My first blog... Justin Haymond

My first attempt at a blog entry.  I want to reflect on a recent dinner banquet that I was fortunate to attend with my wife.  Bethany is a Program Coordinator for West Virginia University for the Reed College of Media/Integrated Marketing Communications.  In recent years, this program has offered INTEGRATE, an onsite training platform for staff, instructors, prospective students, and leaders of the University to convene, and have informational meetings and presentations on various subjects.  During the last stage of the conference, they have a formal banquet with a key note speaker.  Last year, President Gordon Gee (WVU President) and Melanee Hannock (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital) both gave key note addresses.  This year Nzinga Shaw (Atlanta Hawks Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer) addressed the crowd.

Nzinga has been apart of various organizations and played a vital role in developing and organizing a difficult platform on a variety of issues.  Some of you might remember the allegations and the turmoil within the Atlanta Hawks franchise, and the racial issues that made the national media.  http://deadspin.com/heres-the-email-that-forced-hawks-owner-barry-levenson-1631640411
The position of Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer was a created position and is the first of its kind in the NBA.  This position did not have a set schedule of job duties or criteria, this was created to look at the changes that needed to be made and to develop various programs to support and foster the changes needed for the basketball franchise.  Evidently, this individual has played a very important role, the national media did not have much to report after her taking this position.

I was very impressed with her address, she only said umm once throughout an hour long presentation.  This is very important for myself, I lose interest in public speakers that rely heavily on this word.  I was most captivated when she told a story when she worked with the NFL and they were trying to sell the Pepsi Corporation on being a partner and to introduce Pepsi products into their stadiums.  The team that was created to market this to Pepsi was a group of highly motivated individuals within the NFL corporate office that was compromised of the (typical middle aged white male). The marketing staff was made up of all males, with the exception of Nzinga.  The team thought they nailed the sales pitch, who would have thought differently?  The leader of Pepsi thought differently.  The leader did not want to sell their products to a Company that was not diverse, and the faces that she saw in the sales pitch was not what she wanted marketing their products.  This was shocking to me, how would you not want to sell your products on such a large scale.

As you know, Pepsi is a global company, and they don't need the NFL to stay in business.  This is evident, they chose NO to the National Football League.  Pepsi is a global company, and they did not want this image for themselves.  Pepsi serves everyone, every crowd, every ethnic group.  Changes have since been made within the NFL Corporate Office, and they are more diverse than they have ever been.

The presentation was exceptional in my opinion.  I was taken back on what this one individual has accomplished and how she gave credit to the individuals that have supported her in these different endeavors.  Nzinga has surrounded herself with exceptional talent, the key to success in a leadership role.