Champions of Diversity Award Winners - 2010

The Indiana Minority Business Magazine recognized 13 individuals who have been outstanding contributors to diversity in Indiana.

The recipients were honored Jan. 15 during the 5^th Annual Champions of Diversity Dinner at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Indianapolis.

“Every year we recognize people throughout the state who are not only leaders in their industry, but are also advocates of inclusion,” said IMBM Publisher Emeritus Carolene Mays. “I’m very proud of the 2010 Champions of Diversity Award recipients, who have proven to reach beyond the dividers and strive for the inclusion and prosperity of others.”

The winners include the recipients of the Rosa Parks Trailblazer and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom awards. These two honors are given to individuals who have gone above and beyond in their efforts to emphasize inclusion.

Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman joined William G. Mays, owner of the Indiana Minority Business Magazine, and Carolene Mays in presenting the awards.

 

Rose Mays

Rosa Parks Trailblazer Award

Dr. Rose Mays, a recently retired professor of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis’ Indiana University School of Medicine, has devoted her life to improving the medical health of her community. The pediatric nursing specialist spent eight years overseeing the school’s community service and international projects, as well as arranging nearly 3,000 undergraduate student clinical placements each year as the associate dean for community and international affairs.

Although her achievements in the medical and educational fields are admirable and extensive, it is a sustained commitment to fostering diversity within her profession, workplace and community that has earned Mays this prestigious award. Through public speaking, organizing committees and task forces, raising and awarding scholarships and serving as a research mentor, she has demonstrated commitment time and again.

Melvin (posthumously)
& Bren Simon

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Freedom Award

Bren Simon and her late husband, Melvin, have devoted their talent, wealth and care to an abundance of worthy causes over the years. For families in need, Bren co-founded the Family Support Center, which is a 24-hour child abuse center, and worked with the Children’s Wish Fund. For the needy, she served with the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention, and participated extensively with aid programs in the Dominican Republic. In the realm of medicine, the couple committed $50 million to the IU Cancer Center, $40 million to a new inpatient center at Riley Hospital, and created both the Joshua Max Simon Charitable Trust and the Melvin and Bren Simon Charitable Trust. On matters of diversity and gender equality, Bren founded Activote America; a non-profit devoted to providing equal opportunity access to governmental political resources, has worked with the Women Leadership Forum, and has been recognized by the Anti-Defamation League.

Melvin Simon passed away in 2009. Bren Simon was unable to attend the awards dinner.

Kathy Cabello

Cabello Associates President Kathy Cabello is a rising star in the business world. She has worked in computer system design, marketing, and account management for several Fortune 500 companies, and her skills in marketing and strategy make her a valuable resource. The fact that she has chosen to concentrate her talent on improving the local Hispanic business sector and community makes her even more respected. As a Hispanic, Cabello uses her bilingual skills to help minority-owned businesses. Her work with the National Association of Women Business Owners, Indianapolis Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and as president of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs Indianapolis Chapter makes her an individual that encompasses everything that the Champions of Diversity Award stands for.

Andre Carson

Congressman Andre Carson has only been in office since 2008, but has already made large contributions to improving the livelihood of a broad range of people. It is vital that he has done so, considering that he represents the diverse 7th Congressional District of Indiana. Carson has fought to secure millions of dollars in federal resources to clean up dilapidated and abandoned houses in the district, is looking to end America’s dependence on foreign energy, and is working hard to support well-paying jobs for the community. Carson continues to be a staunch supporter of health care reform, an issue that has a very tangible impact on the minority community.

Congressman Carson was unable to attend the event.

Valerie Davidson

Ever since she became Butler University’s first female African-American director in 1989, Valerie Davidson has made extraordinary efforts to increase awareness of diversity on campus and in the community. She is currently the director of diversity programs at the school, a position that oversees multicultural student support services. She also created the Celebration of Diversity Distinguished Lecture Series, the annual African-American Music Heritage Festival and its signature GospelFest, and directs the Efroymson Diversity Center. An active participant in the non-profit world, Davidson is involved with several charitable organizations, including the American Institute for Managing Diversity and the Indianapolis Women’s Re-Entry Community Advisory Board.

