketplace.

THOMAS W. CHAPMANPresident and CEO, The HSC Foundation

We serve on one of the most unique boards in corporate America. Not only are we among the nation’s

top three percent of boards of major corporations with respect to diversity, we are also among the cor-

porate governance elite with respect to professional diversity expertise. This rare combination brings an

added dimension to our deliberations on diversity direction and governance. It also ensures that diversity

is a central consideration, fully integrated into deliberations involving other aspects of the company’s

business. Some of us serve as consultants to corporations on diversity matters in our professional voca-

tions. Others write and conduct research and present at national forums, including Kaiser Permanente’s National Diversity Conference, as

functional diversity experts. Diversity is viewed through a critical and informed lens at the Kaiser Permanente board level.

Establishing the elimination of health disparities as an organizational priority is critical from both opera-

tional and governance perspectives as it relates to Kaiser Permanente’s mission. Providing professional

language services for members and patients with limited English proficiency is an essential component of

this policy. Latino and Asian populations represent large proportions of Kaiser Permanente’s membership.

As the fastest growing segments of the overall population, these groups will comprise increasingly larger proportions of the organization’s

future membership. The nexus between care access and health outcomes is clear. Expanding the number of bilingual and bicultural health

care professionals and providing effective interpreter and translation services will lead to improved quality of care, better member/doctor

communication, greater patient understanding and compliance and, ultimately, improved care outcomes. Competent language services are

a key component of the organization’s efforts to eliminate health disparities.

CYNTHIA A. TELLES, MDDirector, Spanish Speaking Psychosocial Clinic, Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital

Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences; School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles

Some Thoughts from the Board




As an organization, Kaiser Permanente has been doing a lot of very important work to promote ethnic and minority health, which, as a whole, is worse than that of the general population. To cite just a few of the alarming statistics:• Although African Americans

account for only 13 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 40 percent of the AIDS cases diagnosed since the start of the epidemic and approximately half of the cases diagnosed in 2004 alone.

• The rate of Type II diabetes among Latinos is double the rate for Caucasians, and people with diabetes are more likely to have heart disease or stroke.

• According to the Census Bureau, in 2004, 32.7 percent of Hispanics lacked health insurance, and 21.9 percent lived in poverty.

“Kaiser Permanente is well-positioned and prepared as an orga-nization, to tackle the issue of disparity in health and health care,” said Bernard Tyson, executive vice president. “And we’re weaving this important challenge into the fabric of our work.” Tyson, along with Ray Baxter, senior vice president, Community Benefit; Ron Knox, vice president and chief diversity officer; and Ron Copeland, MD, executive medical director in Ohio; is spear-heading Kaiser Permanente’s response to this challenge. Currently, Kaiser Permanente cares for more than 1.25 mil-lion Latino members, 1 million African-American members, and 750,000 Asian and Pacific Islanders. “Given our experience caring for such a diverse patient popula-tion, we need to leverage our learnings and serve as a model for the entire health care industry,” said Tyson.

In April 2007, Kaiser Permanente took another formal step to demonstrate its commitment to eliminating health disparities. The Kaiser Permanente Program Group (KPPG)—the highest-ranking body within Kaiser Permanente—endorsed a Health Disparities Vision and Strategy Statement, which includes guiding principles and overarching strategies. The KPPG has already provided leadership in developing a policy to collect race-based data to ensure there are no health care disparities within Kaiser Permanente, and that immediate action be taken should we find that disparities exist. Endorsement of this vision and strategy statement means that senior leadership at all parts of the organization has signed off on this important work.

Making a Commitment and Following Through Up until now, the work to study and reduce disparities in health and health care has been driven by a lot of committed people and departments across Kaiser Permanente. Connecting “the dots” through a formal strategy allows Kaiser Permanente to leverage this important work across the organization. “The tough work is definitely ahead of us,” said Tyson. “Health care reform in America must address health disparities. Similarly, getting back to basics and focusing on quality, service, and afford-ability has many implications for eliminating disparities in health and health care. “To borrow the words of former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, MD, ‘this is a national problem; it’s not a minority problem. Disparities in health is America’s problem.’ These are exciting times, and I am proud to be part of an organization that cares and wants to make a difference.”

Bernard Tyson

Overcoming Disparities of Care Bernard Tyson, Executive Vice President, Health Plan and Hospital Operations

Kaiser Permanente’s regional presidents: (from left to right) Patricia Kennedy-

Scott, Ohio; Mary Ann Thode, Northern California; Andrew McCulloch, Northwest;

Janet Liang, Hawaii; Carolyn Kenny, Georgia; Donna Lynne, Colorado;

Benjamin Chu, Southern California; Marilyn J. Kawamura, Mid-Atlantic States.

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About Bernard Tyson: 23 Years of LeadershipBernard Tyson is executive vice president for health plan and hospital operations. He leads the eight presidents in the Kaiser Permanente regions. He is also a member of the National Leadership Team and the Executive Leadership Group. In addition, he is responsible for National Facility Services, Workplace Safety, Patient Care Services, and National Health Plan and Hospital Operations. Immediately prior to his current role, Tyson served as senior vice president of Brand Strategy & Management. The “Thrive” image advertising campaign launched under Tyson’s stewardship.




Perspectives on Diversity from Kaiser Permanente Leaders

BENJAMIN K. CHU, MDRegional President, Southern California

“The greatness of this country

comes from the power of the

tremendous diversity of our

people. The health care land-

scape in Southern California

is one of the most diverse in

the nation, a cacophony of languages and variety of ethnicities.

At Kaiser Permanente, we strive each day to provide culturally

responsive care to that diverse population. To do that, we must

respect our patients, understand their divergent backgrounds

and tailor our care to meet their individual needs. Our health

care team is recognized for its diversity, skill and compassion.

We share a common goal—to help our members to live healthy lives

and to thrive.”

MARILYN J. KAWAMURARegional President, Mid-Atlantic States

“At Kaiser Permanente of the

Mid-Atlantic States, we have a

commitment to the people we

serve: treating each person with

respect, compassion, and dig-

nity in order to achieve caring,

top-quality health care. In our metropolitan area—and the entire

health care industry—we are facing demographic changes, shifting

workforce needs and growing challenges in the delivery of personalized

care. At Kaiser Permanente, we are striving to meet these needs. We

are engaged in a wide variety of programs that enhance the diversity,

cultural competence and performance of our workforce. I am proud

to be part of an organization that values diversity and weaves cultural

competence into the fabric of its mission.”

PATRICIA KENNEDY-SCOTTRegional President, Ohio

“As part of our strategic planning process in the Ohio Region, we work to ensure that our business plans

are aligned with the varying needs of our members, build upon the contributions of our diverse staff, and

acknowledge and respond to the demands and expectations of our richly diverse community. The heart of

our commitment to diversity comes from a willingness and aspiration to listen to the needs and contribu-

tions of people as individuals—seeing beyond their connection to any particular demographic.

“In our health care centers, this means ensuring that every member is served by providers who can

relate to the patient in a culturally appropriate manner. In our community, this means cultivating and growing strong partnerships that

provide opportunities to understand and participate in meeting the distinct needs of our residents and employers.

“Achieving culturally competent care and respecting diversity begin with hiring and training employees who share our organization’s

values. By hearing, articulating, embracing, and celebrating our differences we can nurture respect for each other and come together as a

team to provide personalized care to those we serve.”




Kathy LancasterExecutive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals

As chief financial officer,

Kathy Lancaster partners with

other key leaders to drive

organization-wide transfor-

mation, performance, and

strategy. For Lancaster, finance

is no different than the rest of

Kaiser Permanente when it

comes to the importance of

diversity.

“We are all part of a very

diverse society, and potential

employees are going to look

at us to see if we reflect

the world around us,” says

Lancaster. “We believe that a diverse workforce enables us to

achieve the best results because we get the benefit of hearing dif-

ferent and valuable perspectives. In finance, we regularly review

where we are in terms of the diversity of our entire team, and we

are always looking to add to our breadth and depth.“

To increase the pipeline of diverse candidates, finance sponsors

and plays an active role in events such as the Finance/Accounting

and MBA Diversity Summit, which is intended to let potential

employees learn more about Kaiser Permanente.

Finance is also involved more directly. For example, Senior Vice

President Larry Wilson has served for four years on the board of

directors of INROADS, a not-for-profit committed to increasing the

representation of Blacks, Hispanics/Latinos, and Native American

Indians in corporate America. Each summer, in Northern California

alone, Kaiser Permanente sponsors up to 30 college interns from a

variety of academic disciplines. In recent years, an increasing number

of these students have taken post-undergraduate positions in Kaiser

Permanente’s finance organization.

Says Lancaster, “We have been a leader for a very long time in

creating excellent care for a very diverse set of people. It is critical

that our workforce reflects the diversity of our membership and the

communities we serve.”

Lancaster oversees the controller’s office, treasury, procure-

ment and supply, financial shared services functions, and strategic

planning, as well as the finance teams of the revenue cycle function,

Sarbanes-Oxley implementation, KP OneLink, Kaiser Permanente’s

enterprise resource planning system, and information technology.

She also provides financial leadership for the pharmacy group,

national facilities organization, and each of Kaiser Permanente’s

eight geographic regions.

A veteran health care executive with 25 years’ industry experi-

ence, Lancaster spent several years as vice president of Network

Management for the Prudential Insurance Company’s western

region before joining Kaiser Permanente in 1998.

Kathy Lancaster

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

peting for talent to fill jobs in an industry that is perhaps the fastest growing in the private sector.” Kaiser Permanente’s workforce comprises 52% people of color. In the 1940s and 1950s, Kaiser Permanente set industry precedents in equal employment opportunity and affirmative action. But like other companies, it has a ways to go in making sure the workforce that serves its members mirrors the diversity of its members. Just over five percent of Kaiser Permanente physicians are African-American, for instance, compared to nearly 13 percent of the American population (12.8 percent according to the U.S. Census Bureau).

How is Kaiser Permanente Building the Workforce of Tomorrow?“In order to succeed in a globalized economy, we need to be proac-tive in thinking about how we employ and deploy our talent,”

Lon O’Neil

BUILDING THE WORKFORCE OF THE FUTURE…TODAYLaurence G. O’Neil, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Workforce Diversity: A Core Value in Finance

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DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE

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

KP NATIONAL WORKFORCE WOMEN PEOPLE OF COLOR

Total Employees 74.2% 54.2%

KP Board of Directors 35.7% 50%

Officials and Managers 66.2% 35.9%

Professionals 72.3% 47.4%

Executives 44.7% 19.5%

Physicians 38.6% 43.7%

KP National Diversity Council 33.3% 86.6%

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

diversity is a priority in leadership development and talent management agendas.

Engaging Employees

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

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

Poster from Kaiser Permanente’s ongoing “I Believe”

recruitment campaign, first launched in 2005.

I believeIN CRUNCHES

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

Eddie Wills, Jr., MD




Personal and Professional Perspectives of Kaiser Permanente’s Diversity

Louise Liang, MDSenior Vice President for Quality & Clinical Systems Support

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

Louise Liang, MD

Diversity as Critical to Kaiser Permanente’s Brand

Diane Gage Lofgren, Senior VP, Brand Strategy, Communications, and Public Relations

As the senior vice president, Brand Strategy, Communications and Public Relations, Diane Gage Lofgren knows that “Diversity is central to Kaiser Permanente.” Lofgren leads the critical work associated with repositioning Kaiser Permanente in the hearts and minds of its key stakeholders, and leads and directs all work associ-ated with stewardship and oversight of the Kaiser Permanente brand. Lofgren also leads the broad array of national communications, media relations, issues manage-ment, and public relations activities for Kaiser Permanente. Diversity plays a key role in that work. “Our brand is a mirror of who we are, what we do, and what we stand for,” she explains. “We work to ensure that all of our marketing, advertising, and commu-

nications are reflective of the broad spectrum of ethnicity, genders, and cultures represented by our workforce, members, and the communities we serve. Our brand position of Total Health is borne out of our desire to help everyone achieve health in mind, body and spirit.” Prior to joining the organization, she was senior vice president of Marketing and Communications at Sharp HealthCare, a $1.6 billion not-for-profit integrated delivery system serving San Diego County. She has pub-lished seven books and written scores of national magazine articles discussing topics ranging from business and personal relationships to management and marketing.

