Articles

2018 Diversity Award Winners

Feb 15, 2018

Robby Gregg

FRIEND OF THE FORUM

View “Remembering Robby Gregg

Robby Gregg’s introduction to The Forum was more than 15 years ago. Brought to a planning committee meeting by one of its members and hearing about a crucial unmet registration need, Robby rose to the moment and donated a staffer’s time to make things work.

Fifteen years later, that staff member is still volunteering in registration. Such is the type of connection and commitment Robby draws out of people. When he sees a need, he reaches out to his endless supply of contacts and helps to fill it; and, because of Robby’s connection to them, they themselves make deep connections to the work he has asked them to do.

During the intervening years since that first pledge, Robby has brought countless presenters, attendees, and volunteers into The Forum community. And those people have mirrored his commitment in their own.

Because of his ongoing support and enthusiasm, and for using his influence to make for a better Forum, we are pleased to present our 2018 Friend of The Forum award to Robby Gregg.

Click to see Robby’s bio.

Frederick A. Miller

WINDS OF CHANGE AWARD, INDIVIDUAL

Frederick A. Miller came of age influenced by the Civil Rights Movement, which shaped his vision of what society could be and the role organizations play in moving society forward. His career reflects a commitment to pushing back on the status quo, helping change organizations into inclusive workplaces.

As CEO for The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc., Fred was one of the first to recognize that diversity without inclusion does not work; shifting diversity from compliance-driven programs to organizational development strategy. His approach tied diversity and inclusion to organizational mission, purpose, and outcomes and he uses a peer-to-peer method for accelerating culture change.

Fred is also a catalyst for social change. He helped San Diego include women, people of color, and LGBT people in the police and fire departments. He assisted Mobil Corporation in implementing domestic partner benefits, setting precedent for many companies to follow. For the Organization Development Network, Fred initiated the People of Color conference and gained board sponsorship for the LGBTQ affinity group. In addition, as a board member for the One World Everybody Eats Foundation, he addresses hunger through the “pay what you can” model.

Fred is a speaker at international conferences and has authored or co-authored more than 100 articles. He has received the Organization Development Network’s lifetime achievement and service awards and was named one of the 40 Pioneers of Diversity by Profiles in Diversity Journal.

Fred’s work has resulted in more productive global workplaces and freed tens of thousands of people to be their best selves. It is for these contributions and more that The Forum awards committee is proud to present Frederick A. Miller with the 2018 Winds of Change award.

Click to see Frederick’s bio.

U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN)

WINDS OF CHANGE AWARD, ORGANIZATION

U.S. Business Leadership Network unites business around disability inclusion in the workplace, supply chain, and marketplace. With more than 130 corporate partners spanning the technology, healthcare, financial, transportation, entertainment, and retail industries, USBLN serves as a collective voice for nearly 50 Business Leadership Network (BLN) Affiliates across the country, representing more than 5,000 businesses.

USBLN is driving innovation in the workplace by harnessing disability inclusion as the source of intellectual and emotional insight needed in today’s complex global environment. Its nationally recognized tools and programs—including the Disability Equality Index and the Disability-owned Business Enterprise (DOBE) certification program—are equally admired by captains of industry and disability rights advocates.

Unlike most disability organizations, USBLN fully embraces a social justice civil rights model for disability. Their staff, advisory councils, board of directors, conference planners, and consulting team include leaders with a broad cross section of disabilities, actualizing the disability community mantra, “Not about us without us.”

With clear examples of exceptional work from which to judge, The Forum is happy to present to the U.S. Business Leadership Network the 2018 Winds of Change award.

Joshua Love

POWER THE FUTURE

Joshua Love is a transformational leader pushing boundaries and stimulating change in his community. He provides significant impact from his position as Outreach, Assessment and Retention Coordinator within the Office of Disability Services at Texas State University. But that is not why Joshua has been awarded the Forum’s inaugural Power the Future award.

Joshua is president-elect of ALLIANCE at Texas State, a staff and faculty organization that promotes awareness, equality, social acceptance, nondiscrimination and individual freedoms of all employees regardless of their sexual orientation, gender expression or gender identity.

Joshua has reviewed university policy and procedures in order to support the recruitment and retention of LGBTQIA faculty, staff and students, and created opportunities for ALLIANCE members to serve on hiring committees. Under his leadership, ALLIANCE has promoted more than 50 educational workshops, fostering awareness of LGBTQIA issues and visibility for staff, faculty and students.

His work created a web-based faculty and staff mentoring program, allowing LGBTQIA faculty, staff and students to be matched with mentors. Alliance further created a LGBTQIA alumni network and the first LGBTQIA scholarship program.

Additionally, Joshua serves as the staff advisor for TRANSCEND, a student organization for transgender, gender non-binary and gender diverse students. As advisor, he produced interactive presentations around creating inclusive communities for these students.

The Texas political climate is hostile to LGBTQIA individuals. Despite that, Joshua has courageously challenged university leaders to step up their support. He provides insight into how campus cultures shape the outcomes of diverse student populations.

By cultivating values and beliefs that focus on including, validating and creating equitable outcomes among diverse students, we are delighted to present the inaugural Power the Future award to Joshua Love.

Click to read Joshua’s bio.

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