Dr. Kenneth Durgans

Ken Durgans’ academic pursuits have led him across a group of higher learning institutions ranging from Harvard to Notre Dame to Kent State to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and he doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. He currently serves as the assistant chancellor for diversity, equity, and inclusion at Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI); a commuter campus where his knowledge in cross-cultural communication and diversity issues is especially valuable. Durgans earned this year’s Champions of Diversity award because of his efforts in making IUPUI a place where cultural inclusion is a priority.

Neil Ellerbrook

As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vectren, a utility that fills the vital need of delivering gas and electricity to over one million Hoosiers, Neil Ellerbrook is a man that has a significant impact on the community, and it is his community involvement that earns him this award. A longtime personal contributor to the United Way, he was instrumental in making Vectren the leading contributor to the organization in Southwest Indiana. He also chairs the Board of Trustees for the University of Evansville and, along with wife, Karen, chaired the fundraising campaign for the new Evansville Children’s Museum.

Tony Kirkland

As the Executive Director of the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, Tony Kirkland’s work towards inclusion goes without saying. Kirkland has worked closely with Gov. Mitch Daniels and other government officials to ensure that Indiana is a state that embraces and values diversity. As chairman of the Indiana Governor’s Commission on Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises, Kirkland was responsible for the Minority Business Enterprise Center receiving $1.8 million in funding from the United States Department of Commerce. He is also the vice chairman of the Indiana Black Expo Inc. Board of Directors and chairman of the Indiana Commission on the Social Status of Black Males.

Mark Miles

Mark Miles is president and chief executive officer of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, an alliance of corporate leaders and university presidents that focuses on long-term economic growth and development in Central Indiana. His work with CICP has helped small businesses in Indiana become globally competitive. Additionally, Miles is the chairman of the Indianapolis 2012 Super Bowl Host Committee Board of Directors, a group that was instrumental in Indianapolis being chosen to host the event. He has made inclusion and diversity a priority in the leadership opportunities.

 

Michael Moffitt

Indiana Wesleyan University’s Michael Moffitt is a Champion of Diversity recipient because of his lifelong commitment to improving the communities around him. In his 15 years of involvement in higher education, Moffitt has constantly been in positions geared towards helping students reach their full potential. He is currently IWU’s student development vice president, and is making a positive impact in several other ways. He is a board member of both the Drug and Alcohol Resource Team and the Boys and Girls Club of Grant County (Marion, Ind.), and is a motivational speaker for a variety of youth groups.

Mara Reardon

As the first Latina elected to the Indiana General Assembly, Rep. Mara Candelaria-Reardon is a true diversity pioneer. She follows in her parents’ footsteps; her father was the first Puerto Rican appointed to a city council in Indiana, and her mother was the first Latina elected as president of the Indiana Federation of Teachers. An advocate of correcting racial disparities in health and social services, Candelaria-Reardon is involved with a long list of organizations that uplift diversity. She is treasurer of both the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus and the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, works with the Indiana Women’s Commission, the Indiana Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs, and the Indiana Governor’s Commission for Women’s and Minority Business Enterprises, among others.

Phyllis Simko

As the CEO and president of the Lupus Foundation of America’s Indiana Chapter, Phyllis Simko is a very deserving Champion of Diversity. Lupus is a disorder where the body’s immune system attacks itself, and to which women, particularly women of color, are especially susceptible. Simko has personal motivation in her quest to fight the disorder as her husband, Richard Simko Sr., died from lupus-related causes. She has devoted over 18 years to the organization, which has enabled scores of women, minorities, and people of all stripes to move past the disease and reach their full potential.

Michael Witte

In 1985, the Honorable Michael Witte became a trailblazer as he began a 15-year career as the first Asian-American judge in Indiana.

His selection as a Champion of Diversity goes beyond that, however, as he is an outspoken advocate of diversity in the law enforcement process, and through his work in programs presented by the American Bar Association, the National Judicial College, the National Center for State Courts, the National Criminal Justice Association, and other legal groups. He has proven the value of inclusion by example, over and over.