Diane Gage Lofgren




hen the National Diversity Council was first created in 1992, its initial

purpose was to provide senior-level oversight and implementation support for Kaiser Permanente’s national diversity agenda. Since then, Kaiser Permanente has evolved its diversity orientation from a focus on awareness, education, and compliance to one of cultural competency, elimination of health care disparities, and market lead-ership. Likewise, the National Diversity Council has evolved to formulate strategic diversity policy.

Educational Theatre Program performs at Annual Diversity Conference.

National Diversity a rich heritage and promising future

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THE NATIONAL DIVERSITY AGENDA: HELPING TO FOCUS KAISER PERMANENTE’S EFFORTSDiversity is a defining characteristic of the Kaiser Permanente organization. According to Ronald Knox, vice president and chief diversity officer,

“Some have said that diversity is in the organization’s DNA.” From a rich history of diversity firsts in the industry—including hiring women

physicians and physicians of color during the pre-civil rights era and providing medical care in racially integrated facilities when racial segre-

gation was the prevailing societal practice—to sustained efforts to integrate diversity into every aspect of daily business operations, Kaiser

Permanente has distinguished itself as an inclusive, socially-conscious organization focused on its members, patients and communities.

To maintain and enhance that diversity focus, Kaiser Permanente has developed a detailed, CEO-approved and mandated National Diversity

Agenda. The agenda began as a multidimensional, forward-looking strategy that went beyond traditional workforce diversity to include focus

on two additional, critically important components of the organization’s operations: care delivery and the marketplace.

“The National Diversity Agenda authors crafted a strategy that responded to the projected population shifts, existing diversity in key

geographical business sectors, and how, proactively, diversity assets could be developed, refined, and leveraged to achieve business goals,”

Knox says.

Today, Kaiser Permanente’s National Diversity Agenda is comprised of three interlinking cornerstones:

1. Grow membership through effective market segmentation approaches that target specific

populations that are the fastest growing segments of society.

2. Provide culturally competent medical care and culturally appropriate service to improve the

health and satisfaction of an increasingly diverse membership.

3. Enhance the diversity, cultural competence, skill, and performance of the workforce.

Within this framework, Knox says, “literally hundreds of diversity initiatives have been developed to imple-

ment the National Diversity Agenda in each of the company’s eight geographical regions and the national

headquarters.”

Knox points out that the Agenda also established the infrastructure necessary for its successful imple-

mentation and sustainability. “The essential components of this infrastructure include the National Diversity

Council, a senior executive body responsible for diversity policy and direction; the National Diversity Office,

responsible for diversity operations and development of national initiatives; and the regional diversity directors, multicultural staff associations

and diversity councils that establish regional diversity priorities,” he says.

Although the scope of the initiatives under each cornerstone of Kaiser Permanente’s National Diversity Agenda varies widely, Knox says

there is one constant: “Central to the success of each initiative, and ultimately the success of the National Diversity Agenda, are the people

of Kaiser Permanente. It is through their skills, efforts, commitment, and passion that diversity has become an integral part of the Kaiser

Permanente brand.”

Kaiser Permanente’s National Diversity Logo.


NATIONAL DIVERSITYSpecial Feature :: Kaiser Permanente


TToday, Kaiser Permanente’s National Diversity Council—along with the National Diversity office— promotes, supports, and assists the regions in implementing the Board of Director’s mandate and agenda. “The Council carries out this accountability by being an advo-cate, an internal consultant, and providing policy formulation, stra-tegic direction and content exper-tise as it relates to the three pillars of

the national diversity agenda,” explains Council co-chair Ronald L. Copeland, MD, FACS, who also leads the Council’s strategy devel-opment forums. These pillars are: • Growing membership through effective market

segmentation approaches that target the fastest-growing segments of our society,

• Providing culturally competent medical care and service to improve the health and satisfaction of an increasingly diverse membership, and

• Enhancing the diversity, cultural competence, skill and performance of the Kaiser Permanente workforce.

According to Dr. Copeland, the National Diversity Council has developed a strategic plan that covers more than 50 initiatives necessary to successfully implement Kaiser Permanente’s strategic diversity agenda. For example, Council action led to adoption

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

Kaiser Permanente’s National Diversity Council:

Governance of the Diversity Agenda

Ronald Copeland, MD, FACS, co-leads Kaiser Permanente’s National Diversity Council.

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

Kaiser Permanente’s 2007 National Diversity Conference

Celebrating a Commitment to Diversity for 30 years!

George Halvorson, Kaiser Permanente president and CEO, at the 2006 conference.

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About Ronald CopelandRonald Copeland, MD, FACS, is also a board certified surgeon; Chairman of the Executive Committee for the Permanente Federation; President and Executive Medical Director of the Ohio Permanente Group; and a nationally acknowledged expert on health disparities among minority populations.




Conference attendees think collectively during a workshop.

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

Just a couple of the many displays at the conference

that capture the significance of

diversity at Kaiser Permanente.

External organizations and other entities have acknowledged Kaiser Permanente’s diversity leadership and advocacy with awards and other recog-nition. Included below are some of the recent acknowledgements:

• Innovation and Excellence in Community Leadership Award—America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP)

• Top 50 Companies for Diversity—DiversityInc (2007; 2006)• 100% Rating: Corporate Equality Index—Human Rights Campaign (2007;

2006; 2005)• Top Corporations for Asian Americans—Asian Enterprise Magazine• Diversity Leadership Award—Diversity Best Practices• International Innovations in Diversity Award—Profiles in Diversity Journal• Employer of Choice (Western Region)—Minority Corporate Counsel

Association (MCCA)• In-house Counsel Diversity Award—California Minority Counsel Program

(CMCP)• Recognizing Innovation in Multicultural Health Care Award—National

Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)• Bronze Telly Award—Understanding Cultural Framework of

Communication

Kaiser Permanente recognizes individuals and organizations that have dis-tinguished themselves through diversity excellence. Below are notable Kaiser Permanente awards for diversity presented annually to deserving recipients.

• Diversity Hall of Fame—Inductees into the Kaiser Permanente Diversity Hall of Fame are employee and physi-cian trailblazers whose courage, integ-rity and commitment have advanced principles and practices of inclusion, fairness and equity, equal opportunity, and cultural competency and aware-ness. In doing so, they have inspired others to follow in their footsteps.

• The R.J. Erickson Diversity Achievement Awards—The R.J. Erickson Diversity Achievement Awards are presented to those who demonstrate exemplary efforts to advance Kaiser Permanente’s Diversity Agenda. Named in honor of Robert J. Erickson, former General Counsel and Secretary and Senior Vice President for Legal and Government Relations, the awards recognize meritorious achieve-ment in the fields of culturally compe-tent care, cultural and linguistic service excellence, workforce diversity, mul-ticultural marketing and community service. Robert Erickson provided nearly 40 years of distinguished service to Kaiser Permanente and continues to be an unwavering advocate for diversity. Kaiser Permanente established the R.J. Erickson Awards for diver-sity in his honor and to recognize the efforts of employees and physicians who emulate his spirit in advancing innovative and impactful initiatives that enhance the diversity excellence of the organization.

• The HIV/AIDS Awards—The HIV/AIDS Awards recognize effective, innovative, and replicable practices in HIV/AIDS community service, leadership and excellence in HIV care delivery within the United States. Award recipients have distinguished themselves, often overcoming consid-erable obstacles, in providing advocacy, service and care in the fight to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

These prestigious awards sym-bolize Kaiser Permanente’s com-mitment to diversity as a core organizational value, and the means by which we achieve our mission and grow the business.

DIVERSITY AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Diversity Hall of Fame Awards

Lisbeth Fletcher, of KP’s Mid-Atlantic States Region, accepts an R.J. Erickson Diversity Achievement Award.

Senior Vice President of HR Lon O’Neil presents the R.J. Erickson Award to Edie Urteaga of the Northern California Region.

Also pictured is Bob Erickson for whom the award is named.




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

Centers of Excellence in Culturally Competent CareNine Centers of Excellence in Culturally Competent Care advance the institute’s goal by sharing expertise within Kaiser Permanente and throughout the health care community. “These centers show how trained staff, able to explore issues of culture, race, and ethnicity, contribute to positive health outcomes and the reduction of racial and ethnic health disparities for our members,” says Dr. Tervalon. “The centers’ research efforts are dedicated to dem-onstrating the universal applicability of the patient-centered, culturally skilled, quality care that is at the heart of cultural competence.”

The Center of Excellence in Kaiser Permanente’s Ohio RegionConcentrating on health disparities in the African-American population, Kaiser Permanente Ohio’s Center of Excellence helps regional physicians strengthen their cultural competency skills to improve cardiovascular health among African-American patients. To meet this objective, the Center completed an internal assessment on the level of cultural competency within the workforce. The results

The Institute for Culturally Competent Care:

Embracing Cultural Diversity in Providing Health Care Services

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

Partnership with INROADS Produces Opportunities

INROADS is a national nonprofit program that began in 1970 to provide

underrepresented college students of color with business experience oppor-

tunities. The organization recruits these students, enrolled in four-year college

programs, to serve as interns in organizations where they can learn applicable

skills and perspectives to help them succeed in the business world.

The Kaiser Permanente partnership with INROADS, which began in

1987 with five interns, is unique in several respects, including job shadowing

opportunities and bi-monthly peer group meetings where Kaiser Permanente

leadership, including senior executives, offer valuable advice. There are schol-

arships and several opportunities for interns to network with each other

throughout their stay.

Interns from Kaiser Permanente’s INROADS program.

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

Latino American Center of Excellence in Culturally Competent Care kick-off, Hispanic Heritage Month at Prince Georges Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States. Pictured back row (l to r): Karen Pugh, Medical facility administrator; Monica Villalta, Director of Diversity Programs; Martin Portillo, MD, Latino American Center of Excellence Champion; front row (seated); Melanie Tervalon, MD, MPH, Director for the Kaiser Permanente National Diversity Institute for Culturally Competent Care.

San Francisco is a multiethnic, multicultural city. It is this multiculturalism that makes this city unique, dynamic and fun to live and work in. Multiculturalism also challenges the way we think and interact with each other. It offers tremendous opportunities for us to share, learn and grow from this rich interaction. We realize that many of the cultures share similarities and yet are very different. Our goal is to provide health care services to meet the diverse needs of our member population. To achieve this goal, we must have a good understanding of our members’ cultures, their beliefs, values, and customs. Fundamentally, we need to be able to communicate in their languages. At our San Francisco medical center, we are proud of our dedicated physicians and staff who reflect the communities we serve. Just to give you an idea of the wealth of the center’s diversity, there are more than 40 different languages and dialects spoken by the staff. This type of representation gives us the strength and ability to serve our diverse membership, which represents over 60 different languages. Kaiser Permanente’s San Francisco Center of Excellence (SFCOE) is well recognized in the industry for its linguistic and cultural services program and products. The Linguistic and Cultural Services Department (also known as Multicultural Services) was established in 1996 to systematically facilitate understanding and communication among people of different cultures speaking different languages in a health care setting. The following are some of the linguistic services provided by the medical center:

• Qualified bilingual staff and bilingual clinicians• Language-specific modules staffed with bilingual employees and physicians• Language-specific pharmacy services• Certified staff interpreter services• Professional translation services• Chinese and Spanish member newsletters• Chinese Interpreter Call Center serving the Northern California Regions’ appointment and advice centers.

QUICK FACTS:• Averaged 35,000 interpretation encounters handled by certified staff interpreters• Averaged 2,000 interpretation encounters handled by contracted interpreters• Over 50,000 calls handled by certified staff interpreters through the Chinese Interpreter Call Center

SAN FRANCISCO CENTER OF ExCELLENCE FOR LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL SERVICES Linguistic & Cultural Services…Bridging Cultures and Languages—from Programs to Service Delivery!

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

Kaiser Permanente’s membership is a microcosm of the diversity representing our nation and world, encompassing 120 different languages and dialects, according to Gayle Tang, Director of National Linguistic and Cultural Programs. “For members whose primary or preferred language is other than English, our ability to provide patient-centered care is challenged when we cannot com-municate effectively,” she explains. “Our members also bring an array of cultural values, beliefs, and health practices, which heighten the complexity of ensuring meaningful access to care.” To address this challenge, Kaiser Permanente employs a systems approach to meeting the diverse needs of members and their respective communities. “We work towards delivering linguistically and cul-

turally appropriate services at every point of contact,” Tang says. She highlights two successful examples of this approach: the Health Care Interpreter (HCI) Certificate Program and the Qualified Bilingual Staff (QBS) Model and Program, award-winning initiatives that focus on building internal and community capacity to serve limited-English proficient (LEP) patients.

