Catalyst Honors 4 Initiatives with 2009 Awards

Baxter, CH2M HILL, Gibbons, and KPMG Initiatives Honored With the 2009 Catalyst Award

Award celebrates innovative initiatives that advance women and business

NEW YORK – The 2009 Catalyst Award was presented on March 31 to Baxter International Inc., CH2M HILL, Gibbons P.C., and KPMG LLP for their ground-breaking initiatives that advance women in the workplace. The award, given during the Catalyst Awards Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria and sponsored by DuPont and Shell Oil Company, attracted approximately 100 CEOs of major corporations and firms, and nearly 1500 senior executives and industry leaders from over 200 U.S. and global companies.

“This year’s award-winning initiatives represent the business success that bringing women into leadership can deliver across industries and geographies,” said Ilene H. Lang, President and CEO of Catalyst. “No matter where we look, whether in New York or Asia Pacific, from engineering to pharmaceuticals, we find achievement through inclusion of women.”

Irene Rosenfeld, Chairman and CEO of Kraft Foods Inc., and one of the 15 Fortune 500 women CEOs, chaired the Catalyst Awards Dinner. “As a consumer business, it’s essential that our workforce – and especially our leaders – reflect the diversity of our consumer base. Kraft Foods applauds the 2009 Catalyst Award winners for demonstrating that significant gains can be made when organizations set their mind to increasing diversity."

Baxter International Inc.’s Asia Pacific initiative, Building Talent Edge reached its 2010 target of a 50/50 gender balance across management-level and critical positions two years ahead of schedule. "Gender diversity is not just a social issue but one that addresses a core challenge for all organizations: talent," said Gerald Lema, Corporate Vice President and President, Asia Pacific of Baxter International Inc. "Extensive research and our own experience demonstrate that organizations that allow the best talent to enter, develop, move up and contribute do better. Organizations that move quickly to remove the barriers and become more inclusive overall will be the winners."

CH2M HILL’s Constructing Pathways for Women Through Inclusion initiative provides a model for leveraging women employees to achieve business success and accelerate women's advancement. Lee A. McIntire, President and CEO of CH2M HILL remarked, “We are so proud that our initiative is the first in the engineering and construction industry to win the Catalyst Award – and even more proud of what this means for our industry overall, which has a genuine desire to improve diversity within its ranks.”

Gibbons P.C.’s The Women’s Initiative: Driving Success Through Diversity Investment, is critical to the firm’s branding in the marketplace and generated more than six percent of its annual revenue in 2007. Patrick C. Dunican, Jr., Chairman and Managing Director of Gibbons P.C. said, "Our Women's Initiative has proven to be a win-win-win proposition. Our women attorneys constantly develop their professional skills, leadership abilities, and business networks – all of which clearly benefit clients and positively impact the firm's bottom line."

KPMG LLP’s Great Place to Build a Career initiative uses diversity and inclusion as a driver for change resulting in a culture of career growth, mentoring, and accountability that focuses on a talented pool of diverse individuals. Timothy P. Flynn, Chairman of KPMG LLP commented, “We are honored by Catalyst’s recognition. This initiative, which ensures that all of our professionals, especially women and people of color, are provided the support and opportunities to make the most of their talents and experiences at every stage of their career, has become embedded into our culture. The talent and professionalism of our people is critical to our long term business success and this initiative has helped us expand and develop our high quality professional work force.”

For complete descriptions of past and present Catalyst Award-winning initiatives and the Catalyst Awards Conference, please visit www.catalyst.org.

Campus Lockdown: Women of Color Negotiating the Academic Industrial Complex

DATE: Saturday, March 15, 2008
TIME: 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
LOCATION: Michigan Union, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
For more information & to register online: http://www.woclockdown.org/

Campus Lockdown: Women of Color Negotiating the Academic Industrial Complex The Campus Lockdown Conference is organized by undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Michigan. Its aim is to promote dialogue on the politics of women of color scholarship in a post-Proposal 2 (anti-Affirmative Action) environment. Women scholars of color from universities across the country will participate in critical discussions of a host of issues relating to politics, pedagogy, and campus climate for women devoted to pubic scholarship. The conference is intended as an organized community forum space and all attendees are encouraged to contribute to the day's ongoing conversations.

