UA's Diversity Council has again been selected as one of the top 25 diversity councils in the nation. Seen here at the 2011 awards ceremony in Atlanta are, from left, presenter Janice Bowman, practice leader of the association; Lee Gill, associate vice president for inclusion & equity/chief diversity officer; Dr. Ramona Ortega-Liston, associate professor of public administration and urban studies; Dr. Sheldon B. Wrice, Chair of the Department of Associate Studies in Summit College; and Dr. Julie Yuhua Zhao, director of the Increasing Diversity in Engineering Academics (IDEAS) Program in the College of Engineering.
For the second consecutive year, UA's Diversity Council has been selected as one of the top 25 diversity councils in the nation. The honor comes from the Association of Diversity Councils, a resource for diversity and inclusion council professionals.
The 2012 award recipients include a diverse combination of corporations, government agencies and the military, including Comcast and NBCUniversal, the U.S. Navy, American Airlines, Hyatt Hotels, McGraw-Hill and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. The awards will be presented at the 2012 Diversity Council Conference on Oct. 4 in Washington, D.C.
Philip Berry, executive director of the Association of Diversity Councils, notes that, "This is the fourth year that the association will award its prestigious Diversity Council Honors Award™. The award is designed to honor the outstanding contributions and achievements of council groups that lead diversity processes in their organizations and demonstrate results in their Workforce, Workplace and Marketplace."
UA's Diversity Council, appointed by President Luis Proenza in December 2008, is led by Lee A. Gill, J.D., associate vice president for inclusion & equity/chief diversity officer, and Martin H. Belsky, J.D., the Randolph Baxter Professor of Law. Serving on the council are individuals from campus and the community.
"This year's honor is a testament to the continued efforts and commitment of UA administration, faculty, staff and community leaders to establish diversity and inclusion as a core value," says Gill. "We are definitely moving in the right direction!"