The Health Care Interpreter (HCI) Certificate ProgramWhen qualified health care interpreters are not available, unqualified ‘ad hoc’ interpreters, such as children and untrained bilingual staff, are pressed into service. Improper interpretation increases patient confusion, jeopardizes safety, inflicts dis-tress, and is costly to any organization. In response to this need, Kaiser Permanente established the HCI Certificate Program, a college-level training program designed to provide accreditation stan-dards for interpreters serving LEP members and patients. Now in its 11th year in partnership with City College of San Francisco, Kaiser Permanente’s nationally acclaimed HCI Program is a cost-effective and innovative approach that addresses the growing needs of linguistically and culturally diverse communities. Says Tang, “Partnerships with educational institutions provide a unique practice-oriented curriculum with a strong academic focus in alignment with our organizational standards.” To ensure successful replication of the Program, Kaiser Permanente trained more than 100 college-level instructors through the National Linguistic & Cultural Programs’ HCI Instructor Institute. To date, the HCI model partnership and training program is now at work in 15 states. More than 1,000 health care interpreters representing 14 different language groups have graduated from the Program. “A num-ber of graduates work in other health care organizations in addition to other fields, such as education and social services, enhancing workforce diversity beyond our organization,” Tang adds.

The Qualified Bilingual Staff (QBS) Model and ProgramTang describes the QBS Model as “our workforce diversity and development program designed to provide staff and providers with ongoing education and training in linguistically and culturally competent care. It leverages our organization’s greatest asset, the people of Kaiser Permanente—our principal linguistic and cultural experts.” She goes on to say that the QBS Model recognizes that diversity itself does not equal linguistic and cultural competency in the workforce. “The goal of the Qualified Bilingual Staff (QBS) Model is to identify, qualify, educate and enhance, mobilize, and monitor an internal workforce as a key strategy to improve health outcomes and eliminate health care disparities.” The QBS Model enhances bilingual communication within the staff and provider’s scope of practice or clinical specialty. Four of Kaiser Permanente’s Regions use the QBS Model and Program in collaboration with the Labor Management Partnership. “It continues to expand throughout our Program,” Tang says. “Now with over 4,000 employees qualified to serve, our organization is improving service delivery throughout the entire care continuum, ranging from customer service areas to specialized clinical settings.”

Students in Kaiser Permanente’s Health Care Interpreter Certification classes in San Francisco.

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Kaiser Permanente medical centers and office buildings provide directional signs in several languages to better serve non-English speaking members.

Director of National Linguistic & Cultural Programs, Gayle Tang, and Language Coach, Dan Kwan (second and third from right, seated) with a group of Cantonese speaking students from the HCI certification program.




Staff Associations Benefit Kaiser Permanente and its Workforce By bringing together employees and physicians with similar ethnic or cultural backgrounds, employees with disabilities, or lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees, Kaiser Permanente’s staff associations create a tremendous resource for both the organization and the workforce. Through structured partnering, staff association activities across the regions help move the diversity agenda forward and strengthen critical ties to the community. To benefit the workforce, staff associations advocate for programs and approaches that increase recruiting, hiring, development, and promotion of diverse employee groups. They promote and enhance professional development and networking opportunities and provide a vital link to retired employees, who maintain their advocacy of the Program.Partnering with Human Resources, staff associations support Kaiser Permanente’s recruiting efforts by: • Identifying universities and colleges as appropriate sources of diverse employees

for campus recruiting programs and outreach • Identifying professional associations and Internet sites that attract diverse

candidate pools • Attending campus recruiting and professional association events • Supporting mentorship retention and upward mobility programs • Coordinating scholarship programs for targeted populations • Sponsoring Youth Career Days and School-to-Work activities and programs • Providing educational forums for professional development of association

members • Serving as candidate sources for leadership succession planning Staff associations provide culture-specific feedback to Kaiser Permanente leaders on health issues affecting affinity group communities. This feedback can lead to improved satisfaction, retention and growth of members. Staff association members also participate in racial- and ethnic-specific focus groups which assess care quality and cultural competencies, enabling the organization to more accurately evaluate new products and services for targeted populations.

Marketing Working with marketing leaders, staff association mem-bers provide input into multicultural marketing strategies and participate in media activities, marketing surveys and identifying high potential advertising sources.

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

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KP Pride—Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender

Association members.

Chuck McAvoy, KP Network Telephony Lead Carrier, Infrastructure Development.

DR. JUDY LIVELYBLAzING TRAILS FOR THE LGBT COMMUNITY

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

Judy Lively, MD,Physician-In-Chief,

Diablo Service Area

Members of Kaiser Permanente’s African American Professionals Association.




A

Supplier Diversity:

A Priority at Kaiser Permanente

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

MEET THE BUYERS (from left to right): Northern California Supplier Development Council President Michael Ruiz; Kaiser Permanente NSD Director Katie Luk; Kaiser Permanente Chief Procurement Officer Dean Edwards; NSD Senior Consultant Pat Patterson; Intraline President Pete Varma; and Kaiser Permanente’s interim VP of Supply Chain Skip Skivington. The event was held in April 2006.

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COMMUNITY BENEFITSpecial Feature :: Kaiser Permanente


I

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

“Improving the health of our communities is at the heart of who we are,” says Ray Baxter, senior vice president of Community Benefit. “Kaiser Permanente provides subsidized health coverage for more than 50,000 Americans. We partner with public health departments and clinics, providing vulnerable popula-tions with access to quality healthcare.” Kaiser Permanente is also working to bridge the increasing health care disparity gap. This initiative, “Universal Coverage Now,” has the goal of providing coverage for all California residents, with plans to expand the program nationwide. In 2006, Kaiser Permanente invested $644 million to provide health care to the uninsured or underin-sured through traditional charity care, free or subsidized coverage, and enrollment in public programs such as Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Medicare’s Limited-Income Subsidy. But Baxter adds that universal access to care won’t solve everything. “Good health

is more than just going to a doctor,” he asserts. “It’s preven-tion, it’s good nutrition, it’s activity, it’s exercise, it’s good mental health, it’s mentoring, it’s community building.” That’s why Kaiser Permanente’s Community Benefit efforts extend to: • Empowering and educating young people. “Our educational

theater program spreads the word (to teenagers) about healthy eating and exercise.”

• Increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables in our com-munities. “We sponsor farmer’s markets across the country and now have farmer’s markets at 32 KP hospitals and medical office buildings across six states.”

• Being involved in studies looking at ways to reduce obesity, the role of racial and ethnic disparities in diabetes complications, and how parents’ perceptions of neighborhood safety affect their children’s physical activity.

“We know these goals are within our reach, because we see successes and accom-plishments on every front,” Baxter says. For example, since 2005, the National Institutes of Health have funded Kaiser Permanente’s Division of Research to conduct the Diabetes Study of Northern California. “Through access to a large, diverse population of Kaiser Permanente patients, this study is deepening our understanding of what drives disparities and how to close the gap.” Kaiser Permanente has also developed the A.L.L. program—an acronym for the generic drugs Aspirin, Lisinopril, and Lovastatin. Studies show the program reduces cardiovascular risk for those with diabetes. In 2006, the A.L.L. protocol was initiated with 600 uninsured patients—most of whom were Latino or African-American, groups that are twice as likely to be impacted by diabetes. This safety net partnership addresses the disproportionate impact of diabetes on minorities. “Kaiser Permanente is committed to providing leadership in eliminating ethnic and racial health disparities,” Baxter says. “We strive to provide equitable care to our mem-bers, target resources to areas of need in our communities, and identify and implement policies that support equity in health nationwide.

Raymond Baxter, Senior Vice President,

Community Benefit

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KP RESPONSE TO KATRINA MET IMMEDIATE AND LONG-TERM NEEDS

In the days immediately after Hurricane

Katrina, Kaiser Permanente responded

to the relief effort by making a financial

pledge of $3 million, dispatching two

clinical teams to treat patients at the

Houston Astrodome evacuation center,

and donating hundreds of volunteer

hours from employees.

In addition, employees contributed

$170,463 to the relief effort when

Kaiser Permanente allowed them to

donate the cash value of accrued

vacation time. Over the two-year span

of Kaiser Permanente’s continuing relief

efforts in the Gulf Coast region, more

than 2,000 Kaiser Permanente employ-

ees and physicians signed up to volun-

teer. These relief efforts are only one

tangible sign of Kaiser Permanente’s

established commitment to community

service and volunteerism.

Thirty physicians and employees from across KP assemble after cleaning up a hurricane-

damaged park in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Community Benefit Improving the health of communities

K




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

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

GLOBAL MOMENTUM

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

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

The Breast Cancer Research Stamp, designed by Ethel Kessler, was first offered for sale in 1998.

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

ing surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and on-site bilingual interpreters. On an average surgery day, volunteers treat around 10 patients, but Operation Access recently added “Super Surgery” days to their schedule. On a Super Surgery Day at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, 100 volunteers performed 33 surgeries. Typical Operation Access patients are working adults with no health insurance. Seventy percent are Latino with an average annual income of $21,000 for a family of four. Sixty-five percent require interpreter services, and more than half are women. Not earning enough to purchase health insurance, but earning too much to qualify for government insurance programs, these patients fall through the cracks in our nation’s health care system. Although Operation Access was the first organization to offer low-risk elective surgeries to the uninsured in the United States, similar organizations are emerging across the country. Operation Access supports this trend and supplies inquiring organizations with the tools and resources required for start-up.

OPERATION ACCESS: AN INTERIM SOLUTION FOR AMERICA’S UNINSURED




I

WHEN Kaiser Permanente physician Gail Wagner, MD, first vis-ited the Ugenya region of Kenya in 2003, access to health care was limited to one doctor for over 35,000 people, 40 percent of the population had active AIDS or was HIV positive, health education and awareness was almost nonexistent, and the nearest hospital was three hours away and prohibitively expensive. During that first visit, she met Daniel Ogola, founder of the Community Support Group (CSG), an African nonprofit organization engaging local youth in community development and improvement. Ogola grew up in the Ugenya area but after high school moved to Nairobi, where he founded CSG. Preserving his connection to his home community, he started a branch of CSG in Ugenya as well. When he discovered that Wagner was a doctor, Ogola invited her to bring her colleagues to visit several local medical clinics. Before visiting the clinics, Dr. Wagner, her husband, and three colleagues established Matibabu Foundation (the Swahili word for treatment.) In September 2004, accompanied by seven other physi-cians, most of whom were from Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Wagner and her group staffed 10 free medical clinics, treating more than 5,000 people for malaria, typhoid, tuberculosis, and other infections. Since 2004, Wagner and more than 25 Kaiser Permanente physicians and staff have used vacation time and personal finances to provide free medical care to thousands of Kenyans every year.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE A CONTINENT AWAY Since 2004, the Foundation has created two permanent clinics staffed with Kenyan professionals that serve a client base of at least 7,000 people. Other con-tributions include an HIV/AIDS program impacting the epidemic through education, prevention, detection and treatment; a project that ensures over 10,000 schoolchildren are de-wormed every four months; distribution of insecticide-treated malaria nets to prevent malaria in pregnant women and young children; job training and sexual assault counseling for women; and a garden project that encourages the community to grow healthy food. Dr. Wagner attributes much of the Foundation’s success to its grass-roots base. In addition to the many amazing doctors involved with the foundation, “the local people support Matibabu and its work and are responsible for its success.” Future dream projects for the Foundation include building a local hospital and setting up students-in-residence rotation programs with schools in the U.S. and Kenya. Using her personal funds and small donations, Dr. Wagner says the long-term plan is to figure out how to keep the Foundation growing and funded. “We started small but now we need to apply for grants and expand our donor base to continue making a difference in so many lives.”

The Matibabu Foundation members: Stephanie Gehrke, RN; Annette Chenevey, CRNA; Ram Ramachandra, MD; Ahmed Alkoraishi, MD; Amanda Schoenberg, MD; Betsy Watson, MD; George Martin, PhD; Dan Ogola; Gail Wagner, MD; Dick Thompson, MD; Norma Bozzini, MD;

Rick Kuno, MD; Shabnam Kapur, MD; Susan Jacobson, MD; and Will Hawk, MD.

