Victoria HarkerArizona’s David Green is the latest CEO to join a national coalition of corporate leaders who have signed pledges to advance diversity and inclusion in their workplaces.
Green, the president and CEO of blood services provider Vitalant, is one of more than 1,200 company presidents who have joined the new CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion.
It’s not just about hiring more people, it’s about making a collective difference at the national level to end racism in the workplace, he said.
“We believe that our employees want to have discussions about these kinds of issues,” Green said. “I think it behooves us to create those opportunities for dialogue because the more our employees feel comfortable talking about tough issues, I think the more engaged they will be and the more likely they will continue to contribute at a high level.”
Vitalant, headquartered in Scottsdale, is the nation’s largest independent, nonprofit blood services provider with 5,000 employees nationwide. In Arizona, Vitalant companies employ 800.
Among the steps Green is taking to do his part, is to hire a diversity and inclusion director to help guide the company forward.
“What we’ll be asking for is to engage in dialogue with our employees to talk about some of the issues that many of us don’t know how to talk about and a review of all our policies and practices to be more in line with our company values,” Green said.
Largest CEO-driven business commitment
The CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The coalition represents 85 industries, all 50 states, and about 13 million employees globally.
It is led by a steering committee of CEOs and leaders from Accenture, BCG, Deloitte US, The Executive Leadership Council, EY, General Atlantic, KPMG, New York Life, Procter & Gamble, and PwC.
Those who join the movement sign a pledge that outlines actions CEOS will take to “cultivate a trusting environment where all ideas are welcomed, and employees feel comfortable and empowered to have discussions about diversity and inclusion.”The group also shares best known actions, exchanges learning opportunities and creates collaborative conversations through the initiative’s unified hub, CEOAction.com.
Arizona CEOs who have signed the pledge
Other Arizona CEOs who have signed the pledge include:
- Donald Slager, Republic Services
- Girish Rishi, Blue Yonder
- Adam Goodman, Goodmans Interior Structures
- Morag Lucey, Televerde
- Guillermo Novo, Versum Materials
- Nancy Ham, WebPT
- Brian Hannasch, Alimentation Couche-Tard/Circle K
To see a complete list of all CEOs who have signed the pledge, go to: CEO signers.
About Vitalant
Formerly known as Blood Systems, Vitalant is headquartered in Scottsdale and is the nation’s largest independent, nonprofit blood services provider exclusively focused on providing lifesaving blood and comprehensive transfusion medicine services. Founded in 1943, today it comprises a network of more than 125 community blood centers. Vitalant provides blood and special services to patients in nearly 1,000 hospitals across 40 states.
For more information, visit vitalant.org.
Noemi Santaella
Guest Contributor
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