Statement of University of Michigan students and faculty in support of UM Native American Studies Director Andrea Smith's tenure case. | Action alert.

Speakers:
Piya Chatterjee, University of California, Riverside
Angela Davis, University of California, Santa Cruz (via teleconference)
Rosa Linda Fregoso, University of Southern California
Ruthie Gilmore, University of Southern California
Fred Moten, Duke University
Clarissa Rojas, San Francisco State University
Haunani-Kay Trask, University of Hawai'I

CO-SPONSORS: University of Michigan Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies Program, Center for the Education of Women, Department of History of Art, Department of Women’s Studies, Division of Student Affairs, Michigan Student Assembly, Museum Studies Program, Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs, Students of Color of Rackham Native Caucus, William Monroe Trotter Multicultural Center, Women of Color in the Academy Project

BLACK COLLEGIAN Profiles NASA Astronaut Joan Higginbotham

Of interest at our sister publication, THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Online, new features have been from the paper magazine's first semester edition, including its engaging cover interview with NASA Astronaut Joan Higginbotham, discussing her career path en route to becoming only the third African American woman astronaut.

The interview is part of the edition's theme section on Careers in Science, Engineering & Technology.

Incidentally, for flight buffs, the upcoming edition will include a Black History Month section feature commemorating Vernice Armour – The First African-American Woman Combat Pilot.

Weekend Focus: Race, Sex and Hillary Clinton

Starting this weekend, a couple of features on the Women's Village and elsewhere across the IMDiversity network attempt to look back at the week's hub-bub surrounding the race-gender split arising in the Democratic Presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

First, we track a series of Clinton-Obama analyses of from the Associated Press that provide different takes on the tit-for-tat between the campaigns, and looking at how race and gender, racism and mysogyny, play into the coverage. It also looks at the impact of women voters, as well as the importance to the campaigns of parsing out that vote by generation, class, race and philosohpy.

In another feature, Hispanic American Village Editor Carol Amoruso reflects on the (false?) dichotomy threatening to divide voters' loyalties in the party, in Race and Gender at Odds Again as Steinem Wades into the Clinton-Obama Fray.

On the African American Village, frequent contributor Kam Williams looks back at the N.H. results and seeks to put the focus elsewhere: on the Diebold Corporation. "For, while the punditocracy has been busy dubbing Hillary Clinton the Comeback Kid and attributing her surprise victory to women rallying to her support in the wake of her eyes welling up on camera, no one’s looking for a more plausible explanation than that overly-publicized Muskie moment.," Williams writes. Suspicious of dubious vote tallying, Williams concludes "we’re again in dire need of U.N. observers during the 2008 primary season, just to give an the democratic process a chance to unfold untainted by fraud."

Additional features will unfold, as our editors and visitors try to interpret the events in what is becoming an unhappily tense time in an otherwise historic election. One reader said that she liked Obama and Clinton "almost equally," and would support either in a general election, but "as a woman, I have to go with Clinton now."

Another wrote that she "resented having to choose" between candidates who each represented a historic political milestone she'd been "waiting for my whole life."

And, should it matter?

We ask in our blog poll for the week: Would you lay issues aside and vote for Hillary Clinton for president for the historic precedent of having a woman in the White House?

What do you think?

Black Women's Roundtable Plans Katrina Anniversary Events

The following is from the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation’s women’s initiative, Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR), which is planning a series of its own events in N.O. this coming week to commemorate the anniversaries of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The group is also working in a broader coalition of organizations to promote a National Day of Presence on August 29, to call attention to the ongoing needs of the Gulf region 2 years after the storm.

The group has published a scheduled activities during the Second Anniversary of Katrina-Rita National Call to Action from August 27-29, 2007, and updated details may be posted there. We have additionally compiled their list events and actions with an extended schedule of Katrina events through September 1 on the blog of our sister site, http://blackcollegian.blogspot.com/.

On the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina the National Coalition on Black Civic articipation’s women’s initiative, Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR), hosted a Gulf Coast Hear Me Now Listening Sessions Bus Tour of regions hit by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The seven-city tour set out to learn how women directly impacted by the storms were surviving one year after enduring the life-altering affects of Katrina and Rita. The tour revealed that the storms exacerbated the already fragile social and economic existence of many African American women in the Gulf Coast region in three of the most economically depressed states in the nation—Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.

