Subject: Oprah Winfrey named to "Top Diversity Advocates" List

From: Carylon Alexander <[email-masked]>
Date: 22 May 2007 00:18:26 -0400

Press Release

Diversitybusiness announces "America's Top Diversity Advocates"

Southport, CT, May 21, 2007 / DiversityBusiness announced the honoree list for "America'
s Top Diversity Advocates" in the recent inaugural issue of Diversitybusiness magazine. This distinguished group of individuals was recognized for their outstanding achievements in various diversity initiatives.  Leading the list were such names as former U.S.
presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter who, collectively, have been champions of inclusion for many decades. Other distinguished honorees included Oprah Winfrey, who in January of 2007 founded the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls near Johannesburg in
South Africa, and was recently named Howard University's 139th Commencement Orator.

"The Top Diversity Advocates" (List) represent individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to solutions in diversity issues on a global and "national scale. The honorees have made a significant impact on diversity issues in education, procurement, housing and employment. These unsung champions have not waved a diversity flag but rather have quietly made a difference in the lives of people by positively impacting their lives, and improving the economic conditions for their families and
communities.

"I am extremely excited about the honoree list" said Kenton Clarke, CEO of DiversityBusiness. "This recognition brings attention to comprehensible results provided by many different people representing all sectors of diversity, who can quantify success made by their efforts". Cassandra Charles-Gerst, Director of Corporate Supplier Responsibility & Diversity at United Technologies Corporation, exemplifies one of the "Top Advocates". Using her position at UTC, she directs the department that
has provided 100's of millions of dollars in opportunities for companies owned by diverse people. Another fine example is Johnnie Booker of The Coca Cola Company. In her position as Director of Supplier Diversity, Ms. Booker has spearheaded an increase in Coca Cola's spending with diverse owned companies by over 1 billion dollars in the last 5 years.

"America should be proud of the results produced by the "Top Advocates" and others, says Mr. Clarke. "They are most deserving of this recognition and they continue to make our country the greatest place on earth to live".

Name

Organization

Susan Au Allen

President of US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce

Robert McCormes-Ballou

Office Depot

Kevin Beirne

Pitney Bowes

Michael L. Barrera

President of U.S Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Johnnie Booker

The Coca-Cola Company

Audrey Goins Brichi

Chevron

Thomas Brown

Ford Motor Company

Michael A. Bush

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Harvey Butler

JPMorgan Chase and Co.

J. Frederick Canady

PepsiCo, Inc.

Paula Carter

Honda

Jimmy Carter

Former President of United States

Kenton Clarke

President & CEO, DiversityBusiness

Bill Clinton

Former President of United States

Denise Coley

Cisco Systems

Greta Davis

Time Warner, Inc.

Benita Fortner

Raytheon

Edie Fraser

Business Women's Network

George Fraser

FraserNet

Diane Freeman

General Motors Corporation

Cassandra Charles Gerst

United Technologies

Joseph Hill

Bank of America

Jethro Jeseph

Daimler-Chrysler Corporation

K. Michelle Sourie Johnson

Home Depot

Roland L. Jones

Sprint Nextel Corporation

Joan Kerr

AT&T

Reginald K. Layton

Johnson Controls

Wanda Lewis

Icon Office Solutions/ Formerly OfficeMax

Wendy Lewis

Major League Baseball

Harriet Michel

National Minority Supplier Development Council

Bill Moon

UPS

Ann Mullen

Johnson & Johnson

Valerie S Nesbitt

Delta Airlines

Portia Odette

Nike, Inc.

Lissa Owens

Georgia-Pacific Corporation

Betty Parston

Dell

Gloria Pualani

Northrop Grumman

Patricia Richards

Shell

Lesa Rivers

Corporate Express

Dan Robinson

Xerox Corporation

Ingrid Sheremeta

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

Deborah Stone

AT&T

Ralph Thomas

Former Administrator NASA

Gwendolyn Turner

Pfizer

Icy Williams

Procter & Gamble Company

T. Williams

Toyota

Janice B. Williams-Hopkins

United States Postal Service

Gwen Wilson

Verizon Wireless

Oprah Winfrey

Harpo Productions

About DiversityBusiness

Launched in 1999 with over 35,000 members, is the largest organization of diversity-owned businesses throughout the United States that provide goods and services to Fortune 1000 companies, government agencies, and colleges and universities. Diversitybusiness provides research and data collection services for diversity including the "Top 50 Organizations for Multicultural Business Opportunities", "Top 500 Diversity Owned Companies in America ", and others. It's research has been recognized and
published by Forbes magazine, Business Week and thousands of other media outlets. The site has gained national recognition and has won numerous awards for its content and design. DiversityBusiness is produced by Computer Consulting Associates International Inc. of Southport, CT. Founded in 1980.

Press Contact: Odetta Rogers, Director of Communications, DiversityBusiness Click here to contact

Source: DiversityBusiness