By Joseph Cabadas
July/August 2011
Michigan has been a very diverse state for decades — thanks to the legacy of the automotive and related industries that offered high-paying jobs to both immigrants and natural-born citizens — though ethnic and racial divisions and discrimination led to strife and segregation.
But the ideals of America are that all people are created with equal rights and liberties with opportunities for personal growth and development. Corp! magazine’s fifth annual Salute to Diversity on Aug. 30 at the MGM Grand Detroit Hotel celebrates those 30 companies, individuals and organizations that have led the way to promote diversity and inclusion.
In choosing the award winners, Corp! was interested in more than race and ethnicity and also recognized gender, religion and disability conditions. Sponsors of the 2011 awards program are Compuware, DTE Energy, Leadership Oakland, Michigan Business & Professional Association, Michigan Diversity Council, MGM Grand Detroit and Oakland Community College.
The Diversity Award winners are in the following categories: Diversity Business Leader, for those who are role models or top officers of a minority-owned business; Diversity Focused Company, those businesses that defined and monitored diversity success and demonstrated how diversity efforts added value to their operations; and Diversity Champions, nonprofit organizations that created or promoted special programs, provided education opportunities or started other initiatives.
Diversity Focused Company recipients are Bowman and Brooke LLP, Cooper Standard, Hamadeh Educational Services, Lewis & Munday, The Nelson Companies Inc., Nemeth Burwell, Spartan Stores and Wayne State University.
Diversity Business Leader honorees are Fay Beydoun, executive director of American Arab Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Haifa Fakhouri, founder, president and CEO of the Arab American and Chaldean Council; Raquel Salas, co-founder and managing member of Avanti Law Group PLLC; Dr. Yahya Basha, founder and president of Basha Diagnostics; Monica L. Martinez, vice president of National Hispanic Business Affairs of Comerica Bank; Cynthia Kay, president and CEO of Cynthia Kay and Co.; Susan Ellis Goodell, president and CEO of Forgotten Harvest; Jocelyn Giangrande, director of Workforce Diversity and Inclusion at Henry Ford Health System; Lora Vinande, manager for Talent Management & Diversity at Mercedes-Benz Financial Services; Jim Jaime, owner of Michigan Pipe and Valve; Mary Bauman, partner at Miller, Johnson, Snell & Cummiskey PLC; Dr. Ernestina de los Santos-Mac, chairwoman of Philippine American Community Center of Michigan; Ryan Rosario, president of Philippine Chamber of Commerce-Michigan; Antoinette Green, vice president, Office of Diversity & Inclusion at Trinity Health; and Ruben Acosta, co-founder and co-managing partner of Williams Acosta PLLC.
Diversity Champions recipients are Affirmations, Crossroads for Youth, International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit, International Media Exchange, Jackets for Jobs Inc., Jewish Vocational Services and New Detroit Inc.