KP Physicians Volunteer Time, Funds to Treat Impoverished Kenyans

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

communities underserved, further advancing the Kaiser Permanente legacy that parallels Dr. King’s values. “When the National Diversity Council initially proposed the MLK day of volunteerism, they envisioned an initiative that would not only demonstrate Kaiser Permanente’s dedication to community service, but one that would also honor the long-lasting legacy of Dr. King,” says James Taylor, PhD, director, diversity strategy implemen-tation. “It’s a wonderful commitment by our organization’s leader-ship, as well as the thousands of Kaiser Permanente volunteers across the Program.” Slated annually for the third Monday in January, the

event is of symbolic importance and practical significance to Kaiser Permanente. It sends a compelling message to the community and the Kaiser Permanente workforce about our values as an organization, and places valuable resources into the community to advance worthwhile causes. It also affords an opportunity to acknowledge and raise awareness of Kaiser Permanente’s tradition of inclu-sion, diversity, and community benefit, and demonstrates the organization’s alignment with the ideals of community welfare and service so eloquently articulated and impressed upon the world’s consciousness by Dr. King.

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


DIVERSITY HERITAGESpecial Feature :: Kaiser Permanente


DDiversity as an organizational value was born when the Henry J. Kaiser shipyards employed the first women ever to help build ships, starting in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, and then in Richmond, California. This was followed with employment of an esti-mated 20,000 African Americans, along with many Chinese Americans, Native Americans and Hispanic Americans, in addition to Americans with roots in dozens of nations. In fact, when the first Victory Ship of the Portland shipyard, the SS United Victory, was launched, diversity was celebrated by women shipyard workers dressed for the ceremony in the attire of their countries of origin. In all, these women represented 28 nations in addi-tion to the United States. These were Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Holland, Honduras, India, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, the Philippine Islands, Poland, Russia and Yugoslavia.

Hiring Disabled War VeteransOne remarkable story of diversity led ultimately to Kaiser Permanente’s first documented community benefit project to help bring veterans disabled by wartime injuries into the American workforce at the end of World War II. That story began in early 1942, when young graduates of the Washington State School for the Deaf were turned down for jobs at the Kaiser Shipyard in Vancouver. When members of the deaf community informed Edgar F. Kaiser, Henry Kaiser’s son who was in charge of the Vancouver shipyard, he ordered the hiring of deaf workers. Over the next year, workers with varied disabilities joined the shipyard workforce up and down the West Coast. “Then came the great discovery,” said a Kaiser shipyards employ-ee magazine, The Bo’s’n’s Whistle, in April 1943. “It was found that many so-called handicapped workers could find a place just as easily as the physically fit.” From this came Kaiser Permanente’s first documented commu-nity benefit program. Permanente physician Clifford Kuh studied

men and women with disabilities in the Richmond shipyards for the government’s War Manpower Commission. His focus was on what they could do, not what they couldn’t do. His findings were distrib-uted nationwide to help communities place disabled war veterans in jobs after the war.

Same Care for EveryoneThe spirit of diversity was infused into the medical care program from the outset, as described by founding physician Sidney R. Garfield in discussing his first meeting with Edgar Kaiser, who was responsible for bringing Dr. Garfield into partnership with the Kaiser industrial organization. “Edgar,” he said, “had strong feelings about how workers should be treated and about the need for a single class of medical care for everybody…his principles seemed so high to me that I was impressed.” The result was succinctly summed up by Nick Bourne, a San Francisco journalist who was the first news reporter to visit a Kaiser hospital in 1943 in Oakland. “Illness,” he wrote, “knows no color lines here.”

Kaiser Permanente’s Diversity Heritage: “Where People Come First, Illness Knows No Color Lines”

Born on the home front of World War II more than 60 years ago, Kaiser Permanente’s diversity is an enduring commitment.

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

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iversity is a defining characteristic of the Kaiser Permanente organization. According to Ronald Knox, vice president and chief diversity officer, “Some have said that diversity is in the organiza-

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

Diversity Heritage early inclusion, lasting legacy

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KAISER PERMANENTE’S DIVERSITY PIONEERSThe men and women who forged Kaiser Permanente’s early diversity heritage lived the Kaiser Permanente social mission, giving of themselves to improve the health of the community. Wendell Ralph Lipscomb, MD, a member of the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II, was the first African-American physician hired as an intern at Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Lipscomb was hired at the Oakland Medical Center in 1951. At the end of his one-year internship, he left Kaiser Permanente to train as a psychiatrist. He had a successful career practicing both in public health and at the Mendocino State Hospital. While there in 1959, he founded the Alcohol Research Group, which later moved to Berkeley and grew to become a leader in addiction research and policy. Ella Mae Simmons, MD, was the first African-American woman physician hired in The Permanente Medical Group and the founder of the first Kaiser Permanente staff associa-tion, the Kaiser African-American Professionals Association (KAAPA). Dr. Simmons received her first college degree, an RN degree, from Hampton University in Virginia. Because of the critical shortage of nurses

during World War II, she became an army nurse. It was her experience as a nurse in a segregated army and her encounters with racism in her native Ohio that determined her lifelong commitment to the struggle against racism. Following military service, Dr. Simmons earned a BS in biological sciences and an MA in social administration from Ohio State University. She had wanted to go into medical school, but Ohio State accepted only one non-white person into medical school per year. She finally received her MD from Howard Medical School in Washington, DC, at the age of 41. Dr. Simmons joined Kaiser Permanente San Francisco in 1955. She had wanted to live in San Francisco at the time, but faced housing discrimination. She later rallied for housing integration. After Dr. Simmons retired from Kaiser Permanente in 1989, she worked as a volunteer physician at The Martin Luther King Family Health Center in Richmond, providing medical care for the uninsured and under-insured. She also joined medical tours to Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Wendell Lipscomb, MD

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KP EMPLOYEE LED DISABLED ACCESS TO COMMUTER RAIL

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

Ella Mae Simmons, MD




ADDRESSING WOMEN’S HEALTH AND WORKPLACE ISSUES: A KP TRADITION

Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to women’s health dates from its earli-est days on the Homefront of World War II, when women were entering the wartime workforce in large numbers. From these roots has grown a powerful partnership with women in health and health care—a tradition of 60 years of health education, disease prevention, clinical excellence, and research in women’s health. Of the 400,000 or so workers who passed through the Kaiser yards, at times up to 25 percent of the work force there were women. In one yard, the number peaked at 60 percent! And Kaiser Permanente co-founder Henry Kaiser played a national lead-ership role in not just bringing women into the wartime workforce, but advocating for women staying on the job after the war. “Of course they will continue to work,” he bluntly declared. “Why shouldn’t they?” Similarly, Permanente physicians in the shipyard were among the first to recognize the need to help women build up stamina for the rigors of manual labor, including the heavy lifting and climbing required for welders.

Keeping Women WorkingThe workforce retention effort came on the recommendation of an early gynecologist, Hannah Peters, MD, when she learned that women welders, while they liked the work, were quitting in large numbers because they were not physically prepared for the strain. She recommended that a physi-cal training course be added at the shipyard welding school.

“The largest yard has accordingly erected a scaffolding outside the weld-ing school where the woman worker is taught how to climb different types of ladders, how to lift heavy loads, and how to climb with loads,” Clifford Kuh, MD, reported from the Richmond yards. “The program has cut down the number of early resignations.”

First to Offer Women’s Cancer DetectionIn this setting, with many women join-ing the shipbuilding labor force as welders, physicians started the first documented women’s cancer detec-tion clinic and a public health out-reach program in maternal and child hygiene, among others. It was an early and comprehensive illustration of Kaiser Permanente’s mission to improve the health of both its patients and the communities it serves. In addition to a general gynecologi-cal clinic at the Permanente Foundation Hospital in Oakland, Calif., every woman who visited also was seen at the cancer detection clinic. And, of course, the shipyard Rosies—and the men who worked alongside them—were among the earli-est members of Kaiser Permanente. It was their satisfaction with their care that encouraged pioneer Permanente physicians to keep the program going by opening it to the public at the end of the war in 1945.

Gladys Theus, a welder at the Richmond Shipyard during World War II

First Woman Physician PartnerBeatrice Lei, MD, the first woman physician partner in The Permanente Medical Group, joined Kaiser Permanente in 1946 as Assistant Chief of Pediatrics. Dr. Lei, who was born in Guandong, China, in April 1910, graduated from Hackett Medical College in Canton in 1932. She immigrated to the United States in 1939. Dr. Lei worked in several hospitals during World War II, ending up at the hospital at the Richmond shipyards. After the war

ended, she was approached by Dr. Sidney Garfield and Dr. Cecil Cutting to help them start a hospital, along with four other doctors. Once the hospital was in full swing, Dr. Lei frequently provided free care and medi-cine to poor people, with the blessings of her superiors. She hired and mentored many res-idents during her tenure with Kaiser Permanente, sharing with them her philosophy on care delivery: “You must treat people well, give compassion-ate care, and show respect.”

Dr. Lei retired from Kaiser Permanente Richmond in 1975, but con-tinued to provide free medical care to family friends and others who needed care but could not afford it.

Pediatrician Beatrice Lei attends to a patient. Dr. Lei was the first female partner in the Permanente Medical Group.

NO “PATIENTS” WITH SEGREGATION

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



JJim Rector, a good friend and publisher of Profiles in Diversity Journal, approached me

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

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

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

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

Thoughts Through the Office Door . . .By Carlton Yearwood

Chief Ethics and Diversity Officer Waste Management, Inc.

my turn

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www.wastemanagement.com


Thoughts Through the Office Door . . .

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

When you serve over 200 million weekly customers,

including 13 markets outside the U.S., diversity isn’t an

option. It’s not only the right thing to do – it’s the right

way to build your business. Our 1.9 million associates

need leadership in merchandising, marketing, information

services, �nance, and logistics. So we actively recruit

leaders with diverse backgrounds, individual skills,

and lots of enthusiasm. If that sounds like you, please

visit us at walmartstores.com/careers.

www.walmartstores.com/careers


Someone’S doing outStanding work at SHrm

Profiles in Diversity Journal j a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 8 51

This former model, a self-described beauty-pageant buff at heart, learned how

to compete at an early age, and perhaps her pageant experiences gave her the

ambition and determination to earn a Master’s degree in HR Management and

then a Ph.D. in Business Management.

A highly sought-after speaker, Dr. Davis knows diversity and inclusion inside out.

But there’s more to her than her HR knowledge, extensive though it may be. She’s

also a leadership expert, a mentor, a wise strategist and a visionary. Who better to

lead the D&I efforts at the membership organization that serves more than 230,000

HR professionals worldwide?

Please describe your organization’s global pres-

ence. Describe the scope and scale of SHRM to a

reader who may not be familiar with it.

Founded in 1948, SHRM has more than 225,000 individual members in over 125 countries. We have a network of more than 575 affiliated chapters in the United States as well as offices in China and India. SHRM’s mission is twofold: 1) to serve the needs of HR professionals by providing the most current and

comprehensive resources, thought leadership, strategies, and profes-sional development, and 2) to ad-vance the profession by promoting HR’s essential, strategic role.

How would you define work-

place diversity and inclusion as

it relates to the efforts within

your organization?

Workplace Diversity is the col-lective mixture of differences and

similarities that includes, for example, individual and organizational characteristics, values, beliefs, experi-ences, backgrounds, preferences and behaviors. Inclusion is the achievement of a work envi-ronment in which all individuals are treated fairly and respectfully; have equal access to opportunities and resources; and can contribute fully towards the organization’s success.

What are the main components of your D&I

program? Is the management of D&I programs

largely U.S.-based or present throughout the

worldwide organization?

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

Shirley Davis, Ph.D., has a lot on her plate as Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives for the Society for Human Resource Management, or SHRM.

