Washington, D.C., Dec. 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ICMA-RC, a financial services organization creating more secure and confident financial futures for those who serve communities, announced that its CEO and President, Lynne Ford, joins more than 1,500 C-Suite leaders across the country who have pledged their commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
As part of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion Pledge, Ms. Ford has pledged to:
- Continue to make the ICMA-RC workplace a trusting place to have complex, and sometimes difficult conversations about diversity and inclusion
- Implement and expand unconscious bias education
- Share best — and unsuccessful — practices
- Create and share strategic diversity, equity and inclusion plans with our board of directors
“While ICMA-RC has a long history of diversity and inclusion, there is much more we can do and our goal is to promote an environment that recognizes the value and diversity of every individual and foster respect throughout our entire organization,” said Ms. Ford. “I could not be more pleased to be part of this initiative and I look forward to collaborating with other CEOs to share best practices and identify actions we can take to improve diversity, equity and inclusion among each of our organizations.”
ICMA-RC believes that talent from diverse backgrounds, further enhance our ability to serve those who serve their communities. ICMA-RC has always been dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion across all aspects of our business. For example, the corporation’s executive leadership team is represented by more than 50% women and minorities, while our board is made up of 60% women and 40% minorities. This ethos carries through the entire organization with minorities making-up close to 50% of managers and above, and women representing 43% of all managers as of September 30, 2020. While the work accomplished is impressive, especially for a financial services firm, we know there is more we can do to better reflect those we serve.
With plans for 2021 to incorporate initiatives that coincide with the pledge, ICMA-RC has already implemented additional strategies to promote diversity, equity and inclusion across the organization, including communication campaigns to highlight Black History Month, Pride Month, Juneteenth, Hispanic Heritage Month and Native American Heritage Month. In addition, the organization’s senior leadership team has a standing agenda item where they discuss issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
About CEO Action
CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace. This commitment is driven by a realization that addressing diversity and inclusion is not a competitive issue, but a societal issue. Recognizing that change starts at the executive level, more than 1,500 CEOs of the world’s leading companies and business organizations, are leveraging their individual and collective voices to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
About ICMA-RC
Founded in 1972, ICMA-RC is a non-profit, independent financial services corporation with approximately $63 billion in assets under management and administration (as of September 30, 2020), focused on providing retirement plans and related services for over 1.5 million public participant accounts. ICMA-RC’s mission is to help those who serve their communities work toward achieving their retirement savings goals. For more information, visit www.icmarc.org, download ICMA-RC’s mobile app from the App Store® and Google PlayTM or follow ICMA-RC on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
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