It was more than fitting that as she accepted the DE&I Trailblazer Award as the Statewide DE&I Champion – the first time the honor has been bestowed – Hackensack Meridian Health Chief Diversity Officer Avonia Richardson-Miller began by being inclusive.
The award, she said, was not just about her or her team – and it was not just about the strong leadership at HMH, including CEO Bob Garrett and retiring CFO Bob Glenning – it was about the vision and the mission throughout the organization that creates an atmosphere of belonging.
Richardson-Miller told the audience of a few hundred that it is about creating a corporate culture where everyone is encouraged and emboldened.
“It is a business imperative,” she said. “It really is something that is everyone’s responsibility in the organization. With the support of our board and our leadership team and all of our team members, it really has been embedded throughout the fabric of Hackensack Meridian Health.”
Their efforts are being recognized.
HMH earned recognition as the No. 1 hospital system in the U.S. on Diversity Inc.’s “Top Hospitals & Health Systems” list for 2023.
Their efforts also are paying off.
HMH established a Supplier Diversity Council that regularly meets to advance diversity initiatives – and it developed software to track and measure its diverse supply chain. This work resulted in a 32% increase in supplier diversity spending in 2023, totaling $75 million.
Richardson-Miller encouraged the others in the room to create a similar business culture.
“My challenge to everyone here today, whatever your role is to do the hard work and commit yourself to do what it is that you’re able to do to make that impact while you’re empowered to do so,” she said. “Every individual is empowered in some way, shape or form to make a difference. And it is all of our responsibility. And it’s our responsibility, right now, more than ever before.”
The third-annual event, co-hosted by the New Jersey State Chamber and the African American Chamber of Commerce in New Jersey and held at the Pines Manor in Edison, is growing in importance with each passing year.
At a time DEI-type programs and initiatives are under attack – and when the concept is misunderstood – the leaders of these two business chambers feel it is their imperative to show the rest of the New Jersey business community why DE&I matters and honors those who are doing it best.
Here’s a look at the rest of the honorees:
Board Diversity: Virtua Health
The background: Virtua’s board of trustees boasts a diverse composition – 41% people of color and 35% women. The awardee’s DE&I success is striking in another way. Their senior leadership team is 55% women and 22% people of color. Since diversity doesn’t just happen by chance – it takes hard work – every team member at Virtua (more than 10,000 people) completes an intensive 26-week course on human understanding and experience aimed at fostering self-awareness and building stronger relationships.
Thoughts from Rhonda Jordan, chief human resources officer: On the company’s journey:
“We have been on this journey that I am so incredibly proud of. We have an organization that is committed. When we talk about what’s inclusion and what’s respect and how do we treat individuals, we put our money where our mouths are.”
Access to Capital: New Jersey Community Capital
The background: The nonprofit has made it its mission to inject vital capital into communities that need it most, while directly confronting racial and ethnic wealth disparities. In 2022, it closed $47 million in financing, only to surpass that in fiscal 2023 with an impressive $58 million in new loans. These loans have helped create or preserve 1,400 housing units, 2,000 jobs, and 330,000 square feet of real estate. But beyond the numbers, what truly stands out is the institution’s commitment to equity: 55% of its loan portfolio supports minority borrowers from underrepresented communities.
Thoughts from Bernel Hall, CEO: On two record years of lending to underserved communities:
“More than anything else, what makes me really proud is the fact that, in those two record years of lending, we have lent more money to people from underrepresented communities than we’ve ever done in the past, and our delinquency rate is less than 1%. Diversity is not a feel good story. It is good business.”
Supplier Diversity: American Water
The background: Over the past three years, it has achieved a 25% increase in spending on diverse suppliers across New Jersey. This fall, it launched its Supplier Development Program, a six-month cohort designed to mentor diverse suppliers and enhance their chances of securing contracts with the company. The company, meanwhile, has dedicated an entire section of their website to clearly report their metrics on inclusion, diversity, and equity. It also adopted a strategic plan to build an inclusive, diverse, and equitable workplace where employees feel they belong and can bring their whole selves to work.
Thoughts from Lori Sutton, chief diversity officer: “I want to encourage those that are in a position to meet, engage, support and advocate for diverse suppliers to keep pushing. … If you are part of the supplier diversity program, let’s stop telling diverse suppliers that they’re not ready to do business with our organizations. Let’s stop asking the question: ‘What do diverse suppliers need to do to participate fully?’ and start asking ourselves and our stakeholders: ‘What do we need to do to create opportunities for more diverse suppliers?’”
Corporate Citizenship (large company): Comcast
The background: Comcast is leading the charge against digital inequity through its $1 billion initiative aimed at connecting people to the internet. Since 2011, the company has connected over 496,000 low-income New Jersey residents to the internet at home. It has also established more than 1,250 Wi-Fi zones in community centers nationwide — including over 30 in New Jersey — providing free, high-speed Wi-Fi and digital skills training for students and families of all backgrounds. In the past three years, this corporation has contributed $17.1 million in cash and in-kind donations to New Jersey nonprofits that focus on skill building, job training, and career development.
Thoughts from Bill Bronson, senior director of community impact: “It’s hard to get a job, to search for employment, to search for social services or participate in the 21st-century economy if you don’t have access to a broadband connection at home. So, we work with nonprofits and organizations all across the state and all across the country to make sure people have access to the Internet services and the digital skills they need to increase their economic mobility.”
