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Nationwide’s Andrew D. Walker leads the way in supplier diversity and inclusion

By Melissa Lowery, Photos by Shellee Fisher Photography & Design Andrew D. Walker The diversity of our associates — and by extension our external suppliers — is an absolute strength,” said Andrew D. Walker, senior vice president, IT chief financial officer and chief procurement officer at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. “The more points we engage, the more we can accomplish together.” This people-first philosophy guides him as he leads the company’s sourcing and procurement operations — including its supplier diversity organization — to award-winning heights. Born in Jamaica, Walker moved to New York in 1984. He graduated from City University of New York with a degree in accounting in 1990 and took a position as head of accounting for trade shows for the National Marine Manufacturers Association in Chicago. In 1995, he became an accountant at Shore Bank in Chicago, working his way up the ranks until he was appointed senior vice president and director of operations in 2006. According to him, for more than a decade, he honed his leadership style, developing “a triple bottom-line approach, equally prioritizing profits and business’ impact on people and the community, along with the impact of a project on the environment.”
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By |December 7th, 2014|Equality News, News Around The Network|0 Comments

IBM celebrates 45 years of valuing supplier diversity

By Genny Hom-Franzen @gennyhom The IBM team at the 2013 Out & Equal Workplace Summit – IBM Out Executives from 17 countries with Ron Glover, Chief Diversity Officer. Since the 1880s, IBM Corp. and its predecessor companies have stood at the vanguard of innovation, information technology, systems and services. In 1969, the company became one of the first to embrace supplier diversity. “Diversity is no longer about race, gender, sexual orientation or disability — or numbers. It’s about broadening the definition and objectives to ensure we create a globally sensitive corporate culture that fosters and leverages diversity of thought and relationships,” said Tony Tenicela, global leader and managing business development executive. He develops commercial strategy for workforce diversity and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender solutions at IBM.
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SCHOLARSHIP – Point Foundation partners with professionals and corporations to empower LGBTQ students

By Eugene J. Patron, communications & marketing director, Point Foundation  @PointFoundation Jorge Valencia, executive director and CEO of Point Foundation (left), accepts a check from Peter Lichtenthal, president of Bumble and bumble, a division of The Estee Lauder Companies. Today, it is easy for people to name celebrities and sports players who have publicly come out as being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. However, every year during the in-person interviews with finalists for Point Foundation’s LGBTQ higher education scholarships, there are young people who say to the review panel, “This is the first time I have met a group of openly gay professionals.” Many of these bright young people from communities around the country have never been introduced to a gay doctor, a lesbian lawyer, a transgender entrepreneur —
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IN GOOD COMPANY – Time Warner’s Clint Grimes urges LGBT suppliers to pursue certification

By Suzanne Squyres Clint W. Grimes Procurement veteran Clint Grimes joined Time Warner Inc. in 2004, a pivotal point in the development of the company’s supplier diversity initiative. “At that time, Time Warner was building out its enterprise sourcing organization in an effort to standardize the approach to supplier selection across the organization,” said Grimes, the company’s executive director of procurement services and supplier diversity. “The specifics of the TW role were right up my alley.”
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NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT – Forty to None Project and True Colors Fund aim to end LGBT youth homelessness

By Jama Shelton, LMSW, Ph.D., Forty To None project director @PagingDrJama   Jama Shelton In America, it is estimated that up to 1.6 million youth are homeless each year, and up to 40 percent of them identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Yet, only up to 7 percent of the general youth population does the same. The Forty to None Project is working both proactively and reactively to address the issue and, ultimately, reduce the disproportionate percentage from 40 percent to none. It is asking the business sector to join the effort.
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By |October 18th, 2014|Feature Stories, Nonprofit, Public Sector|2 Comments

ENTREPRENEURS EXTRAORDINAIRE – Thankful for help from community and SBA, Savannah entrepreneurs return the favor

By Suzanne Squyres TailsSpin’s Jeff Manley and Jusak Yang Bernhard with Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet of SBA.jpg Against many odds, Jusak Bernhard and Jeff Manley have a successful business. Leaving behind award-winning careers in the entertainment industry and their home in Los Angeles, they moved to Savannah, Ga., where they opened TailsSpin Pet Food & Accessories. On the first day of business, the store tallied a single sale of 89 cents. Now in its seventh year, it employs 26 people and has three locations, one of which sparked the renaissance of a once-derelict strip shopping center.
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OPEN MINDS – RBC and EY find ways to overcome hidden diversity obstacles

By Melissa Lowery @Melifornia Wanda Brackins In the past few decades, diversity has emerged as a critical factor in the ability of businesses to succeed in an increasingly global marketplace. Leaders understand that in order to innovate, attract clients and partners and retain and cultivate the best talent, organizations must foster diverse, inclusive work environments. But, when the efforts of committed leaders plateau, how can an organization attain the breakthroughs it desires?
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IN THE NEWS – LGBT History Month and National Coming Out Day observed

LGBT History Month, a time to reflect on the struggles faced by LGBT individuals and the history of their civil rights, is observed every October. It was first established in 1994 to coincide with National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11. LGBT History Month was founded by Rodney Wilson, a Missouri high school teacher who believed that a month should be devoted to the celebration and teaching of gay and lesbian history.
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IN THE NEWS – Attorney General Eric Holder, staunch LGBT civil rights advocate, tenders his resignation

  Eric HolderU.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced his resignation on Sept. 25, 2014, and will step down as soon as the U.S. Senate confirms his successor. A stalwart supporter of civil rights of LGBT individuals, he said that one of his greatest accomplishments was aiding in “the promise of equality for our LGBT brothers and sisters and their families.” The country’s first African-American attorney general, Holder’s tenure at the U.S. Department of Justice includes the implementation of reforms to the criminal justice system and enforcement of major civil rights initiatives, including lawsuits against Texas and North Carolina for obstructive voting laws.
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PERSPECTIVE – The art of human connection: Three keys to building profitable business connections the conscious way

By Richard Oceguera @RichardOceguera Richard Oceguera It’s August 2014 in Little Falls, N.J., and I’m giving a talk to a group of 23 seasoned small business owners at their weekly leads group. “Who here absolutely loves networking?” The room is silent and only two hands go up. “Who here has been trained in the art of networking? Or, as I like to call it, the art of human connection?” Not a hand goes up this time. Finally I ask, “If there was a way to build your business that didn’t included networking, would you prefer that?” Every hand immediately flies up.
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