At this year’s ICCR annual event at Riverside Church, we had the chance to toast and celebrate our good friend and longtime member Patricia Zerega, recipient of our 2024?Legacy Award.?Everyone who has met Pat knows that she is committed to amplifying the voices of those most affected by corporate impacts witnessing her persistently advocate for corporate respect for human rights. Her decades-long track record of building a more just and sustainable world made her an easy choice for this year’s ICCR Legacy Award.?
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For those of you who are perhaps less familiar with the breadth and depth of Pat’s work to amplify the voices of those most affected by corporate activities, let us share with you the following:?
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For more than 45 years, Pat has dedicated her life and career to serving and speaking out for the “least of these my brothers and sisters”. Pat has been indispensable in her service to ICCR, both as a board member and as an active member and leader of several working groups.?
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In leading Mercy Investment Services’ work with mining companies, Pat has emphasized the need to bring the voices of those most marginalized and impacted to the table. The Sisters of Mercy have a presence in Peru, and Pat met with them during a site visit to the country with other ICCR members and brought their concerns to the local mining companies. Pat was centering rights holders long before it came into fashion.?
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Pat’s work in the hospitality sector has included engaging hotels and airlines to train employees to identify the signs of human trafficking. She also expanded Mercy’s human trafficking work into the trucking industry, collaborating closely with Truckers Against Trafficking to encourage companies to train their truck drivers to identify potential victims. Again, Pat placed the voices and concerns of trafficking survivors at the center of her efforts and advanced rights-respecting corporate practices.
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Pat’s advocacy around the impacts of corporate environmental degradation also included the practice of fracking and flaring and she was instrumental in the shareholder dialogue that led Continental Resources to set a strong reduction goal in its flaring emissions in North Dakota’s Bakken shale region.
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Pat’s passion for human rights also fueled her focus on supply chain labor, worker rights, and conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRA). She has been a prominent voice in ensuring fair treatment of workers, child laborers, those detained in private prisons, and vulnerable populations impacted by conflict and authoritarianism.
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As a respected leader at Mercy and ICCR and an invaluable source of wisdom and advice, Pat has been a friend, mentor, and guide to countless investors new to our shared work. Her ability to connect people across communities, faiths, and beliefs has only strengthened the capacity and impact of our collective shareholder work.
