As a woman of color, diversity and inclusion is near and dear to my heart. And as the Vice President of Human Resources for the Florida region and a diversity champion for Comcast, I put diversity and inclusion into practice every day.
My role provides me with the wonderful opportunity to interact with our 4,700 employees throughout the State of Florida. And it gives me the invaluable experience of being able to meet people from all walks of life and from many different backgrounds. This is what truly drives my passion to be a diversity champion, actively serving as an advocate for Comcast’s diversity and inclusion efforts along with a group of more than 30 talented and committed individuals. Each diversity champion executes diversity and inclusion best practices and oversees the launch of field Employee Resource Groups within their respective divisions.
Comcast division offices throughout the country are committed to providing our employees with an inclusive and supportive work environment, where each employee is valued and respected. We hold ourselves accountable for hiring, promoting and creating a path to leadership for men and women of every background. This is reflected strongly in our Senior Leadership Team in Florida, which is led by a woman and includes two African Americans, two Latinos and two women. In South Florida, the team has put together an onboarding program called Voice of the New Hire (VONH) that works to enhance the new hire experience. VONH provides newly acquired Comcast Technicians with training, support, and mentorship which builds a solid foundation for new employees to be successful at Comcast. And ultimately this approach helps to identify and retain diverse talent.
I’m excited to share that as an organization, we’re celebrating Black History Month with several events occurring throughout the country, including an exclusive screening of Selma in Boca Raton, FL. Nationally, Comcast is celebrating Black History Month with a special collection of programming including inspirational films, such as Venus and Serena, The Great Debaters, Pride, and The Medgar Evers Story and TV specials like The Black List on TV One, and New Faces of Civil Rights across XFINITY TV platforms.
This February, Comcast also expanded His Dream, Our Stories, which was launched in 2013 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, with new interviews and Black History Month updates dedicated to key moments in civil rights history. And, NBCNews launched an African American-focused online news vertical, NBCBLK, which covers politics and social issues to inform and inspire conversations around black identity and culture in America today.
On February 25th, I am very excited to watch a special, two-part live-streamed talk show highlighting the incredible work of African American tech entrepreneurs and content creators. MSNBC’s Touré will host the show and it will be streamed live through xfinity.com/celebrateblacktv.com.
It is humbling to see how Comcast NBCUniversal supports and honors Black History Month. And these company-wide initiatives further underscore why I am proud to work for a company that celebrates, honors, and respects the rich heritage of its employees.