Featured this week: Avantor, Benevity, Blackbaud, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Cooley LLP, CopperPoint Mutual Insurance Company, Crowe LLP, LyondellBasell, MGM Resorts International, New Relic, SMUD (Sacramento Municipal Utility District), TD Bank Group, TIAA, The TJX Companies Inc., The Travelers Companies, Tripadvisor, Waters Corporation

The member community convened by Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship is one of a kind. The 500+ companies we serve each year are leaders in environmental, social, and governance action, and the thousands of individuals who make up this network are some of the best in the field! Pictured right: SMUD team members at least year's Sacramento Pride Parade.

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Spotlight on You

Jess Lee, Director, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Waters Corporation, published a piece entitled, How to Engage the Next Generation of STEM Workers.

"We can ensure the future STEM workforce is truly representative of the society we live in by developing innovative approaches to support students in schools historically underfunded," wrote Lee. "Through corporate-driven programs that fund STEM-based scholarships and internship programs, as well as the championing of academic programs and company volunteerism to promote STEM careers in these communities, we can make a meaningful difference. More diversity can translate into increased innovation and decreased attrition, which should also have a positive impact on revenue." 

Julie Cross started a new position as Director, Corporate Social Responsibility at TIAA.

Trisha Conley, Executive Vice President, People and Culture, LyondellBasell, published a piece entitled How to Build a Leading Culture, in which she talks about the leadership qualities that are critical for enabling cultural transformation.

"Imagine a company in which people get up and go to work every day completely invested in what they do," Conley writes. "They look forward to the camaraderie they experience with their fellow team members. They feel empowered to be entrepreneurial, have room to innovate, and deliver significant value to customers and society. The work they do is impactful – as they strive to create a better, more sustainable future for all."

LOOK! 30+ NEW Jobs in Corporate Social Responsibility, DE&I, Community Relations, ESG...

The Milwaukee Bucks | TikTok | Hawaiian Airlines | Univision | Amazon | Visit Napa Valley...

Companies Celebrating Pride Month

Benevity’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group (ERG), BeneviQueers, is inspiring team members to meaningfully celebrate, learn, and practice active allyship in a variety of ways. First, by donating to nonprofits that provide life-saving services for LGBTQ+ people (e.g. QMUNITY, Skipping Stone, Rainbow Railroad, and Trans Lifeline). Second, by volunteering with LGBTQ+-led causes. For example, Benevity-ites will be supporting trans folks by sending affirming, handwritten notes to trans youth and adults through an initiative by Point of Pride. Finally, by facilitating discussions that raise awareness about LGBTQ+ identities and issues.

“Why would someone add their pronouns to their signature line?” and “I heard that they identify as queer, but I thought that was an offensive term?” are some of the complex and increasingly common questions we’re exposed to in the workplace...

That's the introduction to Cooley LLP's LGBTQ+ Allyship Resource Kit, which offers information on active allyship, organizations to support, resources and more. "As our world increasingly acknowledges, accepts, and celebrates diversity, we learn more about and better understand sexual orientation and gender identity," the authors shared. "Every person is on their unique journey, and we encourage you to share this resource kit on social media with your family, friends and communities to amplify LGBTQ+ voices and expand awareness."

MGM Springfield (of MGM Resorts International), pictured right, proudly kicked off Pride Month by standing shoulder to shoulder with the LGBTQ+ community as the presenting sponsor of the 2nd annual Springfield Pride Parade.

Tripadvisor published a Good Guide to Pride 2023, with recommendations and resources for LGBTQ+ travelers and allies, from Queer-history tours to inclusive destinations, as well as first-hand stories from real travelers like Erin Parisi, who is on a mission to become the first out transgender climber to conquer the Seven Summits.

“The world teaches that being trans is synonymous with negative outcomes like poverty, violence, discrimination, and death,” said Parisi. “I never thought I could be trans and adventurous. Earning back the ability to write my narrative to include adventure has been empowering.”

Crowe LLP's Pride BRG is set to host a series of events in June. The events are  designed to celebrate, support, and help team members learn from each other in working to create a sense of belonging for all within the firm and its communities. On June 1st the firm's Pride BRG presented "Celebrating and educating on the history of Pride Month and the LGBTQ+ community." Later this month, the Pride and Caregivers BRGs will jointly present "Showcasing LGBTQ+ Families of Crowe."

To celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and allies, The Travelers Companies is hosting a number of virtual and in-person events, educational webinars and social functions for employees across the U.S., Europe, and Canada. To kick it off, the company's Pride & Allies Diversity Network will host Stacy Lentz, CEO at The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative, a charitable organization inspired by the struggles and ideals of the LGBTQ rights movement born from the Stonewall Inn Uprising of 1969.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has opened a new LGBTQ+ Center, bringing together specialists in primary care, pediatrics, transgender surgery, reconstructive surgery, and cancer screening to meet the needs of patients in an inclusive and culturally sensitive setting. “Cedars-Sinai has long provided high-quality care to members of the vibrant LGBTQ+ community in Los Angeles,” said Alen Voskanian, MD, vice president and chief operating officer of Cedars-Sinai Medical Network. “We wanted to deepen our commitment to this community by providing an inclusive space for patients to receive the care they need and deserve.”

More News in Corporate Social Responsibility

Avantor released its 2023 Sustainability Report, highlighting progress made in 2022 implementing environment, social, and governance practices, in alignment with the company's mission to set science in motion to create a better world. Building on the company's momentum to date in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Avantor has also committed to setting a near-term company-wide emission reduction goal in line with climate science that will be validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

"At Avantor, mitigating our environmental impact is vitally important to our mission of propelling science forward, and we look forward to driving efforts to support sound climate science," said Michael Stubblefield, President and CEO at Avantor. "We are well on our way to exceed our 2025 goal of a 15 percent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions and are committed to expanding on this progress."

Blackbaud recently released its 2022 ESG Report, Fueling Social Impact, outlining the company's progress in four key ESG areas: People and Culture, Fueling Social Impact, Driving Climate Solutions, Governance and Data Responsibility. Among the report's many highlights:

• 1 in 4 employees participated in matching gifts program
• 1 in 3 employees belong to an Affinity Group
• 70% of employees volunteered in 2022
• 100% of employees completed Respect at Work training
• $100B+ raised, granted, or managed through Blackbaud platforms every year
• 90% reduction in global GHG emissions since 2019

"Blackbaud employees worldwide are energized by our opportunity to fuel social impact," said Mike Gianoni, Blackbaud CEO. "And we walk our talk—taking action to amplify the difference we make in the world."

Members on the Move

Happy Anniversary to TD Bank Group, celebrating 20 years of BCCCC membership this June! 

The TJX Companies Inc. are also celebrating a milestone membership anniversary: 15 years with BCCCC this month. Additionally, New Relic and CopperPoint Mutual Insurance Company celebrated five year anniversaries as corporate citizenship community members. 

Congratulations to Anne Reisenwitz, Senior External Affairs Specialist at Exelon Corporation, who recently completed her Certificate of Practice in Corporate Citizenship!

"I highly recommend the Certificate in Corporate Citizenship Practice to any professionals working in the field," Anne shared. "The program structure gave me the opportunity to complete my certificate at my own pace online while also engaging with peers in-person at the (optional) in-person Summit. The Summit was a fantastic opportunity to network with others working in corporate citizenship. This certificate program creates a space for collaboration, networking, and learning, and I learned skills and strategy from real-world examples that I have applied to my everyday work."

If you're interested in earning your CSR certification, read more about the upcoming Fall 2023 Summit, now enrolling.