DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At its 2015 Out & Equal Workplace Summit, Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, a non-profit dedicated to achieving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workplace equality, recognized Johnson & Johnson, The Dow Chemical Company and The Walt Disney Company for their innovative approaches and proven successes in creating safe and equitable workplaces for their LGBT employees. Out & Equal bestowed these awards in a ceremony at the organization’s 2015 Workplace Summit, held last week in Dallas.
“Our pride for these award recipients is palpable,” said Out & Equal Founder and CEO Selisse Berry. “They have gone above and beyond to further our mission of achieving global LGBT workplace equality and continue to inspire other organizations and individuals to do the same.”
Open and Out, a Johnson & Johnson employee resource group, received the LGBT Employee Resource Group of the Year Award for its proven track record of successes in supporting LGBT employees and advocating for LGBT rights in the workplace. Employee resource groups recognized as finalists include: Chubb Group’s Chubb Pride, Thomson Reuters’ Pride at Work, IBM’s UK Eagle and Walmart’s Walmart Pride.
Howard Ungerleider, Chief Financial Officer, The Dow Chemical Company, earned the Champion Award, for his significant contributions to advancing LGBT workplace equality and desire to use his talents and resources to further the cause, regardless of the often-present risk associated with such support. Individuals recognized as finalists include: Cynthia Armine-Klien, First Data Corporation, Michael DeAngelis, Intel Corporation and Beth Brooke-Marciniak, EY.
Finally, The Walt Disney Company, with its historic and continued commitment to facilitating LGBT workplace equality, received the Workplace Excellence award, which recognizes employers that have raised and continue to raise the bar of LGBT workplace equality across the globe. Employers recognized as finalists include: AT&T, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Xerox.
About Out & Equal
Out & Equal is a San-Francisco-based nonprofit organization that collaborates with Fortune 500 corporations around the world to help them create safe and supportive work environments for their lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees. Out & Equal provides professional development opportunities; establishes and supports employee resource groups; develops hiring policies and training programs; provides networking opportunities; and develops career advancement programs. Out & Equal, which was founded in 1996, brings together employees and experts from around the world each year at its Workplace Summit, where attendees learn about current and emerging best practices to ensure greater opportunities and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.
