Meet the winners of the 2024 IDEA Awards

Sara: I'm back from a trip to the sunny south. While I was away, Business First celebrated 25 people who are making a difference on the DEI front at companies throughout Western New York. They're worth highlighting here. Next week, this newsletter will return to its usual format.

Each year, the honorees of the annual IDEA (Inclusion Diversity Equity Awareness) Awards stand out as champions of diversity and inclusion in their workplaces and in the community.

While diversity represents demographic differences such as race, religion, gender, sexual orientation and disability, inclusion means a feeling of belonging and how well employees are valued, respected, accepted and encouraged to participate in an organization.

They are:

• Keith Alford, dean, University at Buffalo School of Social Work Work
• Richard Banner, associate vice president of advocacy, People Inc.
• Jody Briandi, president/managing partner, Hurwitz Fine P.C.
• Kim Brown, executive director, Community Access Services
• Jason Daniels, senior associate legal counsel, physician enterprise and corporate operations, Catholic Health
• John Davis, project manager, GHD
• Michelle-Marie Gant, diversity and inclusion director, M&T Bank
• Matthew Giordano, president, Villa Maria College
• Ashley Green, learning and development training specialist, Person Centered Services Care Coordination Organization, LLC
• Joyelle Hackett, DEI/EEO manager, VA Western New York Healthcare System
• Takesha Leonard, Doat Street medical director, Jericho Road Community Health Center
• Alexsandra López, commissioner, Commission on Citizens Rights and Community Relations
• Francesca Mesiah, manager, workforce development, Kaleida Health ; executive director, Near East and West Side Task Force
• Carrie Meyer, executive director, Independent Health Foundation
• Robin Parkinson, vice president, education and community engagement, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
• Thomas Quatroche Jr., president and CEO, Erie County Medical Center Corporation
• Casimiro Rodriguez Sr., president and founder, Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY Inc.
• Elisa Rodriguez, vice president/associate director of diversity, equity and inclusion and associate professor of oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Lamark Shaw, director of career services and adjunct instructor, Daemen University ; sales manager, United Men's Fashions
• Sherry Sherrill, special projects facilitator, Covington Associates Consulting
• Kyria Stephens, director of inclusion and community initiatives, Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc.
• Kenneth Turner, regional chief disaster officer, American Red Cross of Western New York
• Jessica Turner, director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, New Era Cap LLC
• Samantha White, attorney, Western New York Law Center
• Malene White, program manager II, Spectrum Health & Human Services

Click here to read more about them all.

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This Weekly Edition was compiled by Sara Paulson Meehan. Questions? Comments? Concerns??Send them to [email protected].