Assurant's Strategic DEI Partnerships Spotlight

Assurant is committed to investing in strategic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) partnerships to further foster inclusion and enhance access to best practice DEI resources for all employees. In alignment with our commitment to fostering greater diversity and development opportunities and with support from the Assurant Foundation, we are thrilled to partner with non-profit organizations in 2022 such as the Executive Leadership Council (ELC), Disability:IN, the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE), and LEAP (Leadership Education For Asian Pacifics) in our commitment to empower women and underrepresented minorities in the workplace. 

 

Black Men in Leadership Conference with the ELC

The ELC is a national organization that works to build an inclusive business leadership pipeline, opening channels of opportunity for the development of Black executives to impact business and our communities positively. Through our strategic partnership with the ELC, Assurant recently offered a group of high-performing Black and African American male leaders the opportunity to further their professional development by participating in this year’s virtual Black Men in Leadership Conference held in May. This one-day event is designed to accelerate the process of redefining leadership and provide crucial conversations, networking and resources to purpose-driven Black male leaders who are committed to overcoming adversity and developing their mindset, skillset, and toolset. 

This year’s Assurant attendees were Anthony Bothwell, Brenton Burkhalter, Bruce Goodwin, Chad Glover, Christopher Anderson, Claude Sarfo-Agyare, Garnet Bishop, Justin Harrison, Patrick Brutus, and Rod Pauldin. We asked a few of the attendees to reflect on their experience and to share more about how the program helped advance their career goals or strengthened their skills:

• Anthony Bothwell, AVP Operations Device Lifecycle, said, “This conference reinforced the importance of having mentors and sponsors, both to help achieve personal career goals and to help others.”
• Justin Harrison, District Manager ADS, said, “This experience motivated me to keep pushing for diversity, equity, and inclusion. It was motivating to hear from others on their career journeys and their various strategies to help do that.”

 

 

Disability: IN Annual Conference

Disability:IN is the leading non-profit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide, working to expand opportunities for people with disabilities and effect change. Through our strategic partnership with Disability:IN, a group of Assurant employees participated in Disability:IN’s Conference & Expo held in July. We’re proud to partner with Disability:IN to support its vision for an inclusive global economy where people with disabilities participate fully and meaningfully. This year’s Assurant attendees were Emily Liu, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Director, David Vaughn, Supplier Diversity & Inclusion Director, and Timothy Burden, Supplier Diversity & Inclusion Administrator.

Earlier this year, we launched enterprise-wide Diversity Training for all employees to engage with in 2022, customized to the Assurant Way and our DEI strategy. Language about disability is a changing landscape across our globe. We are offering access to the course, "DEI Education Course: The Language of Disability," where our employees can discover some basic guidelines about disability and the language that can be used to encourage a more inclusive culture for all people, disabled or non-disabled.

 

Emerging Latino Leaders Program & Mujeres de HACE

HACE is a national non-profit dedicated to the employment, development, and advancement of current and aspiring Hispanic and Latin professionals. Through our strategic partnership with HACE, a group of Assurant employees were invited to participate in the Emerging Latino Leaders program held from May - August. This program is a dynamic and intensive action learning experience that transforms high-potential Latino professionals into high-performing leaders. This year’s Assurant attendees were Diego Rodrigues, Nadja Rosario, and Neisha Aponte.

We asked Neisha Aponte, Manager of Regional Order Management, to reflect on her experience and share what she liked most.

• She said, “As a Latina leader, not often I get exposed to people who look like me, who come from although diverse heritage, we all seem to follow the same backgrounds. For me it was more the network, the camaraderie, the friendships established where I found the greatest value - one that extends far from the session/program. It was a once-in-a-lifetime commitment to growing as a leader that I will share and apply for many years. It also ignited in me the need to get involved within my community, to keep encouraging others, to be of service.”

With our partnership, we’re also able to sponsor five employees in the Mujeres de HACE program, a one-of-a-kind cohort-based leadership program that provides an individualized and culturally relevant curriculum geared to empower high-potential Hispanic and Latina women to succeed professionally. The program is currently underway, with expected completion in mid-November. The Assurant participants are Alexandra Reyes, Damaris Torres, Mariela Pennock, Mary Lee, and Samy Torres

 

LEAP: Pathways Program

LEAP is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to achieve full participation and equality for Asian and Pacific Islanders through leadership, empowerment, and policy. Through our partnership with LEAP, two Assurant employees, Namita Vishe and Utkarsha Hazarnis, were selected to join the 2022 Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP) Pathways Cohort that took place from Sep. 14 - 23. LEAP Pathways opens new avenues for leadership advancement for Asian and Pacific Islanders while helping retain their values and culture.

We asked Utkarsha Hazarnis, Director of Product Operations, to reflect on his experience and what he liked most.

• He said, “The program helped open new avenues to advance our leadership skills while helping to retain our values and culture. I am excited for the upcoming coaching sessions with a professional executive coach. Thanks to Assurant for allowing me to participate in this training.”

 

To read more about DEI at Assurant, check out our diversity page and careers site blogs. Make sure to check back for more updates about our DEI strategic partnerships later this year!