OrganizatiOn name: Society for Human resource management (SHrm)

HeadquarterS: 1800 duke Street; alexandria, Va 22314

Web Site: www.shrm.org

Primary buSineSS Or induStry: Human resources membership organization

memberS WOrldWide: Over 230,000 in over 125 countries

Photo facing page by Ralph Alswang

www.shrm.org



The D&I Initiative is also included in our Balanced Score Card, which tracks and measures our success against goals. A percentage of in-centive compensation is tied to the achievement of these goals. Our D&I efforts have largely been U.S.-focused as that’s where the majority of our membership needs have originated. However, SHRM recognizes that we are in a global marketplace. In fact, we implemented an internationaliza-tion strategy several years ago. Currently SHRM has offices in China and India and has plans to continue to explore business opportunities in additional global markets.

How do you keep diversity a priority throughout the organiza-

tion? Specifically, how do you energize people or get their buy-in

for diversity?

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

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

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

interview Shirley davis SHrm

the daC represents employees from all divisions across SHrm.

the Office of diversity and the the diversity advisory Council (daC) collaborate on strategy.



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

CORPORATE LEADERSHIPWhat resources (financial and manpower) are allocated to diversity?

How do these reflect SHRM’s leadership commitment to diversity?

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

Does SHRM address diversity in its annual report? Is it important to

talk about diversity with shareholders?

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

Is diversity a compensable annual objective for the executive

management team? How do you reward special initiatives? What

accountability do you employ to meet objectives?

Yes. If SHRM achieves its objectives under the diversity initiative and the other strategic initiatives, a percentage of incentive compensation is awarded to staff. Additionally, Employee Engagement Survey results spe-cific to leadership competencies and building an inclusive, respectful and diverse workplace are tied to senior leaderships’ incentive compensation.

Do you have any programs in place to increase the cross-cultural

competence of your senior management team? Can mid-level

managers acquire similar training?

In 2007, SHRM employed a consulting firm to assess the senior manage-ment team’s cultural competence. The firm identified specific behaviors that high performing leaders demonstrate when building inclusive high performing organizations. In a three-hour session, we outlined spe-cific techniques and strategies that our leaders could use to increase their effectiveness. For example, leaders are encouraged to mentor others who are different from them and to keep an open mind for allowing mu-tual learning. As a result of the training, SHRM is instituting a learning community process that enables monthly discussions in small groups to explore issues related to Diversity and Inclusion and other leadership prac-tices. Additionally, training is provided for all SHRM employees through-out the year as well as through professional development opportunities outside of the organization.

When hiring or promoting people, how do you ensure that the indi-

vidual selected was chosen from a diverse group of candidates?

Our ultimate objective in hiring, selecting, and promoting people is to ensure that we’ve been prudent, fair, inclusive, and consistent in our practices. That means in addition to seeking the best skills, qualifications, backgrounds, education, and work experiences, we also value and ap-preciate diverse ideas, thoughts, personalities, communication styles, and approaches to work. We continue to examine the makeup of our organization to deter-


Collaborating with SHrm’s Chief Operating Officer, China gorman.

Facilitating diversity and inclusion training for SHrm’s Senior leadership team.

Photos this page by Steven Purcell



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

How are decisions about diversity made in your organization? Is

there a diversity council and who heads it up? Who participates?

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

What evidence makes you confident that you and your team have

developed momentum for the organization in the right direction?

What is the vision for SHRM in five years?

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

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

EMPLOYEE INCLUSIVENESSHow does your company gauge inclusion of employees? What are

the tests, measurements and benchmarks (metrics) that indicate

where the company is on the inclusion graph?

Each year the Employee Engagement Survey or a Pulse Survey is adminis-tered to all employees to assess their level of satisfaction and engagement in areas such as leadership, respect, inclusion, and diversity.

How are employees’ opinions solicited and valued? Do you

have a ‘suggestion box’ or other system, and who monitors

and responds?

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

interviewing one of the pioneers in the field, dr. r. roosevelt thomas, Jr.


Photos this page by Ralph Alswang

davis and Jai rodriguez, star of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.



Shirley Davis, Ph.D.OrganizationSociety for Human Resource Management

TitleDirector of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives

Years in current position1.5

EducationBachelor’s degree in pre-law; Master’s degree in Human Resource Administration; Ph.D. in Business and Organization Management

First jobFront office receptionist in a doctor’s office; Model

PhilosophyBetter to be prepared for an opportunity and never have one, than to have an opportunity and not be prepared. Treat every opportunity as a God-given gift to either be a blessing or to receive a blessing.

What I’m readingArticles on HR and Diversity to stay abreast of the latest research and trends; reposition yourself, by T.D. Jakes; What got you Here Won’t get you there, by Marshall Goldsmith.

FamilyA 13-year-old daughter and three siblings. I’m the oldest; I have three brothers. I’m a daddy’s girl and mom is my best friend. We have a very close-knit family.

InterestsMy personal motto is to live life with purpose and passion and to leave this life (when it’s time) with no regrets of what I should have or could have accomplished. I love motivational speaking, and I’ve had the opportunity over the past ten years to speak across the country and internationally. I spend quality time with my daughter whose interests include soccer, debate team, singing competitions, plays, and modeling. She’s a real chip off the old block! I’m a pageant buff at heart. I started competing in pageants at age 13 at the local, state and national levels and was fortunate enough to win several state and national titles in the Ms. America United States, Model Star Searches, Miss Petite International, Miss USA and Mrs. America pageants. Today, I still watch, attend, and judge pageants. I also commit quite a bit of time to church, community and civic activities; I’m a leadership coach; I’m writing two books that I hope to release later this year; and I love traveling for leisure (day spas, beach resorts, etc.).

Childhood heroParents and grandparents.

“Best” picture (film/art)Too many to name.

My musicOldies-but-Goodies R&B of the ’70s and ’80s; gospel and jazz.

Favorite gameSpades, Scrabble

Desk-drawer munchiesSnickers, Oreo cookies

Favorite charitiesThe SHRM Foundation. I’m a Board member for the Metro DC chapter of Dress for Success. My church (missions and women’s group).

Person (historical/fictional/actual) I’d like to get to know over lunchDr. Martin Luther King, Jr.


www.shrm.org


Additionally, each month all employees attend a meeting hosted by the CEO. This is an open forum for employees to ask questions and hear company updates. However, at any time, employees are encouraged to bring suggestions to HR, the CEO, the COO, or any senior leader. They can do it face to face, via e-mail, or through the company’s intranet site.

How do you deal with those who perceive inclusion programs for

underrepresented groups as being exclusionary for others? Have

you encountered this attitude?

I have dealt with this resistance throughout my tenure in the diversity management field, and I’ve seized the opportunities to bring clarity to what diversity and inclusion is and is not. While it is important to ensure that our organizations reflect a diverse society, I also recognize that diver-sity already exists. Even when you have a very homogeneous group, you have diversity in terms of backgrounds, thoughts, religions, experiences, family status, sexual orientation, etc. But it’s also important to have a visibly diverse organization. Since we are operating in a global marketplace where we sell to and buy from diverse customers, we must be able to meet their individual needs. Having a talented and diverse workforce that understands these needs can be a competitive advantage and key differentiator for organizations today. Regarding Employee Network Groups, research has revealed over and

over that employees need and seek out a sense of belonging through networking and building relationships. They want to know how to be successful in the organization and how to navigate through the unknown land mines. Oftentimes, if one is in a minority group in the organization, the dominant groups tend not to share this information with them. Having informal networks among people who have mutual needs and interests builds that sense of belonging, support, and camaraderie that is needed—not just to survive but, more importantly, to thrive in an organization. Where the inclusion

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

Can you name specific ways SHRM supports upward development

toward management positions?

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

One exciting part of my job is getting to meet wonderful people, such as Chris gardner, the inspiration behind the

movie The Pursuit of Happyness, starring Will Smith.

Welcoming a conference attendee who traveled from bulgaria.

PDJPDJ


Photos this page by Ralph Alswang


The 2008 Workplace Diversity & Exposition Conference

Inspiration in Atlanta

October 27-29, 2008

Atlanta, Georgia

07-0

999

Here’s what some of the 2007 attendees had to say about the conference:

“Since I come from an employer that is not very diverse, I questioned what I would learn from this conference. I came home with a lot of useful information – great conference!”

Jan Souder, Heritage Medical Group

“Great material was discussed and the opportunity to collaborate with other HR professionals was completely outstanding.”

Michael Miller, Schwans Consumer Brands

SHRM’s 2007 Workplace Diversity & Exposition Conference Was Exciting!

Marlee Matlin, Grace Odums, Jai Rodriguez and Chris Gardner electrifi ed audiences with their thought provoking messages.

And 2008 Workplace Diversity & Exposition Conference promises to be even better!

Save the dates of October 27-29, 2008 for this important conference being held this year in Atlanta, Georgia.

The SHRM Diversity Initiative

The SHRM Diversity Initiative, established in 1993, seeks to foster awareness and appreciation of workplace diversity issues among HR professionals, their employers and other business leaders.

The primary purpose of the initiative is to assist SHRM members in managing a diverse workforce by providing diversity-related research materials, workplace-applicable tools, publications and linkages with other organizations.

Making the business case for diversity and valuing individual differences are the cornerstones of SHRM’s Diversity Initiative.

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

www.shrm.org/diversity


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

long as these issues exist, we will need indi-viduals and organizations willing and able to address them as well as the unforeseen diversity issues of tomorrow. One of the challenges we face has to do with the differences and similarities among those of us toiling in the field. Diversity practitioners are not monolithic in their views. Practitioners have different opinions on what language we should use, what issues diversity management should tackle and what approaches should be applied. Some feel that we must work to resolve the tra-ditional “isms,” such as racism and sexism. Others argue for the inclusion of a few more dimensions of diversity. Still others are using broader definitions of diversity. Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole once stated, “We (diversity practitioners) have got to learn how to walk and chew gum at the same time.” Stated differently, life rarely, if ever, presents you with one challenge at a time. We must address multiple issues at once and constantly innovate. This means that we must leverage the legacy of the field’s pioneers and foster its continuous evolution. The end game in diversity management is not the destination but the JOURNEY!

In 2003, AIMD formed an alliance with the Diversity Collegium, a think tank of diversity professionals. We are exploring whether the diversity journey would be improved if the field had a common ter-minology, common definitions, established theories and concepts, accepted bodies of knowledge, and standard practices. The questions of whether to profes-sionalize the field and how to do it are not new. There are people and institu-

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

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

The Journey of the Diversity Field

By American Institute for Managing Diversity, Inc.

Founder Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr. and President Melanie Harrington

viewpoint

PDJPDJ

www.aimd.org


O&M_Erika Davis Ad 08.indd 1 1/3/08 5:32:39 PM

www.owens-minor.com

It is not unusual for us to spend part of Black History Month thinking about all the great, influential leaders who have made their mark in the world. No one can dispute the legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,

Malcolm X, Sojourner Truth, Booker T. Washington, and scores of others who pioneered civil rights in America.

Certainly, these and many more have been role models for African Americans in all walks

of life, from the city streets to the board room. But think about this question: Who else was

important to your own journey? That’s the question we posed in mini-interviews with more

than two dozen business leaders.

The responses to our questions give us a panoramic view of the socialization process as it

relates to the leaders you’ll discover in the next 27 pages. Each one is fascinating.

What’s the common thread that ties all of them together? A commitment to helping others,

as evidenced by their community involvement. But there’s more. Between the lines are glimpses

of pride for the road one has traveled—often a very hard road, indeed. Just by participating in

this feature, the individuals profiled here are giving an example of black leaders leading.


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

Who are/were your men-tors? What were the les-sons learned from them?

My father. He had a medi-cal practice in Harlem for almost 50 years. He taught me to treat everyone with respect and to view every interaction with a person as a learning experience.

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

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

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

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

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

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

How are you involved with your community?

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

effort to promote diversity in our profession. I have sponsored a number of 3-on-3 basketball tourna-ments to raise money for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

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

I would ask the President, “Why haven’t you called me? I may be able to provide you with some addi-tional ‘color’ on various topics of interest.”

What is your philosophy of life?

Each one teach one. We must be present and ac-counted for in the community. We received help, and we need to make sure we are helping others.

What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Having a wife and 2 sons who love and respect me.

If given the chance, what would you do differently?

Not a darn thing.

Senior Vice President & General Counsel

ArvInMerItor, Inc.

vernon G. BAker II

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

www.arvinmeritor.com


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:Who knows where the next great dream will find its voice. Where future

leaders might find their inspiration. We salute those who inspire the great

minds of today so that they can become the great visionaries of tomorrow.

www.boeing.com


Who are/were your men-tors? What did you learn from them?

