Utility CEOs and other leaders adopt national diversity pledge
Duke Energy is among several American Gas Association members who have joined a national coalition of nearly 300 business leaders pledging to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
The CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ represents nearly 70 industries, all 50 U.S. states and millions of employees globally. Organizations joining the pledge commit to taking three initial actions: cultivate workplaces that support open dialogue on complex and sometimes difficult conversations about diversity and inclusion; implement and expand unconscious bias education; and share best practices with member companies.
“At Duke Energy, we’ve seen how bringing different perspectives to our decision-making leads to innovative solutions,” LaTonya King, director of Diversity & Inclusion at Duke Energy, told American Gas. “That’s why we were eager to join a coalition bringing together diverse perspectives from the business community to advance diversity and inclusion.”
The CEO pledge acknowledges: “We know that diversity is good for the economy; it improves corporate performance, drives growth and enhances employee engagement. Simply put, organizations with diverse teams perform better.”
The business leaders also pledged to create accountability systems within their companies to track their own progress and to share regular updates with each other in order to catalog effective programs and measurement practices.
“We all succeed when we come together to tackle complex issues and develop solutions that move us forward. Already, we’ve seen great employee dialogue generated by our announcement to sign the pledge, and we plan to continue cultivating and encouraging this dialogue moving forward,” King said.
Other AGA members taking part in the coalition include Ameren, CMS Energy, DTE Energy, Entergy, Exelon, National Grid, NiSource, Sempra Energy and Southern Co.