Champions of Diversity Award FY'08 - 3rd Quarter Award Recipients

Campus Services
Centre College Management Team - (Roy Platt, GM; Robert Busack, Executive Chef; Serge Kaniki, Retail & Marketing Manager; Stephanie D'Aurio, Catering Manager), Danville, KY
Led by Roy Platt, the Centre College Management team has built great relationships with their clients and in the community.  They have actively engaged in recruiting, hiring, and developing individuals from different facets of the central Kentucky community.  They proactively ensure that their candidate slates are diverse, and inclusive of minorities and women for all positions including the supervisory level.  Additionally, they conduct outreach for individuals with disabilities, leveraging relationships with the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Pioneer Vocational Industrial Services, The Kentucky School for the Deaf, and The Bluegrass Regional Mental Health-Mental Retardation Board.  To ensure their team members' success, they meet daily with employment consultants, and utilize interpreters for meetings and training sessions.  It is because of this team's accomplishments that Sodexo was recognized as a 2007 Employer of the Year for the State of Kentucky by the Statewide Council for Vocational Rehabilitation.  In addition, Roy was invited to serve on the Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee for the Kentucky School for the Deaf.  At Centre College, the team recognizes that leveraging diversity opens opportunities -- for them, for their community, and for our clients.

Corporate Services
Richard Gasparotti, Sr. Training Manager, Gaithersburg, MD
As the Los Angeles regional coordinator for PRIDE, Richard has made significant contributions for Sodexo and for the community.  His recent coordination of “Team Sodexo PRIDE” raised over $6,000 for an AIDS Walk in Los Angeles.  It is through Richard and this team's efforts that Sodexo has been recognized as one of the top forty fundraising teams -- an incredible achievement given this was the first year Sodexo participated in the event.  “Team Sodexo PRIDE” was not only representative Sodexo employees; they were also pleased that a Sodexo client joined the team, as did TR Knight (of Grey's Anatomy) during a portion of the walk!  Richard consistently conveys passion, joy and genuine pleasure in creating an inclusive environment at Sodexo.  "Making every day a better day" is part of the fabric of Richard Gasparotti.  
 
Education Facilities
Lupita Cruz, Administrative Assistant, Levelland Independent School District, Levelland, TX
Lupita Cruz successfully builds great relationships with her team, as she “helps them to help themselves.”  Lupita is bi-lingual and has taken it upon herself to help frontline employees learn English as a Second Language, working with team members on Saturdays and many evenings using the Sed de Saber program.  By speaking in and encouraging employees to respond in English, she is helping employees to learn the language and gain confidence as they build their skills.  Through Lupita's efforts and her “open door policy”, this close knit team has become stronger, and trusts her as the “go to” person when questions or issues arise.  Lupita is recognized as a role model for our Levelland Independent School District team.  She feels empowered to help make Sodexo's diversity goals a reality, as she seizes opportunities to help the team learn and grow. 

Government Services
Maria Perez, Human Resources Support Specialist, US Marine Corp., Oceanside, CA
As an HR professional, Maria has effectively utilized Sed de Saber to enable greater understanding between managers and employees at the site.  Through her efforts, communications at the mess halls have been enhanced, and an increase in productivity and employee engagement has been observed. Maria has expanded the ESL program by including other mess halls, she formalized a graduation ceremony to recognize individuals for program completion, and is now considering the option of introducing a more advanced program to continue the learning.  Maria's remains firmly committed to developing our employees as she addresses the unique needs of our Spanish speaking employees.  Maria illustrates the impact that one individual can have in advancing diversity and inclusion at Sodexo.

Health Care Services
Anthony Benson, General Manager, ESD (Environmental Services Department), Boston, MA
Anthony Benson partners with the Tufts Medical Center Human Resources Department and the Asian American Civic Association to provide English as a Second Language classes to over 30 employees who speak 5 different languages.  Anthony encourages his employees to persevere, even when the classes are difficult.  Twice a month he meets with the teachers to assess progress, and together they determine if one-on-one tutoring would be beneficial for the employees.  The fruits of Anthony's labor are paying off, and it can be attributed to this program that two employees have been promoted so far.  Because of his efforts, Anthony has received widespread attention at the Medical Center and has been featured in a Boston Globe as well as the International Chinatown Press.  Anthony is planning to partner with the Red Cross to provide nursing tech. certificates to help propel employees to the next step in their career ladders.  

School Services
Norma Nunnally, Human Resources Manager, Springfield Public Schools, Springfield, MA
Norma takes her role of HR Manager beyond the “job description” and gives freely of her time to create an inclusive environment for everyone - the employees, the community, and the students at Springfield Public Schools. Norma has the reputation for really listening to those she comes into contact with.  On the job, she spends her days speaking with multi-lingual employees, provides training that they can comprehend, and develops them for new job opportunities.  Given the high percentage of Spanish speaking employees, she makes Sed de Saber available to those who are interested, and ensures that all communication, such as memos and newsletters, are written in both English and Spanish. Norma advances the work of the Sodexo Foundation and Stop Hunger.  She works with the Western Massachusetts Food Bank, coordinating “Brown Bag Saturdays” once a month, where she and other Sodexo volunteers fill grocery bags with nonperishable foods to deliver to low income elderly in several area senior communities, distributing approximately 150 bags per month. Last fall Norma and her team implemented the “Backpack” Program, providing nutritious and easy-to-prepare food for selected students who are at risk for hunger on the weekends when free or reduced-price school lunches are not available. Norma brings compassion and commitment to her work.

View our previous Champions of Diversity award recipients:
1st Quarter 2009 | 2nd Quarter 2009 | 3rd Quarter 2009
1st Quarter 2008 | 2nd Quarter 2008 | 3rd Quarter 2008 | 4th Quarter 2008