Withum is proud to announce the American Conference on Diversity (ACOD) will honor the firm as this year’s Corporate Social Responsibility Humanitarian Honoree at its Annual Fundraising Gala held on April 9, 2019, at the Pleasantdale Château in West Orange, New Jersey.
At Withum, we are committed to empowering every team member to grow and succeed, regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or political preference. We are humbled to be recognized for our efforts by the ACOD this year. We are continually developing strategies and initiatives to increase our diversity recruitment and retention efforts, to ensure we continue to provide an environment where all individuals feel empowered to succeed. This is a critical component of our Firm’s core values and vision of our future. It allows us to provide more innovative and creative solutions to our clients; to make better, more informed decisions by looking at challenges from a variety of perspectives; and to appeal to a wider, more diverse base of talent as well as clients.
Bill Hagaman
Withum’s CEO and Managing Partner
Gala proceeds enable ACOD to support and expand their programs, including the Lead for Diversity Institute, a year-long program which has changed the lives of more than 3,300 high-school graduate participants. This 23-year old initiative provides leadership and human-relations training to empower youth to stand up against hate, educate their peers, and be better prepared to enter today’s workplace. Other initiatives include customized Diversity & Inclusion Training, the Diversity Issues in Higher Education Conference, the No Hate Town Hall community-focused program and the Diversity Stride Walkathon.
Elizabeth Williams-Riley, ACOD President and CEO states, “Inclusion is measured by how deliberate and intentional interactions are when cultural differences intersect. During this rising tide of intolerance, inequality, and injustice it is more important than ever to amplify our commitment to empower individuals and institutions to address issues of bias and discrimination – advocating for meaningful social change in our communities.”
Other honorees include Corporate Diversity & Inclusion Humanitarian Honoree the Colgate Palmolive Company; Civic Advocacy Humanitarian Honoree Rev. Forrest Pritchett of Seton Hall University; and Bridge Builder Humanitarian Honoree Luis De La Hoz, Vice President Business Community Development, BCB Community Bank & Chairperson of the Board of the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.
The annual Humanitarian Awards Gala is an opportunity for the business, education and non-profit communities, supporters and friends with an interest in supporting diversity and inclusion to support ACOD’s efforts to ADVOCATE, EDUCATE, MOTIVATE and BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER to promote DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, and RESPECT.
The evening begins with an amazing networking reception, a unique silent auction, a three-course dinner and culminates with exciting entertainment by the Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre at this elegant venue followed by the presentation of the Humanitarian Honoree Awards.
For more information, visit https://americanconferenceondiversity.org/humanitarian-awards-dinner/.
About The American Conference on Diversity
American Conference on Diversity provides diversity training for businesses, experiential workshops and youth leadership programs for high school and college students and professional development workshops for educators.
The American Conference on Diversity, historically known as the National Conference of Christians and Jews, has been a bulwark of the values that have sustained and elevated America for the last 71 years. With roots in opposing injustice, inequality, and racism, we first gained a reputation as a fighter against religious intolerance and the Ku Klux Klan championing the #METOO and #TIMESUP before they became hashtags.
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