Corporate Citizenship (small business): Huntler Management
The background: This minority-owned firm’s mission goes beyond being an industry leader in infrastructure and construction — it’s about making a meaningful difference in the communities it serves. One of its standout efforts is an annual partnership with the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, where the company provides Thanksgiving dinners to families in need in Trenton. In addition, the company regularly supports Elijah’s Promise in New Brunswick by collecting and distributing snack bags, and it proudly partners with Touch Link, which aids survivors of domestic violence, and MyGoal, which supports families affected by autism and other intellectual disabilities.
Thoughts from CEO: “We’ve tried to do is be the best that we can in the community – and we encourage our employees to do the same thing. Most of the initiatives (we have) were employee dreaming. They come to the management of the company and they tell us the kind of ideas they. We to support everybody and encourage the employees to also give back and to be very kind in everything they do.”
Workforce Diversity: CGI
The background: CGI supports an inclusive culture committed to the wellbeing and growth of its team. Their success in this endeavor led to being named to TIME Magazine’s list of ‘World’s Best Companies’; and to Forbes magazine’s list of ‘Best Employers for Women,’ as well as being on lists recognizing DE&I practices and LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion. The company is a partner with the New Brunswick P-Tech School District, which helps students from underserved communities pursue careers in STEM fields. A team of professionals from CGI mentors P-Tech students for the four to six years they spend in the program. Students can shadow the company’s consultants during the summer, attend internal meetings and sign up for a paid internship when they turn 18. These activities enable the students to get real-world corporate experience. It also familiarizes the students with the company’s culture, should they choose to work there after graduation.
Thoughts from Mike Reagan, company lead in New Jersey: “A diverse workforce brings for us creativity, different points of view that my clients expect from CGI is we solve their business problems. Programs like P TECH give opportunities to students in the New Brunswick area that typically wouldn’t have opportunities like this. I’ve said this numerous times, when I bring in interns from P TECH that are working on a two-year degree, and I put them in the same program on interns from Rutgers, Rowan, NJIT and Princeton, they hold their own. The workforce is right here in our backyard. We need to find a way to develop it and utilize it.”
Workforce Diversity: Langan
Background: Langan’s workforce of 1,700 employees, is comprised of 38% women and 31% people of color – both surpassing industry averages. In 2023, 41% of its new hires identified as women, and 39% were people of color. To ensure continued progress, the firm requires all employees to undergo awareness training, while executives and senior leaders participate in more in-depth DEI training. Supplier diversity is another area where this firm excels. It has awarded over $10 million to minority- and women-owned businesses in the tri-state area, accounting for more than 33% of the total contract values.
Thoughts from Jared Green, principal and chief diversity officer: “We’ve found that by having diverse workforce, it helps us to see the world differently. It’s very important as business leaders, if you have people in your organizations that feel that they can’t bring their full self to work, that should be a problem to you – that should be something that challenges you to see what you could do within the organization to make sure everybody shows their full self. If we can construct buildings in the middle of swamps, then we can find a way that everybody shows their full self.”
DEI Influencer: Leon Baptiste, LB Electric Company
Background: In 1999, he founded a 100% minority-owned contracting and engineering firm that has worked with major clients like PSEG, ConEd, and the Port Authority. Driven by a deep sense of responsibility to give back, in 2005 he launched a training center, in partnership with NJIT and local community colleges, to train inner-city youth, minority students, and re-entries in solar technology, preparing them for careers in renewable energy. His dedication to his community extends beyond business. He serves as chairman of NJIT’s Electrical & Computer Engineering Industry Advisory Board, mentors with the Port Authority of NY & NJ, and co-chairs the construction group for the African American Chamber of Commerce.
Thoughts from Baptiste, company president: Starting out as right out of college as a co-op student, I was the only African American working for a firm. I know that in a lot of places, we feel that we’re not included. But it wasn’t that kind of atmosphere. I got an opportunity to do everything I wanted to do. So, when I got to become a business owner, the first thing that came to mind is: How do I pass the same to others, and specifically in the areas of diversity and inclusion? I believe, if we have the knowledge, the education and the ability to do what we need to do, we’re not going to hear: Can they perform the work?”
John Harmon, CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce, called the night one of the biggest of the year.
“These are the companies and organizations that don’t just support DE&I, they are setting measurable equity and inclusion goals and meeting them,” he said. “They are making a difference. We applaud these trailblazers and encourage their counterparts in the business community to work toward similar measurable goals.”
N.J. Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Bracken agreed.
“We are honoring the companies that are walking the walk,” he said. “We are recognizing and celebrating the DE&I champions who are meeting the challenge and challenging the status quo.”
A look at the nominees
- American Water
- AmeriHealth
- BND Consulting
- Center for Family Services
- CGI Technologies and Solutions Inc.
- Comcast
- Electra Lines LLC
- Elevate 360 LLC
- Emergency Pest Control
- Empower Construction LLC
- Hackensack Meridian Health
- Huntler LLC
- Langan
- LB Electric Co., LLC
- New Jersey Community Capital
- New Jersey Department of State
- Quality Dental School of Technology, Inc.
- Qunnections Management Group, LLC
- South Jersey Industries
- Virtua Health
- We Are Jersey
