Four business professionals will be honored with Excellence in Business Performance Awards on Thursday, Nov. 15 at the 13th annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards & Networking Luncheon at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis. The networking reception begins at 11 a.m., and the luncheon and program start at noon.
The event is jointly hosted by the St. Louis American Foundation, St. Louis RCGA and the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.
Patricia R. Coleman – building healthy environments
Patricia R. Coleman is the chief operating officer for Behavioral Health Response (BHR), which provides 24-hour behavioral health and crisis response services to agencies and companies worldwide.
“One of the keys to BHR’s successes is our employees respect and appreciation for differences in work experiences, perspectives, cultures and life styles,” Coleman said.
Her goal is to create an environment where employees feel valued and supported, she said.
“We have the tools and support in place to foster the success factor of diversity,” she said. “Overall, that is what we strive for at BHR, and I believe that is why the people that we hire are second to none in the field of behavioral health. It is that kind of environment that professionals want to work in.”
BHR’s Board of Directors named Coleman the president and CEO, and she will assume her new role on December 1.
Darron Lowe – carving paths to success
Darron Lowe has been a leader in the Wells Fargo Advisors Black/African-American Initiative to increase the recruitment, retention and development of African-American professionals.
“Diversity makes Wells Fargo a better, stronger company and even a better place to work,” said Lowe, assistant vice president of market growth & development consultant for the Lending Banking Services Group. “It enables us to better serve our diverse customers’ needs and provide outstanding service to our customers and communities.”
This year, Lowe helped create and launch the Emerging Leaders Program to pair young black professionals with senior leaders who can assist in building a solid foundation for strong leadership.
Lowe is also passionate about ensuring that children achieve a quality education, and he’s focused his volunteer efforts on assisting inner-city schools with fundraising efforts and reading workshops.
Wendy Richardson – team leader for innovation
Wendy Richardson leads the MasterCard Customer Technical Communications team, which develops and delivers technical and operational information to customers.
Richardson is particularly proud of being a part of the team that launched the St. Louis Chapter of Lifting Employees of African Descent (LEAD) Business Resource group at MasterCard, and leading this organization for two years.
“The best way to promote diversity and inclusion at any organization is by getting involved,” said Richardson, vice president of customer technical communications of MasterCard Worldwide. “A great way to do this at MasterCard is participation in the BRGs, employee-led groups that promote our inclusion strategy.”
Wendy chaired the 2011 MasterCard – United Way giving campaign. She also serves on the board of the International Institute.
“Diversity sits at the root of innovation,” she said. “Diversity of culture, experience and thought all drive innovative thinking.”
Chris Tabourne – recruiting diverse workers
Chris Tabourne is the assistant vice president of diversity and inclusion at Enterprise Holdings – the parent company that operates Alamo Rent A Car, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental.
Tabourne leads and implements diversity and inclusion initiatives for the company’s 72,000 employees.
“We want to shape our workforce and leadership team so that we reflect the community we do business with,” he said.
As part of his role, he also heads up the company’s North American Diversity and Career and Family Focus teams, who assist in the recruitment, retention and development of a diverse workforce.
Tabourne serves on the board of directors for MERS/Goodwill Industries in St. Louis, the advisory board of the World Diversity Leadership Summit, and is a member of the St. Louis Diversity Officers Network. He also is a visiting professor for the National Urban League’s Black Executive Exchange Program and chairs the community/school initiatives for Brittany Woods Middle School in University City.
Tickets to the 13th annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards & Networking Luncheon at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis are $75 each for general seating, tables of 10 available for $750; $100 each for Preferred/VIP seating, tables of 10 available for $1,000. Call 314-533-8000 or visit stlamerican.com.
