African American-still chipping away at the concrete ceiling.

African American women executives wield power and influence in all areas from the competitive consumer products market to the fast-paced financial arena. They flex their muscle both here and abroad and make bottom-line decisions that impact the lives of many Americans. Sadly, these movers and shakers are limited in their numbers.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of African American women in the workplace in 2004 totaled 8.8 million or 6% of the labor force. Of that, those in management, professional and related occupations accounted for less than 2.5 million or 5% of all people employed in these areas. Dig even deeper and African American women represented just 1.1 percent of corporate officers in Fortune 500 companies. That's just 106 out of 10,092 positions.

For the few who have made it, their greatest obstacles have been making their organizations acknowledge the value of their skills and contributions. These traits were not uncommon for the pioneering African American women who integrated corporate America during the '70s. For them the turned cheek was met with slaps to their intelligence and authority, underscored by a struggle for pay parity with white counterparts. Today's black women clearly understand that before they can thrive they must justify their worth.

In the 2004 study, conducted by Catalyst, the not-for-profit New York-based women's research organization, 963 African-American women in Fortune 1000 companies reported that the barriers they face in career advancement include:

* Negative, race-based stereotypes;

* Frequent questioning of their credibility and authority;

* Lack of institutional support.

The study, Advancing African American Women in the Workplace: What Managers Need to Know, also noted that African American women experience "double outsider" status--unlike white women or African-American men, who share gender or race in common with most colleagues or managers--African-American women reported exclusion from informal networks, and conflicted relationships with white women. Despite corporate America's apparent embrace of diversity, many study respondents found their diversity programs to be ineffective, with 37% viewing their opportunities for advancement to senior management positions declining over time.

BREAKING THROUGH

But the landscape is not totally grim. An increasing number of companies have created open, more inclusive work environments to retain women of color managers. "We find that more organizations sincerely seek to promote diversity and inclusion as an essential part of their business and management practices," says Mike Hyter, president and CEO of Novations/J. Howard & Associates in Minority Business News USA. "So it surprises us when we still come across cynicism in senior management ... corporate leaders who would like the whole thing to go away. They sort of hope that throwing a training program at the issue will enable them to say the company did something about diversity. The good news, however, is that the trend has been moving steadily toward greater strategic leadership in diversity."

FLEXIBLE WORK LIFE REAPS RETENTION

Companies are interpreting this strategic stance in ways that involve not only business, but also the personal lives of employees. More companies are striking a chord in work life balance and employing flexible work programs to address the difficulties that many employees have in juggling family obligations and work duties, noting that such programs can make a company more attractive to prospective employees. From flextime and telecommuting to job-sharing and compressed work, organizations are offering employees greater scheduling freedom in how they fulfill the obligations of their positions.

Work and family programs are still relatively rare and include assistance to employees in the realms of childcare and eldercare. The most popular of these programs are in-house facilities providing care for the children of employees. Some more sophisticated initiatives include adoption leaves, extended maternity leaves and even fertility treatments. "Employers see that the availability, affordability, and accessibility of good child care have a bottom line impact," wrote Diane E. Kirrane in Association Management. "Employees' reliability, good morale, and motivation are positive results that derive from safe, stable, developmentally sound child care arrangements."

While today's African American women can be cautiously optimistic about their career outlooks, the progress is not going to happen naturally without the intervention of corporations. Leadership cannot continue to be defined through an Anglo-American, middle-class, male lens. As women of color continue to make strides, albeit slowly, corporate America may be able to learn more about leadership and value the new perceptions that women of color can bring to the company.

PITNEY BOWES 

Diversity is not simply an initiative for Pitney Bowes. It is the foundation of our company's success. Our workforce, suppliers and management team reflect the diversity of the communities in which we do business. Since early in our history, we have seen that the best way to generate new ideas, make better decisions, and create a more productive environment is to draw from a wide variety of perspectives. Pitney Bowes consistently ranks high in studies of corporate diversity, where results are based on metrics ranging from engagement of senior leadership to employee demographics to the use of minority-owned suppliers.

