Intel Named a Phoenix Business Journal’s 2024 Champions of Inclusion award winner, leading the charge for DEI in Arizona
The Phoenix Business Journal honored the winners and finalists for the inaugural Champions of Inclusion awards on Sept. 24 at the Heard Museum in Phoenix.
Champions of Inclusion celebrates companies, organizations and executives who have placed inclusion as a core part of their values and who understand that inclusion, diversity and equity does not have a narrow range of focus and looks to support people of divergent backgrounds including abilities, ages, ethnicities and races, genders, religions and sexual orientations.
Five winners were selected from 14 companies, organizations and individuals that were narrowed down from a pool of 50 nominees. Wells Fargo was the event’s sponsor.
Winners and finalists were recognized for the following awards: Corporate Inclusion Award (won by Intel Corp.); the Inclusion Innovation Award (won by One Step Beyond Inc.) and the Robin Reed Champion of Change Award. Two Vanguard Awards were also given, one to a company – Seed Spot, a nonprofit accelerator – and the other to an individual – Alan Powell, the founder of nonprofit Herozona.
The event kicked off with co-host Monica Villalobos, the president and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, saluting the honorees and discussing how in a time when diversity, equity and inclusion has become a controversial topic, these companies and individuals showed their true character by not shying away from embracing inclusion. Business Journal Market President and Publisher Ray Schey also co-hosted the event.
Dr. Jaya Raj wins Robin Reed Award
Shawna Reed, wife of the late Robin Reed, the former president and CEO of the Black Chamber of Arizona, who died on Feb. 28., tearfully spoke about the loss of her husband, his philosophy regarding DEI and the Robin Reed Champion of Change Award
“Robin has made me proud since his passing, because his legacy just keeps moving forward, and he would be so honored,” she said about the Champion of Change award that bears his name.
“He loved inclusion more than he loved diversity. … And he was all about calls to action,” Reed added. “Let’s remember that what makes us better as a community, as organizations, as a country, is our ability to let everyone have a voice, and let that voice matter.”
Mrs. Reed presented the inaugural Robin Reed Champion of Change Award to Dr. Jaya Raj, assistant dean, diversity, inclusion & belonging, at the Creighton University School of Medicine – Phoenix.
Panelists discussed inclusion trends
The event featured a panel discussion titled, “Diversity 2.0: A look at the latest trends being developed to move diversity and inclusion efforts forward,” moderated by Phoenix Business Journal Editor-in-Chief Greg Barr.
Panelists included Nell Hall, global vice president, attraction and inclusion at Tempe-based Benchmark Electronics Inc. (NYSE: BHE); Velma Trayham, CEO of the Black Chamber of Arizona and Thinkzilla Consulting Group; and Stacy Leeds, dean and regents professor at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.
The panelists shared their perspectives on how inclusion efforts have evolved during the past four years:
Trayham: “I believe that there are a lot of companies that are now moving more towards being more reactive instead of proactive.”
Leeds: “I think we’re in a pretty magic moment right now. We are sitting here in a room full of leaders and having the courage to lead and put the gas on now, instead of the brakes, is what will differentiate workplaces that people want to gravitate to and workplaces that are becoming more and more antiquated.”
Hall: “The core of what we want to do is make a company do the right thing for the people, put the people at the heart of what we’re doing.”
How to measure DEI efforts
When it comes to measuring the ROI of diversity programs, ASU’s Leeds looks to the numbers as an indication that its working.
Leeds noted that in 2013, 80% of attorneys were White. Within 10 years it went from 88% to 79% in 2024. She said it will shift another 10 points each decade until it flattens out.
Hall cited representation as a key metric for her company as well as data from annual employee surveys.
“A direct correlation with our ROI is our inclusion and our engagement survey that we do every year, and then we do a pulse every six months,” she said. “There’s two statements in there that we track: one is, ‘I feel that I can be my authentic self’ and another one is benchmark values diversity.”
Trayham, who works closely with small business owners through the chamber, described how they measure success.
“I think that has a lot to do with having access to opportunities — access to contracting opportunities to really be able to close the racial wealth gap,” Trayham said. “When I think about inclusion, I think about opportunities and access for all, and if we’re in a small business economy, community engagement is also a very strong aspect of success in corporations, public and private companies, engaging with the small business community, the underserved community, in order to move the needle forward.”
2024 Champions of Inclusion winners:
Corporate Inclusion Award: Intel
Inclusion Innovation award: One Step Beyond
Robin Reed Champion of Change Award: Dr. Jaya Raj
Vanguard Company Award: Seed Spot
Vanguard Individual Award: Alan Powell