After listening to our sister’s voices about their experiences in the rebuilding process, the barriers they encountered and how they were affected by this natural disaster, the National Coalition was able to identify the most pressing issues thwarting recovery and rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast region----affordable housing, education, and mental/physical health topped the list.

As we approach the second anniversary of the worst storm in America’s history, sluggish rebuilding efforts have increased despair, frustration, and stress among people already emotionally traumatized. The never-ending struggle to secure a sense of dignity and stability has aggravated the severe mental stress and physical health problems survivors of these storms are facing on a daily basis in rural and urban communities in the Gulf Coast and all across the country where displaced survivors are attempting to rebuild their lives.

In 2006 the women of Black Women’s Roundtable heard the voices of our beloved sisters in the Gulf Coast. Further, to build upon what we learned from our Gulf Coast recovery & rebuilding work and from the women of the gulf coast over the past year, NCBCP will utilize the Black Women’s Roundtable Healthy, Wealthy & Wise Initiative to assist the women of the Gulf with their civic engagement and provide vehicles for their voices to be heard by policy and opinion makers across the country.

NCBCP will incorporate the mission of BWR – to promote healthy families – as we return to New Orleans to commemorate the second anniversary of Katrina through our 2007 BWR Celebrate Our Sisters of the Gulf Coast Wellness Journey. The journey will include a full day focused on health and wellness through exercise, volunteerism, pampering, dialogue, entertainment, spiritual upliftment, recognition, and information gathering. NCBCP will host a regional organizing briefing and conduct a scientific survey/poll of survivors to evaluate their recovery/rebuilding experiences over the past year, document their stories of success and the barriers Katrina-Rita survivors continue to encounter as well as stand in solidarity with the people of the Gulf Coast for a national call to action on August 27-29, 2007 in New Orleans, LA.

The tentative schedule of events is here.

Minority Women's Health Summit: 8/23 - D.C.

Forwarded re: 2007 Minority Women's Health Summit

THEME: Women of Color: Addressing Disparities, Affirming Resilience, Developing Strategies for Success

You are cordially invited to participate in the 2007 Minority Women's Health Summit, Women of Color: Addressing Disparities, Affirming Resilience, and Developing Strategies for Success. The Summit will be held August 23-26, 2007, at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC.

Summit Goals: Build on the knowledge gained in the previous conferences and identify distinct health issues disproportionately impacting minority women so that programs can be improved; Highlight successful models of health promotion and prevention that can be replicated in the community. The 2007 Summit will accomplish these goals primarily through action-oriented, skills-building workshops, where the participant will be given tools, skills, or resources to better reach their target population. The workshop format is an important feature that will provide greater opportunities for collective group thinking and creative problem-solving.

Date: August 23-26, 2007
Location: Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC
Web site: http://www.womenshealth.gov/mwhs/

Space is limited to 500 participants. Register now and save your spot! If you have questions regarding the Summit, please contact Frances Ashe-Goins(202) 690-6373Aleisha Langhorne (202) 401-8325

Also of Interest: IMDiversity Healthcare Industry Readings & Careers Channel

Column: Now What? Embracing the "Real World" after College

After a summer of housecleaning, the staff is pleased to spotlight one of several exciting new additions to THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Online and our company's extended IMDiversity.com network.

A new ongoing column housed at THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Online, Now What? Embracing the "Real World" after College, provides sound guidance on thriving in "the real world" for those making the transition from college to the workplace. The column is created by Chaz Kyser, editor, public speaker, journalism instructor at Langston University, and author of the book, Embracing the Real World: The Black Woman’s Guide to Life After College.

Although many of the articles are related to Ms. Kyser's interest in the college-to-work experiences of young African-American women in particular, the editors find that the insights and practical advice contained in the column are valuable and relevant to readers of all genders and backgrounds -- even those who may have been out of university and working for a while now. Some of Ms. Kyser's work will also be seen on IMDiversity.com in the coming year, as well as here on the blogs.

As always, we invite interested readers to leave a comment or question for Ms. Kyser, and we are particularly interested in having readers share thoughts about your own college-to-career transitions as we approach back to school season.

