“Hopefully, this will be an opportunity to impact the company even more at a higher level,” said Sharon Harvey Davis, recently promoted vice president and chief diversity officer at Ameren.
It’s the first vice president position for a diversity officer within the company. Davis previously was director of diversity.
“Sharon’s promotion is in recognition of both her accomplishments as well as the increasing importance diversity plays in Ameren’s future success,” said Thomas R. Voss, chairman, president and CEO of Ameren.
“Her expanded role will further elevate diversity and Ameren in the community, at universities and with our suppliers.”
Davis is responsible for diversity training, employee resource groups, community partnerships, diversity recruitment, internal and external diversity communications, and the corporate diversity council.
Davis began her career with Ameren 10 years ago as the company’s first diversity manager. It was during a time when many companies lacked diversity position officers. Ameren distinguished itself by acknowledging that diversity was a business imperative and committed to resolve this issue. She said Ameren has kept its commitment to diversity, especially under Voss’ leadership.
“He really believes it in his heart,” Davis said of Voss. “Prior to becoming CEO, he’s always been a part of this effort.”
Recently, Voss was instrumental in the promotions of four women to vice president or higher positions within the company. He was also a key player in the recent promotion of Richard J. Mark. Mark is the first African-American chairman, president and CEO of Ameren Illinois.
Ameren’s diversity programs have received several distinguished awards. In 2011 Ameren was awarded DiversityInc’s Top 5 Utility Company Award for the third straight year. It won the St. Louis American Foundation’s 2005 Corporate Diversity Award.
Additional honors include the 2009 to 2011 Association of Diversity Council Top 25 Honors Award and the Human Resource Management Association of Greater St. Louis Diversity Leader Award.
“I am proud that we’ve been able to take Ameren to a level where we compete nationally as one of the best diversity programs,” Davis said.
As a diversity manager, Davis helped to implement Ameren’s first diversity initiative on Oct. 15, 2004. Diversity Day was an opportunity for more than 8,000 employees to deflect attention away from “those people or that group” and celebrate the cultural uniqueness of each employee at Ameren. Davis is proud that Diversity Day has grown into a weeklong celebration at the corporate office in downtown St. Louis. She said it was one of several accomplishments in her prior position.
Davis doesn’t lack experience. She obtained an Executive Master’s Degree in international business from Saint Louis University. She is a certified senior professional in human resources by the Society of Human Resource Management. She’s also certified as a diversity professional advanced practitioner by Cornell University.
‘The worst in diversity’
Davis was director of diversity in the Human Resources Department at HBE Corp. prior to her employment at Ameren. HBE designs and builds hospitals, financial institutions and hotels. HBE also owns the Adam’s Mark Hotels & Resorts, a national hotel chain. When the NAACP and the U.S. Justice Department filed a discrimination lawsuit against the hotel in Daytona, Fl., Davis was asked to help with the company’s diversity effort.
She was promoted to vice president of corporate affairs and acted as spokesperson.
“I got to see the worst in diversity,” Davis said. “From zero efforts in diversity to a well-recognized program.”
When Davis left the hotel chain, NAACP ranked the Adam’s Mark Hotel & Resort No. 2 in diversity among hotels.
She has yet to encounter any similar situations at Ameren like the one that occurred during her employment with HBE. “We made it very clear that we expect each employee to work to help Ameren become more inclusive,” Davis said. “It’s not the job of a boss, CEO or supervisor. It’s the job of each employee.”
Davis was greatly inspired by her parents, Preston and Josephine Harvey of St. Louis. Davis’ mom always encouraged her to “keep pushing when things got tough.” Davis’ dad was a civil rights activist who marched with Dr. Martin L. King Jr. and “always challenged a wrong.”
She said her personal motto has always been “wrong doesn’t happen on my watch.” This statement accurately sums up her views on diversity and her future goals as chief diversity officer at Ameren.
“At Ameren, every employee should be included and able to contribute all that they can to the company,” Davis said. “We can’t let that kind of wrong happen.”
