Color Magazine Online

All-Inclusive Awards 2009

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More than 400 people attended the Second Annual All-Inclusive Awards on Dec. 3 at the Boston Marriot Copley Place. Forest Whitaker, the keynote speaker, and his wife, Keisha, joined us in celebrating the individuals and organizations who are setting the standard for inclusion.

Recently, Paul launched his own company - Forester and Francisco, an executive recruiting consulting firm - where he works with organizations to provide them access to senior executives of diverse backgrounds. Previously, Paul was Vice President for Veritude's Workforce Consulting Group. He serves on several boards in the community, including Epiphany School in Roxbury and the José Mateo Ballet School in Cambridge. A former New England Patriot, he also uses his athletic experience to help young athletes by participating in football camps teaching young players the synergy between athletes and leaders.

Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. was formed in 1930 by three cranberry growers who wanted to expand the market for their favorite crop. Led by lawyer and cranberry grower Marcus L. Urann, the growers came up with new and innovative products made from cranberries. Today, it is a national agriculture cooperative with roughly $1.9 billion in revenue last year. Over the years, Ocean Spray has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to diversity.

Ocean Spray has remained active in the community and invested in their employees. They implemented a Diversity Action Committee to lead the organization towards a more inclusive workplace. From workshops on "Cross Cultural Communication" and "Working on Multigenerational Teams," to their mentorship initiative, the "Buddy program" to their International Day - Ocean Spray has become an employer of choice.

Elaine is active in many professional and service organizations, a member of the Boston Public Health Commission, former Chair of the Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals and the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle Award for Lifetime Achievement; the Abigail Adams Award presented by the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus; and the Maimonides Award for outstanding leadership in healthcare, presented by the Anti-Defamation League. She is an Associate Professor of Boston University School of Public Health and a member of the faculty at the Harvard University School of Public Health.

Growing from a single corner grocer to a chain of more than 375 stores throughout the northeastern United States, Stop & Shop has offered its customers excellent selection, quality and value for more than 90 years.
Their roots can be traced back to 1914, when the Rabinovitz family founded the Economy Grocery Stores Company in Somerville, Massachusetts. Four years later, family member Sidney Rabb introduced an idea new to retail: the self-service, modern supermarket. By 1947, Economy Grocery Stores had grown into a flourishing chain of 86 supermarkets and the name of the company was changed to Stop & Shop, Inc. Over the years, Stop & Shop hasn't forgotten its roots, remaining committed to the community and setting the standard for supplier diversity.

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Greg Almieda is founder and principal of Global View Communications, a Providence-based, multicultural marketing firm whose goal is to help companies communicate their diversity and marketing messages effectively to find talent, penetrate new markets and increase supplier diversity.

Mr. Almeida has more than 20 years of consulting, marketing, sales and sales management experience, including working for TMP Worldwide, The Boston Herald, and WILD Radio. In 2001 Greg founded the Diversity Branding Initiative. Prior to that, he managed the Internet division of Adams Media, where he oversaw four e-commerce websites as well as the employment site CareerCity.com. During his tenure, Greg successfully launched the Diversity Job Center on CareerCity.com to connect ethnically diverse job seekers and employers.

Currently, Mr. Almieda is an active member of several professional and civic organizations. He is a board member of the Asian American Civic Association, the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance & Accounting, the Latino Professional Network and the Greater Boston Employer Advisory Board.

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Color Magazine's All-Inclusive Awards honor individuals and organizations that are promoting inclusion in the areas of Leadership, Change Agent and Supplier Diversity. The First Annual All-Inclusive Awards were held Dec 11th at the Westin Copley Waterfront with guest speaker Soledad O'Brien.

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The Winners

2008 WINNERS

Cleve Killingsworth, President and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts, is a leader in healthcare reform and management. He has made significant accomplishments in providing accessible healthcare to families and children, and has been instrumental in promoting diversity and meaningful change across all communities. Mr. Killingsworth has a long and distinguished career in health care management, both in practice and in teaching. He was formerly president and CEO of Health Alliance Plan in Detroit, one of Michigan's largest managed care companies. He has also served as the senior vice president of insurance and managed care for Henry Ford Health System and president of Kaiser Permanente's Central East Division.

In 2006, Dana Farber Cancer Institute hired a Vice President of Diversity and Talent Management, becoming the first hospital in the Boston area to have an executive position focused on diversity and inclusion. Building on a strong foundation of diversity initiatives, the Office of Diversity and Talent Management has  implemented a comprehensive strategy to promote diversity in all facets of the Institute. The Office of Diversity and Talent Management works to recruit and retain diverse staff and is organized within the department of Human Resources. It forges partnerships with community organizations and schools; infuses diversity and inclusion concepts into leadership and management training and development; and communicates in tangible ways that Dana-Farber is a welcoming place for all who seek cancer care or meaningful work. With this bold new strategy, Dana-Farber is striving to become a national model for diversity in health care and to demonstrate all that can be achieved when diverse hands work together toward a common goal.

Milagros Abreu is the Founder of the Latino Health Insurance Project Based at Boston University School of Public Health. The rate of uninsured Latino children and their families is more than twice that of the general population in Massachusetts, despite the fact that all children are eligible for public health insurance in the state. The LHIP is bringing several fractionated groups within the community together, to step up to the plate and work together to obtain health care for themselves and their families. With health insurance, children are more likely to get regular checkups, have fewer emergency medial visits and are less likely to be in poor health. Due to the success of Dr. Abreu's initiative, future programs are being planned to reach more Boston neighborhoods and immigrant communities outside of Boston.

Diversity has been a priority for Comcast ever since its founding in 1963. As the largest cable provider and one of the largest communications companies in the country, Comcast recognizes that to provide best-in-class service they must reflect the diversity of their audience. They recently launched 13 new ethnic channels this summer alone for customers in Boston and Brookline with plans to make these channels available in all of the communities they serve in New England. Today, approximately 44 percent of Comcast employees are diverse and Comcast has increased dollars spent with diverse suppliers by 155 percent between 2003 and year-end 2007.

Dave Johnson is the Assistant Vice President of Global Resourcing at John Hancock, and has been instrumental in ensuring that commitment to diversity is woven into the fabric of their business. He is innovative in his approach, as evidenced by the recent One-on-One Business Opportunity Event, held at their U.S. headquarters. The event was designed to link Boston area minority- and women-owned businesses with John Hancock, EMC and Blue Cross employees who make decisions on hiring vendors, giving these businesses an opportunity to sell their products and services. At John Hancock, diversity is central to all of their efforts as they chart a future of opportunity for their employees, business partners, clients and communities.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is committed to improving the health and wellness of their 2.9 million members. As they strive to improve the extraordinary quality of care that makes Massachusetts’ state health care world-renowned, they understand that minority- and women-owned businesses are at the heart of the community’s economy. At BCBS they know that these businesses generate innovation, employment and competition, and strength in healthcare requires strength in supplier diversity.