Aerospace Corp. Selects Dr. Wanda M. Austin New President and CEO

Aerospace Corp. Selects Dr. Wanda M. Austin New President and CEO
To succeed Dr. William F. Ballhaus Jr. upon his retirement on January 1

Dr. Austin currently serves as the senior vice president of The Aerospace Corporation’s National Systems Group in Chantilly, VA. She has been with the company since 1979, and has served in positions of increasing responsibility, including general manager of the MILSATCOM (Military Satellite Communications) Division and senior vice president of the Engineering and Technology Group. Austin will be succeeded by Dr. Manuel De Ponte, currently general manager of the MILSATCOM Division...

Dr. Austin has received numerous awards and citations, including the Air Force Scroll of Achievement, the National Reconnaissance Office Gold Medal, the U.S. Air Force Meritorious Civilian Service Medal, the Air Force Space and Missile System Center’s Martin Luther King Spirit of the Dream Award, the Society of Women Engineers Upward Mobility Award, and the Women in Aerospace Outstanding Achievement Award.

The Aerospace Corporation (www.aero.org) is an independent, nonprofit company that provides objective technical analyses and assessments for national security space programs and selected civil and commercial space programs in the national interest...

Release: Raytheon Honored by Women in Engineering Programs & Advocates Network

Release: Raytheon Honored by Women in Engineering Programs & Advocates Network

A June 12, 2007 release reports that the Waltham, Massachusetts-based Raytheon Company has received the Breakthrough Award at the 2007 Women in Engineering Programs & Advocates Network (WEPAN) annual conference in Orlando, June 10-13.

The Breakthrough Award "honors an employer for creating a work environment that enhances the career success of women engineers of all ethnicities. Raytheon was selected for its institutional structures and programs that help foster diversity, especially for its women employees."

Raytheon has been a long-time supporter of IMDiversity and THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine. Jobs with Raytheon appear routinely on the IMDiversity.com Career Center, including but not limited to a wide array of engineering opportunities at all levels, and in the U.S. and abroad. Raytheon was also named among the TOP 100 DIVERSITY EMPLOYERS 2006 in the Universum IDEAL Employer Survey — Diversity Edition for 2006, published in THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine. We congratulate them on this recognition by WEPAN.

Women in Engineering Programs & Advocates Network (WEPAN.org) is a national not-for-profit organization with over 600 members from nearly 200 engineering schools, small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations, and non-profit organizations.

March 8 is International Women's Day

Reminder: March 8 is International Women's Day. This year's theme is tackling the problem of violence against women, and organizations both private and public are getting involved globally.

Women's History Month 2007

From release by the U.S. Census:

National Women’s History Month’s roots go back to March 8, 1857, when women from New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. International Women’s Day was first observed in 1909, but it wasn’t until 1981 that Congress established National Women’s History Week during the second week of March. In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month. Every year since, Congress has passed a resolution for Women’s History Month, and the president has issued a proclamation...

Women's History Month: March 2007
Census release paints a statistical portrait of women in the U.S. today at work, school, home, business and beyond

Catalyst announces 2007 awards

A release by Catalyst.org has announced the winners of the organization's 2007 award "recognizing corporate initiatives that advance women and business".

The year's winners Goldman Sachs, PepsiCo, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Scotiabank will make presentations at a ceremony at the Grand Hyatt in New York City on March 21, 2007.

Happy New Year from the Women's Village!

After some time off for family and travel, the editors wish everyone a happy, healthy and productive new year.

We hope you had a chance to stop by over the holidays for some the features in our Women's Village Headline News section, which supplemented the usual news with some engaging and thought-provoking special series readings from the Associated Press about the stressors that come with holiday seasons, especially on working women.

For this week, we'll be running a new profile of business consultant Anna Duran, founder of the successful Duran Group. A Latina entrepreneur, Duran describes her life's path from her rough upbringing in East Oakland to New York and Wall Street, and her work on the way as a psychotherapist, a teacher at Columbia University, an author and business researcher, and a business diversity advocate. The feature is co-posted with our sister site, Hispanic American Village.

With the ascendancy of Nancy Pelosi, we'll probably also be following up with additional news from the Beltway this week, and we will definitely be updating our featured jobs again, so we hope you'll stop back again soon.