Early in my career, the chief HR officer at my company—a white male—took me under his wing. He taught me the unwrit-ten rules of the organiza-tion and gave me signifi-cant projects that prepared me for my next job, which was chief human resources officer at an Illinois state university. I was just 27. In 1971 when I started at the university, I met an African-American PhD

who had been teaching college-level business courses since the late ’50s. He helped me as a young African-American senior executive at a time when there just weren’t very many people of color in those positions.


As a mentor, I try to pass on what was given to me and to do it in an inclusive way. I have mentored women and men of various races and religions. I have tried to instill in them that they have a responsibility to pass on their knowledge and experience to others.


My father. He taught me that the only real obstacles that exist are those that you acknowledge—the rest you can go under or over or around. I still think about him when I run into difficulties.


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

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


I serve on the board of the Old Barracks Revolutionary War Museum in Trenton, New Jersey, which is best remembered for its role in the 1776 and 1777 battles of Trenton during the Revolutionary War. I believe in this organization’s mission.


“What is your ultimate vision for world peace?”


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


Working with my wife, Helen, to raise two children who care about people.


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

Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer

AXA eqUItABle lIfe InSUrAnce coMPAny

JoHn kIrkSey

www.equitable.com



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

Clarence Wright began his career as a financial advisor with the company and moved from branch operations to a senior management role at corporate headquar-ters. I learned a lot from him—most importantly, how to play the corporate game.


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


My mom and grandmother raised me. Their contri-bution to my manhood is immeasurable.


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


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


Put the needs of this great nation before the needs of the world.


Never give up on your goals and aspirations. If you give up, you will lose out on great accomplishments.


My greatest accomplishment in my career occurred last year when the Houston Branch earned the company’s President’s Trophy. We placed sixth place out of more than 60 branches—Houston’s best finish ever.


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

Medearis in the Rockets Run 2006.

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

AXA eqUItABle

lynDAll MeDeArIS

www.equitable.com




My parents were my early role models and mentors. My mom taught me about independence and being self reliant. My dad taught my brother and me about commitment and corporate politics. I learned about the importance of being comfortable in a variety of situations with a diverse group of people, especially at work. From one of my corpo-rate bosses, I learned to be

selective in the pursuit of what’s important.


I think we have a responsibility to give back, to pass along what we’ve learned and to be a role model for those coming after us. When I mentor college students, I encourage them to mentor high school students. No one gets noticed if they’re shy; they must be active contributors to their company.


I enjoyed Song of Solomon, by Tony Morrison, especially the character named Dead. He lived his life metaphorically that way, not taking risks, just exist-ing, unnoticed, as if he were really dead. I’m currently reading Lions Don’t Need to Roar, by D.A. Benton. Although its overall focus is around executive presence, it reinforces for me the need for effective communication techniques.


I’m involved with the National Association of Black Accountants. As NABA’s national chair of the Financial Literacy Initiative, I’m passionate about teaching financial literacy and giving people the tools to make smart financial decisions.


I would ask him to break down the bureaucracy among local, state and federal governments which impedes meaningful reform. I would also ask him to bring home the troops.


Family comes first. I believe in working hard and playing hard.


My 21-year daughter is my most rewarding accom-plishment. I look forward to her graduation from UCLA with a degree in world arts and culture. I also receive strokes from young people whom I’ve mentored throughout my career. When they send me notes about the job or promotion they landed, they tell me how much I have touched their lives. Believe me, it works both ways.


I would have learned to play golf sooner, so I could have shared the enjoyment of the game more with my father today. Career-wise, I would love to have been a professional sportscaster for football, basketball or even golf.

Executive Vice President

BAnk of tHe WeSt

GInA Wolley

www.bankofthewest.com


20550PepsiPCBBPP 70029PepsiTribute to Ed Boyd

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PepsiCo Celebrates the Life of Edward F. Boyd

Edward F. Boyd helped place Pepsi in the hearts and hands of

many Americans. And in doing so, he became an innovative leader

and true pioneer in marketing.

It’s been 60 years since Ed was hired to form the very � rst team

of African-American marketers, opening up African-American

communities across the nation. He de� ned target marketing —the

way many businesses today meet consumer needs with products

and services.

Brave, distinguished and endearing, Ed Boyd helped move

America and business to greater racial equality. Today, his spirit

still inspires us.

To learn more about Ed Boyd and all his accomplishments,

read The Real Pepsi Challenge by Stephanie Capparell or visit

careerjournal.com, go to the left column under Article Search and

type in: Ed Boyd.

1914 – 2007

www.pepsico.com



Three people stand out in my mind. They are the Hon. Clifford Scott Green, with whom I served as law clerk for two years; the Hon. A. Leon Higginbotham Jr., and Arthur Makadon, who is the chairman of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP, where I was a partner prior to joining Comcast. Each of these men taught me the value of hard work and the im-portance of being an ex-

pert in whatever you do. Furthermore, each of them had an extraordinary way of dealing with people. I learned the importance of treating every person, regardless of their place in the organization, with respect and humility.


I’m fortunate to mentor women and men of all ages and who are in various stages of their careers, and I stress to them the importance of balance and taking care of themselves.


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


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


I’ve been a member of many civic commissions, in-cluding the Independent Charter Commission, the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Task Force, the MOVE Commission and the Philadelphia Election Reform Task Force. I also serve on several boards and am the former president of the Board of the Juvenile Law Center.


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


Family is paramount. Also, I feel that as blessed as I am, I should give back.


Leading the American Bar Association’s Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession.


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

VP, Human Resources coMcASt corP. Senior VP, Human Resources coMcASt cABle

cHArISSe lIllIe

www.comcast.com


I connect the dots differently. That brings value to the work I do.

I have a passion for marketing, and I love what I do.

At Hallmark, I have the opportunity to be a great marketer

in an industry I believe in—one that enriches people’s lives.

I work in a collaborative environment that celebrates the

individual and values me as a whole person. Our multiple

perspectives make our work stronger. It’s a rewarding

opportunity to be part of a brand that helps people define

and express the very best in themselves.

aviva ajmera hebbarcustomer strategy and planning director

for infor mation on hallmar k career opportunities, v isit www.hallmar k.com/careers.

© 2006 hallmar k licensing, inc.

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

www.hallmark.com/careers

www.hallmark.com



My first mentor, from afar, has been Ken Chenault, chairman and CEO of American Express. I met him when I was in col-lege. He has always concen-trated on results, which is critical for success in the business world. Today, I no longer con-centrate on one person. I count on Michael Jordan to remind me to smile more often, my mom to remind me to never give up, and a

former colleague to remind me to take time to smell the roses.


I practice what I preach. I follow my own advice to keep me keeping on. The difference would be that I have the benefit of providing to others lessons learned from mistakes I have made in my career.


My father. He was a physician by day but also a suc-cessful businessman. He pushed us to try harder and not give up.


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

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


Over the last twenty years I have served on about 12 non-profit boards primarily focusing on youth, the arts and healthcare issues.


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


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


Graduating from Tufts University with honors, no debt and an entry ticket to Harvard Business School.


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

General Manager & VPMotIon PIctUre fIlM GroUP, entertAInMent IMAGInG

Vice President eAStMAn koDAk co.

BIll toMPkInS

www.kodak.com


Different perspectives generate fresh ideas. That’s why at Bank of the West, we value diversity and equal opportunity for all our employees. Year after year, we continue to grow stronger thanks to our unique blend of people. After all, in today’s competitive banking environment, it is our employees with innovative ideas that keep us a step ahead of the rest.

© 2007 Bank of the West. Member FDIC.


AT BANK OF THE WEST, WE BELIEVE OUR CUSTOMERS ARE WELL SERVED BY EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL SERVED.

[ BANK OF THE WEST ]

WANT TO WORK FOR A TRULY GREAT BANK?



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

Different perspectives generate fresh ideas. That’s why at Bank of the West, we value diversity and equal opportunity for all our employees. Year after year, we continue to grow stronger thanks to our unique blend of people. After all, in today’s competitive banking environment, it is our employees with innovative ideas that keep us a step ahead of the rest.

© 2007 Bank of the West. Member FDIC.


AT BANK OF THE WEST, WE BELIEVE OUR CUSTOMERS ARE WELL SERVED BY EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL SERVED.

[ BANK OF THE WEST ]




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




Ray Powers, Hallmark Cards’ former vice president of manufacturing, gave me insights into the new or-ganization I was support-ing in my role of business development director for the Supply Chain Group. This is advice that I still use today in forging good relationships.


There are three things I impart to those whom I

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


I would have to say my dad. He has been a man of strong faith, values, and entrepreneurship. He gave me core values, such as commitment to excellence, integrity, compassion, and faith in God.


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


I serve on several nonprofit boards that provide a range of services, from affordable youth camps to providing a safety net of medical and dental services for the uninsured and under-insured.


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


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


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


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

Senior Vice President, Information Technology

HAllMArk cArDS, Inc.

MIke GooDWIn

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

www.hallmark.com


At Highmark, we value and celebrate the diversity that makes this world we share a better place. For our employees, our customers, and the suppliers we partner with throughout the

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


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


My father. Not only was he the most humble person I’ve ever met, but he also showed me to be bold and take risks. Above all things, he taught me to study human nature and to fear no one.


The Bible. I am a firm believer in its philosophies and teachings and use them to better myself every day. And The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey.


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


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


My philosophy is to maintain balance and look for the best in every situation.


I was proud to serve as the chair of the 1997 NAACP convention in Pittsburgh. In this position, I had the opportunity to work with community leaders to host what has been one of the NAACP’s most successful conferences to date.


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

Senior Vice President Corporate Affairs

HIGHMArk Inc.

AAron WAlton

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

www.highmark.com


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I’ve had several mentors share their knowledge with me. Gwendolyn P. Taylor, vice president of HR for Telcordia Technologies, taught me how to maintain poise and composure in the face of adversity. Tara Allen taught me to celebrate strengths and challeng-es because both contrib-ute to greatness. Professor Lawrence Bershad, formerly of Seton Hall Law School, demonstrated substantive legal theory through real-

world events, showing how law is inextricably linked to the world.


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


Growing up, I had a family and home life that encouraged me to succeed. Despite lacking college degrees, my parents were both self-starters and in-sistent on the value of education. My dad was the most intelligent businessman I have ever known, and my mom actually went back to school later in life to become a nurse.


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

Iyanla Vanzant. Recently, I’ve been intrigued by The Innovator’s Dilemma, by Clayton Christensen, which is about the impact innovation and disruptive tech-nologies have on business.


I serve as Honeywell’s Howard University Campus Executive, allowing me to introduce students to job opportunities and to help Honeywell build its candidate pool with diversified and highly quali-fied candidates. At the University of Virginia, I serve on the Industrial Advisory Board for the Electrical and Computer Engineering departments. Recently, I sup-ported Seton Hall Law School in the launch of their giving campaign and made a presentation to students about corporate intellectual property licensing.


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


When people tell you who they are, believe them.


During my tenure at HIPI, we’ve revamped our management team, developed a solid growth strat-egy, expanded our customer base, launched a license agreement compliance program and more. Today, IP licensing at Honeywell is run as a customer- focused, growth business. I’ve accomplished a lot in my current role, but I’m optimistic that the best is yet to come!


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

Chief Executive Officer

HoneyWell IntellectUAl ProPertIeS Inc. (HIPI)

lorIA yeADon

www.honeywell.com


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My grandmother instilled in me strong core values to do the right things the right way and success will follow. Her wisdom helped shape my character. Bonnie Manzi, a for-mer executive with AT&T, taught me to not look too narrowly at each situation, but instead to look at the big world perspective.


I believe and teach that success in life is not measured by the number of times you fell, but how many times you got back up, what you have learned from the experience and how you have grown.


I have to say my grandmother. She had a strong work ethic that helped her make a better life for herself and her family. She found a way to stay the course with her spirituality and work ethic despite what she faced growing up in the Deep South. She had a great love for people and was a great role model.


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


I’m on the board of a nonprofit called Project Healthy Grandparents that helps grandparents who are rais-ing their children’s children. I also sing in the choir at my church.


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


Success does not come without putting the sweat equity or work into it.


