Meet the 2023 Diverse Voices
By Melanie Dickinson and Jeff Zbar – South Florida Business Journal
South Florida is the epitome of a diverse community. People here hail from across the country, the hemisphere and around the world. And close to 200 languages are spoken throughout the region.
But, like most communities, our diversity extends beyond ethnicity.
The South Florida Business Journal’s 2023 Diverse Voices special section reflects our diversity in business leadership by spotlighting our honorees’ racial, cultural, ethnic and LGBTQ backgrounds, and how that has contributed to their advancement and their companies’ success.
Chosen from across a host of industries influential to the South Florida business community, they help describe and define who we are while exemplifying the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion practices.
Now in its third year, the 2023 Diverse Voices honors program is part of the SFBJ’s ongoing DE&I initiative. In partnership with area businesses and organizations, we host panels that bring to light DE&I best practices. Several special sections throughout the year showcase these individuals, including allies, and offer their impressions on how to make our workplaces more diverse, equitable and inclusive.
And, year after year, we continue to learn from these honorees what it means to create a diverse, inclusive and equitable organization where people feel they belong and are heard.
Attention to DE&I efforts benefits employees, businesses, and communities, even more so among those organizations that make it part of their core values. This broader source of input bolsters innovative thinking, brand development and an enhanced reputation in the community, including among job candidates who see them as an employer of choice.
“South Florida shines as a dynamic and diverse community,” said our partner, Dr. Germaine Smith-Baugh, president and CEO of the Urban League of Broward County. “Organizations that have made equity and inclusion part of their core beliefs enjoy rightful praise as employers of choice where people belong, feel comfortable and are confident bringing their full selves to work.”
Thank you to this year’s Diverse Voices supporters: corporate sponsor Wells Fargo, Out of the Box sponsor Amazon, along with partners the Greater Fort Lauderdale LGBT Chamber of Commerce, the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Urban League of Broward County.
Also, a big thank you to the 14 companies that have partnered with us on this initiative. It’s heartwarming to see so many companies step forward to support these important efforts.
Thank you, as well, to our honorees for their eagerness to participate in open and engaging conversations. They have shown how diversity – their own, and that of their employers – is a strength for them, their organizations and the community we share.
Enjoy their profiles.
-Melanie Dickinson, President and Publisher of the SFBJ
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Iris González
National VP, transformation, ChenMed
Iris González recalls growing up in a Boston neighborhood where one’s ZIP code determined their quality of life – “and frankly, when you’ll die,” she said. Surrounded by primarily Black and brown residents, she witnessed how systemic inequities can lead to poor health outcomes and premature death “up close and very personal,” she said.
These experiences informed Gonzalez’s own perspective on life, self and – since joining ChenMed in 2014 – her career. She learned to create processes that eliminate the barriers that hinder access to health care. By hiring diverse teams and leveraging unique individual strengths, she can drive positive experiences for both people and organizations, Gonzalez said.
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community who’s of Puerto Rican ancestry, Gonzalez has a deep connection to family and culture, and a desire to create safe and affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ executives, she said.
“At ChenMed, I have been able to use the experiences of my family, neighbors and our seniors to scale our best practices and bring resources within reach to change health outcomes,” she said. “When I see our patients, I see my people. When I see our frontline workers, I see my people. And every day, I work to make sure my people are seen and cared for.”
Any advice for diverse executives hoping to rise in the professional world? Find the other diverse leaders who have been where you’ve been and are where you’re trying to go. I can almost guarantee that you’re not the first with the fire, passion or idea of diversifying your workplace, so lean into the foundation that’s been laid for you. There’s a common saying: “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” This is a very clear roadmap of upward mobility within an organization and for building deeply toward intentional equity.
What’s holding DE&I efforts back in the workplace? DE&I should exist as a value outside of just one department or role. Being surrounded by teams that reflect the communities we serve should be everyone’s responsibility. It should be an essential piece of the foundation for how we measure our success. This is not a conversation about diversity being at the expense of quality talent. In fact, any assumption of sacrificing quality for the sake of diversity feeds into discriminatory practices.
Why is it important for businesses to embrace DE&I initiatives? Teams of individuals with different lived experiences bring richer ideas and perspectives to the difficult questions we need to solve for on a regular basis. The more we shift from a homogenous echo chamber in our executive teams, the more we increase retention by delivering intentional individual experiences, build with authenticity, and strengthen the business profitability. The choice is to live in the “and” and not the “or.”
Is it important for LGBTQ workers to be out in the workforce? It is important for workforces to create workplaces that are safe for employees to be out in an affirming way. The burden of “out” needs to shift from the individual to the workplace and the leaders who are set the tone. Also, given the expansiveness of the expressions of the LGBTQ+ community, companies should be mindful of the explicit and implicit value placed on language, dress codes, romantic relationships and other potential biases.
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Original Post: South Florida Business Journal
