Last week family and friends came out to celebrate the 47 mid- to senior-level professionals graduating from the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative’s Fellows Program at Emerson Electric Co. headquarters in North County.
“Once a fellow, always a fellow,” the graduates chanted.
The 2010 class was the largest graduating class to date for the Fellows Program, which helps participants to acquire effective leadership strategies and build relationships essential to their individual and collective growth.
“We’re the biggest, better and best,” graduate Latasha Fox said.
David N. Farr, president and CEO of Emerson and president of Civic Progress, explained why the Fellows Program is great for the St. Louis community and gave a few encouraging words to the graduates.
“Tonight is only the beginning,” Farr said.
Farr said the Diversity Initiative’s program will help to develop “a much stronger, diverse leadership group that will take St. Louis to the next level and next generation.”
Graduates were treated to a panel discussion with David L. Steward, founder and chairman of World Wide Technology, Inc., and Priscilla L. Hill-Ardoin, retired senior vice president of regulatory compliance and chief privacy officer for AT&T.
“Life is a journey, not a destination,” Steward said. “The possibility is there will be lives that you’ll change. Why not you?”
“What you respect and what you love, you’ll give it what you need,” Hill-Ardoin said.
Graduate Patricia Coleman shared her gratitude for the program and what it did for her as a professional and individual.
“I gained leadership skills, lifetime relationships with my fellow classmates and gained unity with my manager,” Coleman said.
“We grew professionally by attending the program as a team. I have something to give back to the people I supervise and was able to take some of the skills I learned with me and share with my family. I am a changed person through this process.”
Valerie Patton, executive director of the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative, said her goals are to help all minorities improve their skills, become savvy with business trends and succeed through networking. Patton stressed how the Fellows Program is a team effort.
“This is not an ‘I’ show, this is a ‘we’ show,” Patton said.
“We are giving you a lot of opportunity, the ability to be engaged and to be enlightened.”
After the leadership experience of the Fellows Program, the graduates become alumni. At the ceremony, a new program was introduced to the graduates: the Initiative Fellows Alumni Association.
“The purpose of the alumni association is to support the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative and to foster and maintain the environment that encourages each of us to stay focused and connected through specific engagement, professional development and social networking,” said David Rodgers, president of the alumni association.
The Fellows Program is on its fifth year. Each year the program and company participation has increased. The upcoming 2010-2011 program includes 54 professionals, and the number of participating companies has grown from15 to 36 companies.
As Farr said, “I think this program is crucial to the development of St. Louis and the prosperity of St. Louis for a long time to come.”
For more information, visit http://www.stlbizdiversity.com.