Helping raise my nephew after his father passed away when he was young. Today my nephew is successful and responsible in life and has a family of his own. He has incorporated in his life the values that I was taught and passed on to him.


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

Vice President Global Customer Support Global TechnologyIHG

erIc HArDAWAy

www.ihg.com


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Who are/were your men-tors? What were the lessons learned from them?

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


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


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

ever met. She met every challenge head-on. I try to mirror her poise and self-assurance.


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


My favorite activity is the work that I do as a board member with GM2CDC, a community develop-ment corporation that focuses on low-income housing and after-school programs for the north-end com-munities in Detroit, Michigan. Currently, three hous-ing development projects, totaling over $22 million, are underway.


I would ask him to explain his plans to ensure that our nation’s children will be able to compete and succeed globally.


“If not now…when?” I’m always trying to capture the moment and make things happen.


The confirmation that I’m raising two great children, 13 and 8, who are confident, funny,

smart, loving, respectful, and proud of who they are.


I would spend more time reading at least three newspapers daily.

Vice President and Industry Manager, Global Marketing

kelly ServIceS, Inc.

nIcole M. leWIS

(l to r) Charlotte Allen; Minister David Akins; Lisa Thorington; James Perkins, Executive Director; Norris Polk, MD; Nicole Lewis; Reverend Betty Pulliam; Deborah A. Johnson; Ethan Vinson, Attorney; Geraldine Garry.

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


I teach more flexibility of thought and passion. I work very hard to not make people look like I think they should look. I want them to find their own way, using my life’s experience as a guide.


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


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


I have loved teaching sports to young men. I am actively involved with helping high school kids un-derstand how to tackle life issues while never giving up on their dreams.


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


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


Making partner at KPMG is my most rewarding accomplishment because of all the family, friends, and colleagues who supported, mentored, loved, and sacrificed so I could achieve this milestone.


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

Tax Partner, Dallas

kPMG llP

frencH tAylor

www.kpmg.com



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

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


No. The lessons I learned from my parents are time-less, relevant and very important.


My parents and grandparents had the most impact on my upbringing and success. They encouraged me to believe in myself and my abilities. They desired for me to accomplish more than what they had accomplished in their lives.


My favorite book is the Bible. It provides guidance for all matters in my career and personal life.


I am involved in Amachi Pittsburgh, which is a pro-gram devoted to mentoring children who have incar-cerated parents. As part of the program, I mentor a 13-year-old young lady. I am also involved with the Career Literacy for African American Youth program, where I serve as a career mentor to a young lady in high school. In addi-tion, I just completed a two-year term as the Director of Community Affairs of the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants, which is a leader in helping to expand the influence of minority professionals in the fields of accounting and finance.


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


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


My most rewarding accom-plishment is being able to work with youth and tell them of my life experiences and various accomplishments.


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

Audit Senior Manager, Pittsburgh

kPMG llP

lASHAWnDA tHoMAS

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

www.kpmg.com




Two mentors from my days at Goodyear were Larry Schlosser and Jim Kruse. Larry encouraged me to fight through the obstacles I would encounter in cor-porate America. Jim taught me the ins and outs of the Goodyear business. At Kraft Foods, former senior executives Paula Sneed and Todd Brown were particularly influen-tial. Paula encouraged me to have a broad-based network

throughout the organization. Todd Brown taught me to “never let them see you sweat” and always maintain my composure.


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


My parents, Napoleon and Mary, with eight kids and sixty-plus years of marriage. They instilled in me a strong work ethic, to be consistent and accountable, and to have a passion for something.


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

Colin Powell’s story is both fascinating and inspi-rational. I have incorporated several of his leadership principles into my professional approach.


I participated in a tutoring project led and funded by my church, which prepared third graders in an economically disadvantaged area for their first stan-dardized test. While in Asia, my daughter’s first grade project led to an amazing experience for my entire family in which we adopted a school in Cambodia.


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


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


Professionally, my assignment in Singapore was a highly rewarding accomplishment. My family and I were able to rise to the challenge of moving to the other side of the world, and thrive in a different envi-ronment and culture.


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

Vice President Marketing, Grocery

krAft fooDS Inc.

MAUrIce D. MArkey

www.kraft.com




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


As a mentor I try to encourage young marketers to be courageous and not afraid to make mistakes. If noth-ing ever goes wrong, you are probably not pushing yourself far enough. The difference between good and great is not what happens but how well you anticipate and respond to what happens.


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


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


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

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

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


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


My most rewarding accomplishment has been main-taining and nurturing happy and healthy relation-ships with my friends and family.


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

Marketing Director, Pizza

krAft fooDS Inc.

kAtIe WIllIAMS

www.kraft.com




My mentors include Dr. Sherman Beverly, Jr., a now-retired professor of African American History at Northeastern University; Dr. Don N. Harris, a re-search scientist and com-munity activist in Somerset County, NJ; and Gary Cooper, a three-star Marine General who I worked with when he was Ambassador to Jamaica in the 1990s. George Simcox, a mas-ter in Ki Aikido, taught me the way of mind and body coordination. George

died in 2002, but his impact on me for 13 years will last a lifetime.


One must always take pride in his/her work and strive to excel.


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

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

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


I serve as an Assistant Scout Master for a local troop and as a Merit Badge Counselor for the Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge. I am active in my church, participating in the Outreach Committee and I ‘chair’ the global advocacy subcommittee therein. I also am a mentor in our church confirmation pro-gram for teens.


I would ask that he attempt to get a better under-standing of the core of American values, the diversity of those values and not just be attached to the values of his own party, or political supporters.


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


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


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

Director, Office of Counterintelligence

loS AlAMoS nAtIonAl lABorAtory

WIllIAM M. PHIllIPS III

William Phillips talking with the headmaster of a school for Tibetan refugees in Dharmshala, India.

www.lanl.gov


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I have two mentors, both from Ford Motor Com-pany: Mr. Elliott Hall, former VP, Government Affairs, and Mr. Ron Goldsberry, former VP, Customer Service Division. Each provided invaluable insights on leadership and professional development as a corporate executive.


My advice for those I mentor focuses on work ethic, continuous learning, and holding oneself to the highest ethical standards possible. I also talk with them about responsibil-ity, accountability and giving, as well as expecting, excellence.


Both my mother and my father had a tremendous effect on my life. My dad kept me grounded and taught me about leadership, developing a solid work ethic and my responsibilities as a father. My mom taught me understanding, compassion, how to be a giving person, and, of course, politeness.


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

How are you involved in your community?

I have been a volunteer of the Civil Air Patrol for approximately 35 years as a pilot. I hold the grade of Colonel, and most recently served as the Wing Commander for the State of Michigan. Civil Air Patrol is a volunteer, nonprofit, be-nevolent organization, dedicated to humanitarian activities. It is also, by law, the official auxiliary of the United States Air Force.


I would ask questions to better understand his ap-proach to key domestic issues, especially as it involves one of our most precious assets, our children. I would also inquire about policies related to sustainability and future generations.


I lead a principle-centered life based on the pursuit of excellence in all that I do, with a mindset that I can accomplish anything I set out to do.


Raising my two daughters (14 & 16) to be the beauti-ful young ladies that they are today far outweighs any of my professional accomplishments.


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

Vice President of Energy and Environmental Services

MGM MIrAGe

GAry MAyo

www.mgmmirage.com



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

My long-time mentors are Dr. Verdun Trione and fellow MGM MIRAGE Human Resources executive Miriam Hammond. From both I have learned that good leaders are humble and very diverse in their skills and knowledge.


I continue to teach a version of the same, adding that a true leader must first serve in order to lead.


My father. He is a very kind man, a saint on earth, who has a very special relationship with God. This relationship allows him to meet, interact with, and accept others where they are, physically and emotionally. No one is a stranger to him.


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


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


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


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


Giving birth to my two daughters and watching them grow into incredibly wonderful human beings.


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

Vice President of Human Resources

MGM GrAnD DetroIt

DeBBIe tHoMAS


www.mgmmirage.com



My last formal mentor was Tanya Clemons, cor-porate vice president of People and Organizational Capability. Tanya helped me learn how to navi-gate the inner workings of Microsoft when I first joined the company. Tanya also gave me career guid-ance, especially in helping me craft my own path.

Do you teach anything different to those you

mentor? If so, what is it?

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


Indirectly, my maternal grandfather had a large im-pact on me. As an African-American physician born in the 1890s, he inspired me to reach for the stars. Whenever I doubted my career ambitions, I remem-bered him and how daring he was for his time.


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


I tend to focus most of my personal efforts with my local church. My husband and I are currently leading its capital campaign, which is a new and exciting ef-fort for us. Moreover, Microsoft’s Math Matters is a personal passion of mine since I believe we are letting too many children graduate without adequate math skills. I think that programs like Microsoft’s are absolutely vital to ensuring that high standards remain in place with better teaching techniques so that our children are equipped for the future marketplace.


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


I would say my life philosophy is learn, have fun, and get things done! I do believe in the power of prayer!


Personally, it’s being a proud mother and being blessed with a wonderful family. Professionally, it’s building a solid career at Microsoft.


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

General Manager of North America HR

MIcroSoft

lAUren GArDener

www.microsoft.com


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


I try to impart the same lessons I learned: Do not fear failure, and keep an open mind about the possibilities in your life.


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


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


Most of my community involvement revolves around my sons. My husband Kenny and I stay engaged with their schoolwork and athletics. I also participate and help organize activities for my local Jack and Jill club. While I appreciate the diversity of my hometown’s population, I also think it’s important for Marcus and Brian to gain an un-derstanding of and appreciation for our cultural and ethnic heritage.


My first instinct would be to ask how his administra-tion could so miserably fail the people of my home-town of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. But I suspect my concerns, like those of so many others, would fall on deaf ears and so I would probably respectfully decline the invitation.


“There, but for fortune, may go you or I.”


Without a doubt, the fine young men my two sons have become.

If given a chance, what would you do differently?

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

Commissioner

neW JerSey DePArtMent of envIronMentAl ProtectIon

lISA P. JAckSon

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

www.state.nj.us/dep




I have always tried to adopt the highest qualities of individuals that cross my path, so my mentoring has been mostly an amalgamation of many professional traits and influences. I honestly can’t point to any in-dividual mentor, but have enjoyed many people across many interests.


I believe that the Emotional Quotient (EQ) is one’s most important professional attribute. Sure, top- flight education and training are important, but the application of what an individual has learned in the workplace is what makes one successful.


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


A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold, is consid-ered to be a landmark book in the conservation move-ment and integral in framing a “land ethic” as we still understand it today. Another is The Lorax. Though a children’s story written by Dr. Seuss nearly forty years ago, its applications ring true for anyone conservation-minded today. The story has been a popular metaphor for those concerned about the human impact on the environment.


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

is a mentoring program designed to expose high school students to practical applied sciences and rel-evant environmental issues and potential careers.


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


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


Professionally, it is being appointed Deputy Commissioner of NJDEP, working under the first African American to serve as New Jersey’s top envi-ronmental official.


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

Deputy Commissioner

neW JerSey DePArtMent of envIronMentAl ProtectIon

JoHn S. WAtSon Jr.

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

www.state.nj.us/dep




I would say my mentors include Jesus Christ, who showed us to lead by ex-ample and to serve oth-ers; my mother, who with a fourth grade education taught me that common sense was more important than book sense; my wife, who helps me find the good in everyone; and my previ-ous bosses, who challenged me to be the best profes-sional and taught me the importance of focusing on the details.


I do not teach anything different than mentioned above, but the focus with those I mentor is how they apply those principles within their own lives.


My parents have had the most impact. My mother’s philosophy was that it is better to be of good name than of great wealth. My father taught me the impor-tance of personal responsibility.


The Bible provides direction for both my personal and professional life. Books that have had an im-pact on my career are Good to Great, The Art of War and Who Moved My Cheese? Each one provides approaches on how to navigate today’s workplace.


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


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


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


It is the small contribution that I have made to the lives of my wife, children and people whom I have met and worked with. I pray I have helped make them better.


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

Senior Vice President, Office of Governmental Affairs

neW york lIfe

GeorGe nIcHolS III

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

www.newyorklife.com


WHO’S THE KING?

Burger King Corporation is built on its employees andfranchisees – their diversity, hard work and vision.

