Nine people, five teams receive diversity leaders awards
Recipients of the second annual Distinguished Diversity Leaders Award (DDLA) recently were celebrated at a breakfast ceremony in Palmer Commons.
The Aug. 24 ceremony included remarks from Lester Monts, senior vice provost for academic affairs, and Laurita Thomas, associate vice president for human resources. The event featured the first public advance screening of a VOICES of the Staff diversity video.
Recipients of individual (above) and team (below) Distinguished Diversity Leaders Awards are honored at a breakfast ceremony in Palmer Commons. Individual recipients (from left) are Angela Koonce, who accepted on behalf of her late husband Robert Koonce, Delphine Byrd, Tiffany Porties, Debbie Taylor, Greg Snyder, Tendaji Ganges, Mary Stewart and Inel Lewis. Not pictured: Patricia Coleman-Burns. Photos by Scott Galvin, U-M Photo Services.
“Creating and sustaining a culture that values diversity in all its forms requires commitment and contribution from all members of the community,” Monts said. “Leadership may set the course, but it is our exceptional staff that works daily to help us reach our destination of an environment that is welcoming and inclusive. We are proud to honor these staff members as Distinguished Diversity Leaders.”
The nine individual awardees are: Tendaji Ganges, executive director and assistant to the chancellor, Educational Opportunity Initiatives, UM-Flint; Robert Koonce (in memoriam), undergraduate student affairs director, Stephen M. Ross School of Business; Inel Lewis, career development programs manager, staff adviser, Medical School; Tiffany Porties, director of recruitment, Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences; Greg Snyder, director of contracts and purchasing, UM-Flint; Mary Stewart, event coordinator, University Unions; Debbie Taylor, director, Women in Science and Engineering Program, College of Engineering; Delphine Byrd, Law School Admissions; and Patricia Coleman-Burns, School of Nursing.
The five team awardees are: Michigan Community Scholars staff, the Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Community Outreach Program, Business & Finance Diversity Committee, UM-Dearborn Early Childhood Education Center, and the Division of General Pediatrics/Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit.
“This award, as well as the VOICES of the Staff video, ‘A Place for You,’ are elements of validation and gratitude for those making a life-long commitment to the journey of inclusion,” Thomas said. “The honorees enrich the university with their passionate and profound efforts. We thank them for contributing their gifts of time and talent, which makes Michigan a better place for us all.”
Established in 2008, the DDLA is co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost and University Human Resources and administrated by the Office of Institutional Equity. The award recognizes individual staff members and teams for their accomplishments and provides a monetary prize — $1,000 for individuals, $2,500 for teams — to be used towards professional development activities. Staff members on all campuses and in the U-M Health System are eligible.
An online nomination form for the 2010 Distinguished Diversity Leaders Award is available at www.ddla.umich.edu. A call for nominations will be made in early fall.
