If you are a member of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, you get it. Providing a diverse and inclusive workplace continues to grow in importance for every type of employer.
“Generating a diverse set of possible solutions is not enough. The group must be able to distinguish good solutions from the bad.”
It was the last meeting of the year for the Partnership’s Diversity & Inclusion Council, but this was no wrap-up session. Instead, the focus was on what’s next for the Council in 2019.
Each year, the ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award is given to an emerging leader who demonstrates excellence in their career and devotion to improving the community through serving as role models for other young women.
Harmac Medical Products, a contract manufacturer of single-use medical devices, employs over 400 people in a neighborhood on Buffalo’s east side. Harmac is a member of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, and CEO John Somers sits on our board of directors. Recently, John spoke at our Maximizing the Value of Diversity & Inclusion event about the importance of community in attracting and retaining a dedicated workforce.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” That is the message Marc Burt has for employers looking to create diverse and inclusive workplaces. Burt – a former vice president of Inclusion and Diversity at Honda North America – shared his experience and expertise as the keynote speaker at the Buffalo Niagara Partnership’s Maximizing the Value of Diversity event earlier this month. In addition to Burt, a crowd of more than 125 people heard from topic experts and business leaders who have made diversity and inclusion a priority for their company.
A former executive with one of the largest automotive manufacturers in the world is part of the Executive in Residence team working with the Buffalo Niagara Partnership’s Diversity and Inclusion Council. The Partnership’s Executive in Residence program is designed to give our economic councils additional subject matter expertise by providing more insight and leadership from industry veterans with years of experience. The Partnership is now pleased to announce a new Executive in Residence for the Diversity & Inclusion Council.
One third of our region’s K-12 students are children of color. Making sure these children grow up to participate in and benefit from the regional economy is at the heart of the Greater Buffalo Racial Equity Roundtable. Made up of 37 business, community, philanthropic, religious and political leaders, the Roundtable is developing strategies to advance racial equity in our community. The Roundtable’s work is led by a vision of Greater Buffalo’s shared future, where racial equity will create prosperity and opportunity for everyone in the community.
Did you know that employees that feel included and think their organization is committed to and supportive of diversity report an uplift in innovation, responsiveness to customers and team collaboration? According to a study recently published by the Harvard Business Review, inclusive teams outperform their peers in team-based assessments by 80 percent.
Women represent 50 percent of our country’s population.
- 1
- 2