From my first day on the job in the restaurant, I dreamt of owning my own business. I never realized BK® restaurants would hold the answer to making my dream come true. Today, after 17 years as a franchisee,I own 15 BK® restaurants and my relationship with Burger King

Corporation continues to grow.

Robes St. Juste, African-AmericanBURGER KING® Franchisee

HAVE IT YOUR WAY®

www.bk.com™ & © 2007 Burger King Brands, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

www.bk.com



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

guide others.


Ever since my daughter asked why God did not allow us to forget when we forgive, I answered that history would continue to repeat itself. I teach others that forgiveness takes the sting out of remembering.


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


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


I currently serve on three boards: Ontario Women In Law, Ottawa Community Immigrant Service Organization (OCISO) and Leadership Ottawa. I believe that in order to police effectively, you must have a relationship with the community.


That he should find more balance in his approach. People who chose to live in North America should not suffer for resembling people who are trying to harm Americans.


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


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


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

Sergeant

ottAWA PolIce ServIce

ISoBel AnDerSon

Sergeant Anderson mentoring community members.

www.ottawapolice.ca




My mentor was and still is my mother Phyllis. She taught me that I could achieve anything I wanted, as long as I pursued it with passion and dedication. She led by example, earning her nursing license at the age of 50.


I teach those I mentor that they and only they set the standard for how others will treat them. We need to take pride in ourselves. Stand tall! This will allow us to remember that the prize is straight ahead and within reach.


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


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


I am an avid community volunteer. I mentor school-aged kids by teaching them to read and being a guest speaker on topics such as peer pressure, bullying, drugs and alcohol abuse. I also volunteer my time as an Ottawa Police Outreach Recruiter. I truly believe that our police service should be a true reflection of the community

we proudly serve. When I am not speaking or mentor-ing youth, I am out recruit-ing co-workers, communi-ty members and family to participate in community fundraisers.


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


We are all responsible for our own destiny, and giving up is not an option when things get hard.


I have been blessed with several important and rewarding accomplishments. My family, my promo-tion to the rank to the rank of Sergeant and lastly, being awarded the 2007 Ontario Women in Law Enforcement (OWLE) Mentorship award.


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

Sergeant

ottAWA PolIce ServIce

DeBBIe MIller

Volunteering at Jaku Konbit kids’ summer camp 2007, in Ottawa.

www.ottawapolice.ca




Father Thomas Swade, the founder of Link Unlimited and a Cath- olic priest, was instrumen-tal in the development of my moral compass. I was mentored by Dr. Adrienne Bailey as part of the Link Unlimited program, which got me thinking about pro-fessions. From a professional standpoint, Carla Hills, the managing partner at the law firm Latham, Watkins, and

Hills where I worked while attending Georgetown, was also a mentor. Key lessons I’ve learned include the need to put in the work to create high impact results, being true to oneself, treating people genuinely and being willing to evaluate things from multiple perspectives.


I impart lessons that are similar to those I learned from Father Swade and Carla Hills. I also include les-sons about being clear on what you want and having the will to make things happen.


My grandmother, mom and dad have had the most impact on my upbringing. My grandmother and mother taught me the love of life and the ability to be positive, even in the face of adversity. My dad fostered a strong work ethic, perseverance and the ability to keep pushing forward that lives with me today.


In Search of Satisfaction, by J. California Cooper, is one of my favorites. This fictitious story shows how the definition and pursuit of satisfaction differs greatly from one person to another. From Good to Great, by Jim Collins, is an-other favorite. Collins teases out the drivers and concepts behind some of the most successful compa-nies in American and how to apply the concepts in the workplace.


As the leader of Reliant’s community marketing efforts, I create and implement programs for ethnic groups, seniors and low income persons throughout Texas. I mentor a new student as part of the Link Unlimited program, and I’m involved in mentoring as part of the Texas Executive Women organization.


I would suggest that we develop a strong educational emphasis to provide high quality instruction and re-sources to all schools, irrespective of the tax base and attentiveness of the parents.


Live life as a demonstration that God is alive and walking among the living. Go after what you want out of life with an unwavering focus and commitment.


Being a part of a strong family that loves, nurtures and supports each other.


Worry less, laugh more and genuinely contribute more fully in every interaction.

Vice President, Retail Community Marketing and Involvement

relIAnt enerGy Inc.

trAcy cArMen-JoneS

www.reliant.com


Leading the way since 1909, Rohm and Haas is a globalpioneer in the creation and development of innovativetechnologies and solutions for the specialty materialsindustry. The company’s technologies are found in a widerange of markets including: Building and Construction,Electronics, Food and Retail, Household and Personal

Care, Industrial Process, Packaging, Paper, Transportationand Water. Our innovative technologies and solutions helpto improve life everyday, around the world. Based inPhiladelphia, PA, the company generated annual sales ofapproximately $8.9 billion in 2007. Visit www.rohmhaas.comfor more information. imagine the possibilities™

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Simply stated, Diversity means differences. We believethat understanding, valuing and managing diversity willresult in a healthier, more enriched workforce, maximizedprofitable growth and sustained competitive advantage.

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www.rohmhaas.com



My father was my men-tor. We used to talk every Sunday morning, and after he passed away, I learned that he kept notes from our conversations. In addition to many other parts of my life, he chronicled my ca-reer and kept notes on all my bosses, important meet-ings and presentations that I had. He was helping me drive my career by staying in touch with the details. My father taught me to tell people what I want.

Don’t assume that doing a good job is enough. You have to say what it is that you are seeking and tell people what you can bring to the table.


I tell them that every aspect of your life is about com-municating. You have to assess yourself and your cur-rent position and tell your manager what kind of job or assignment you want next.


My mother had a huge impact on my life and my suc-cess. She was a bold, confident woman who balanced her professional life with motherhood and parenting. She was an incredible role model and supporter.

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

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


I support a handful of different charities, including my alma maters. However, my involvement in my community begins at home with my son. If I bring my son into the world as someone who is discerning, kind, fearless and committed to serving others, then that’s the greatest gift I can give my community.


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


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


Becoming a partner at Spencer Stuart. I work with a high quality and very committed group of people.


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

Partner, Global Leader, Diversity Practice

SPencer StUArt

GInny clArke

www.spencerstuart.com


Who are/were your mentors?

I am fortunate to have interacted with numerous individuals who provided me with guidance. The one who perhaps served more as a mentor than the oth-ers is a gentleman who recruited me to Pennsylvania Blue Shield named Robert L. Owens. A retired U.S. Air Force Major, Mr. Owens provided me with lessons that were obvious; and some that were not so obvious.


Those that I assist receive the same messages I did. The delivery mechanism is different, but the message is the same.


My parents had the biggest impact on my develop-ment. However, when she passed at age 104, my maternal grandmother was the oldest living graduate of South Carolina State University. Both sets of grandparents strongly endorsed the concept of education. As a result, I have numerous aunts and uncles whose successes I tried to emulate.

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

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


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

I have elected to take a be-hind the scenes approach by directing corporate funds to those groups I believe are the most deserving.


I would suggest his admin-istration develop a means to reduce the economic stress currently being endured by an overwhelming majority of United States citizens.


Work hard. Be ethical. Enjoy life.


In addition to being a responsible husband and father, I am happy to have been effective in corporate America without sacrificing my personal values.


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

Corporate Vice President,Human Resources & Administration

UnIteD concorDIA coMPAnIeS Inc.

HArlon l. roBInSon

United Concordia’s Harlon Robinson (second from right) joins Phoenix colleagues to plan one of many free clinics offered throughout the country each year for uninsured and underinsured children and adults in need of dental services.


www.ucci.com



MicroTriggers are those subtle behaviors, phrases and

inequities that trigger an instantaneous negative response. Here are some samples for you to consider.

“None of the Above”

“ Recently, I was pulled over by a police officer for a minor traffic violation. In writing my citation, the officer needed to specify my race. He asked, ‘What ethnicity are you?’ I replied, ‘I am biracial.’ He completed the form, gave me my copy and I was off. “I reviewed the form when I got home and noticed in the ethnicity box the officer checked Black. That was not my trigger, because that is what I would have checked. However, I was triggered by the fact that the officer made that assumption instead of just asking me my preference or simply checking Other.” —Anonymous,Richmond,VA Rush to Judgement

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

“She then asked if I was sure that I had not seen the hot chocolate. Again, I said no, and as she walked away, she said that the Mexican cleaning ladies must have stolen it. That is what set me off—her assuming that all minorities steal.” —T.M.,Bethesda,MD

Following are some thought-provoking stories from a recent MicroTriggers workshop held for female managers at a manufacturing company in Memphis, Tennessee:

What About the “Jerk” Quota?

“ I am a female manager in a male-dominated industry. I work in a plant environment and, unfortunately, it is exactly what people say plants are like. There is foul language, offensive jokes—all of that. But the part that angers me most is the constant comments that ‘my position here is helping the company to meet their diversity quota.’ I worked hard to get here, and I work even harder to tolerate this woman-unfriendly environment.” —Anonymous,Memphis,TN

Because I Said So…

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

No One Notices a Job Well Done...

“ Hard work and long hours have become commonplace for me. I have put in 12-hour days for two months straight without any time off. But recently I was one hour late to a 6 a.m. meeting, and someone commented, “Day shifters have got it good.” It makes me want to scream when people only track the rare times that you are late, but do NOT acknowledge the majority of the time that you work your butt off for the company.” —Anonymous,Memphis,TN

Janet Crenshaw SmithispresidentofIvyPlanningGroupLLC,aconsultingandtrainingfirmthatspecializesindiversitystrategyandleadership.Herbookistitled,MicroTriggers: 58 Little Things That Have a Big Impact. HaveaMicroTriggerstorytoshare?Senditto:[email protected]

This year, resolve to…

Learn your co-workers’ MicroTriggers!

“But the part that angers me most is the constant comments that ‘my position here is helping the company to meet their diversity quota.’”

PDJPDJ


[email protected]

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

Here’s to

In 2007 our differencemade a difference.

Ivy_diversity_ad.indd 1 1/3/2008 1:43:29 PM

www.ivygroupllc.com


Bank of the West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71


The Boeing Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

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Burger King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

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Chevron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

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Comcast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

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Eastman Kodak Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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Ford Motor Company Inside Front,

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Hallmark Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

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Highmark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

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Ivy Planning Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

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Kaiser Permanente . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover


Lockheed Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75


MFHA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

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New York Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

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Newell Rubbermaid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91


Owens & Minor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

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PepsiCo, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

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Pfizer, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

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Rohm & Haas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

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Shell Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

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SHRM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

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Sodexho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

www.sodexhousa.com

UnitedHealth Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7


Wal-Mart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

www.walmart.com

Waste Management . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back

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WellPoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

www.wellpoint.com


www.boeing.com

www.burgerking.com

www.chevron.com

www.comcast.com

www.kodak.com

www.ford.com

www.hallmark.com

www.highmark.com

www.ivygroupllc.com


www.kp.org

www.mfha.net

www.newyorklife.com


www.owens-minor.com

www.pepsico.com

www.pfizer.com

www.rohmhaas.com

www.shell.com

www.shrm.org

www.sodexhousa.com


www.walmart.com

www.wm.com

www.wellpoint.com

www.diversityjournal.com/lexicon






lincolnlounge.com.

514283

www.wmcareers.com

Cover Shot

Chairman and CEO George C. Halvorson Guiding Kaiser Permanente through the Turbulent Waters of the Health Care Industry

Volume 10, Number 1JaNuary / February 2008$12.95 u.S.

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

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WE Will not bE part ofGeneration XXL.

We b e l i e ve yo u ’ re n e ve r to o yo u n g to l e a rn t h e i m p o rt a n c e o f b a l a n c e . T h a t b o d i e s

y e a r n f o r b o t h c u p c a k e s a n d k i c k b a l l . A t K a i s e r P e r m a n e n t e , w e ’ r e c o m m i t t e d t o

helping f ind that balance through exercise and nutrit ional programs. Learn more at kp.org

“Generation XXL/We”KAISER PERMANENTE - Ohio

7-KS-M-0144Trim: (8.5” x 11”), Bleed (8.75” x 11.25”)

To appear in Diversity Journal, starting September / October 2007Prepared by Imagine That for Campbell-Ewald

August 23, 2007

www.kp.org

Profiles in Diversity Journal | Jan/Feb 2008

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Transcript of Profiles in Diversity Journal | Jan/Feb 2008