Diversity in action.

• Author: Hollein, Marie N.
• Position: PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

By Marie N. Hollein, CTP

In this issue, we're proud to celebrate diversity and the important contributions diversity has made to Corporate America and Financial Executives International Once regarded merely as an obligation to cross off a corporate to-do list, diversity is recognized as part of the fabric of any successful organization.

At FEI, we have long valued diversity as one of our key attributes. We value (and work to foster) an inclusive environment in our chapters and committees where members are made to feel welcome--and appreciated for the diverse experiences and perspectives they contribute to FEI and, in a broader sense, the financial community.

In fact, we've identified diversity as an important initiative. We're supporting this initiative, in part, with the efforts of our Diversity & Inclusion Action Team, which has been chartered to help "position FEI as a more inclusive and diverse organization by understanding and fully embracing the dimensions of diversity including (but not limited to): age, gender, race, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnicity, physical abilities/qualities, educational background, geographic locations, income, marital status, military experience, and parental status"

We've also entered into partnerships with organizations including the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPHA), Ascend (which supports business leaders of Asian and Pacific Islander descent), the Accounting & Financial Women's Alliance and others.

We're collaborating with these organizations to promote their important work, and understand their success also helps FEI and the financial community as a whole.

Our ability to support the next generation of FEI's leadership--as well as that of our profession--depends in no small measure on our ability to make sure the pipeline of potential members remains full, and that everyone entering that pipeline feels welcome and appreciated. We're also exploring other ways we can promote and support diversity, such as sessions at our Summit and other events, research projects, and other initiatives.

We're pleased to celebrate the progress we've made so far, while also acknowledging the diversity issue isn't settled for FEI, our chapters, and our profession.

Organizational Benefits

There are many reasons for organizations to embrace diversity. Let's start with recruiting--the students graduating U.S. colleges today...