Diversity Best Practices Salutes 2011 Above and Beyond Honorees for Best-in-Class Network and Affinity Group Leadership

New York, N.Y. (September 9, 2011) –The Diversity Best PracticesAbove-and-Beyond Awards (ABA) celebrate companies whose network and affinity groups are creating best programs and practices for corporations in recruitment, retention, representation, community relations, marketing, and communications. These forward-thinking and information-rich groups help companies achieve their diversity visions by improving performance feedback, employee development and retention, and diversity marketing, and by offering an “insider” perspective on company projects and policies to promote targeted business growth.

“ERGs and their leaders are becoming more significant than ever to a company’s bottom line. Our winners demonstrate the important contributions they make to their organizations,” said Carol Evans, CEO, Diversity Best Practices.

This year’s honorees are serving their network and affinity groups by acting as a formal or informal mentor within the group, participating in activities and events to foster the recruitment and retention of employees, promoting group activities and events that further employee knowledge and understanding of the affinity/community represented by the group, amongst other notable initiatives.

The Above-and-Beyond honorees are representative of individuals and groups who, in addition to their “day jobs,” work tirelessly to increase employee participation, nurture future leaders, and advocate on behalf of the diversity represented by their members. This year’s honorees consist of four categories of individuals and groups who work in best-in-class networks and affinity group leadership. The 2011 Above-and-Beyond category winners are:

Executive Sponsors/Champions: Patricia McClung / Freddie Mac

For providing the guidance, coaching, expertise and wisdom to assist the network membership to establish and carry forth a strategy that supports the development of the network, educates Freddie Mac’s employees, and supports the company’s business initiatives. 

Network/Affinity Group Leaders: Joan McKinnon / New York Life

For spearheading the creation of Employee Network Group, NYLPride and taking the group to formerly unattainable heights by creating divisions of NYLPride in NYL offices in remote locations, such as Cleveland, Atlanta, Parsippany, Minneapolis, Tampa, Austin and Dallas. 

Network Groups: Women in Actuarial and Analytics (WIAA) / Travelers

For providing women with leadership opportunities outside of their normal roles, becoming the model for what an Employee Resource Group should be at Travelers.

For continuing  to act as a guide and resource for the new groups that have been launched at WIAA, and  for familiarizing management with the concept of these groups in order to move Travelers forward on the diversity journey. 

Program Managers: Consuelo Rodriguez / Dell

For building a “Cross ERG Forum” amongst the ERGs at Dell and developing best practices that can be used multilaterally throughout all ERGs such as talent attraction, community building, personal branding and leadership initiatives.

The honorees of the 2011 Above-and-Beyond Awards will be recognized at Diversity Best Practices’ Network & Affinity Leadership Congress (NALC) in Chicago, IL on October 5. Recipients of the ABAs were nominated by network and affinity group peers, diversity professionals and executive leaders in their field. Diversity Best Practices is a division of Bonnier Corporation.

All award nominations are reviewed through a rigorous process by individuals who are leaders in the ERG field. The award committee members are: Stephan Klaschka – Boeringer Ingelsheim; Alexandra Contreras – Colgate Palmolive; Chris Crespo – E&Y; Heather Howell – IBM; Ignace Conic – Prudential; Joe Santana – Siemens; Isaias Zamparia – Three Degrees from Isaias ; Kathy Bowman-Williams – Verizon; and Janice Won – The Won Principals.

About Diversity Best Practices

Diversity Best Practices (DBP) (www.diversitybestpractices.com), based in Chicago, is the pre-eminent organization for diversity thought leaders to share best practices and develop innovative solutions for culture change. Through research, benchmarking, publications and events, DBP provides its corporate members with valued resources, information and strategies on how to implement, grow, measure and create best-in-class diversity programs. Diversity Best Practices is part of Working Mother Media, a division of Bonnier Corp.