We leverage diversity and inclusion in the workplace. One way we do that is by assisting our employees in the management of their 'full life agenda'. We want to attract and retain talented employees and give them an environment where they can be most productive; thus we provide our employees the flexibility to balance their careers and life commitments. Our initiatives include:

* Work schedules that may include traditional flextime, compressed workweek, telecommuting and/or work at home;

* Employee Resources Fair, providing access to various life resources and products;

* On-site amenities at several facilities, including fitness centers and medical clinics;

* Health screenings, mammograms, weight management and smoking cessation programs;

* Financial education programs;

* Several other web-based tools, such as discounts on products and services and other consumer value programs.

Many of our programs focus on leadership and professional development to help employees advance their careers and further our company's long-term strategic objectives and immediate business goals. We work to ensure the full participation of women in these initiatives, and track their progress after they complete them. This ensures that we maintain our long-standing tradition of inclusiveness, a fundamental part of Pitney Bowes.

L'OREAL

Candace Matthews, President of SoftSheenCarson, a division of L'Oreal USA, is that rare breed of teacher, motivator and mentor. She believes that these are the keys to being a successful and effective leader.

Candace works with a diverse team of individuals who strive to bring to the marketplace the most technologically advanced products to meet the needs and concerns of their consumers. To achieve, this she believes it is important to create an environment designed to keep her team motivated and challenged, giving them the tools to think strategically, while fostering creativity. The rewards come in the form of outstanding results. Candace feels that her job is not only to lead but to teach and that proves to be the most rewarding part of her work. It's about bringing out the best in others and to provide frequent and honest feedback, because it's all part of the development process.

What Candace teaches her team is not only passion but compassion. To give back is at the heart of who she is. Being the youngest of 18 children and losing her father at an early age, it was Candace's brothers, sisters and mentors who exposed her to education, culture and business. It helped give her the strength and fortitude to bring her to where she is today. Candace feels strongly, therefore, that it is her obligation to give back, to nurture young women, helping them to realize their full potential. "Education and exposing disadvantaged youth to what they can become is what I am most passionate about," states Candace. "If someone hadn't done it for me, I wouldn't be where I am today. The only difference between my success and someone else's success is that I had guidance and exposure to the things that would positively impact my future. I think every youth deserves that opportunity."

Ultimately, Candace instills in her team the philosophy that if you love what you do, then you'll never work a day in your life.

McDonalds[R]

McDonald's[R] Deeply Rooted In the Community Year-Round

McDonald's is deeply rooted in the community. McDonald's has corporate initiatives, franchisees, company-operated restaurants and community programs that provide career opportunities, educational scholarships and contribute to community growth and development year-round. With more than 40.6 percent of all McDonald's U.S. Franchisees representing African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans and women, McDonald's has the largest number of minority franchisees in the restaurant industry.

For more than 50 years, McDonald's has demonstrated appreciation for the African American consumer base. Through partnerships with organizations such as the United Negro College Fund and others, McDonald's fosters the growth and development of African American communities all year long--365! McDonald's recognizes and celebrates African American culture, heritage and achievement. Annually, McDonald's presents its 365 Black[TM] Award to individuals who are making a favorable difference in the community at large.

During 2005, three phenomenal African American women received McDonald's prestigious 365 Black[TM] Award for their great strides in our community. They are history makers in their own right:

Frances "Fran" R. Jones, McDonald's Franchisee, was the first African American woman to serve as president of the National Black McDonald's Operators Association.

Ingrid Saunders Jones, Senior Vice President, The Coca-Cola Company and Chairperson of The Coca-Cola Foundation, directs the vision and involvement of The Coca-Cola Company in community, philanthropic and civic affairs.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters, (D-CA), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, has led the charge in confronting controversial issues facing women, children, people of color and the impoverished for more than 25 years.

McDonald's proudly continues to work hard to be deeply rooted in the African American community--365 days a year.

SANOFI-AVENTIS

Lativia Ray-Alston, Vice President of Sales for sanofi-aventis, the third largest pharmaceutical company in the world, inspires, motivates, and leads a primary care and specialty sales organization. She combines her self-professed optimism with a willingness to confront obstacles as a key driver for her success.

With a mission to work harder and smarter,

Lativia challenges her management team to hire, develop and retain "top notch" people that will thrive in a challenging and stimulating environment. She believes, "Successful people are those who ensure problems don't overwhelm opportunities."

Lativia has an impressive record as an industry pro with an educated sense of how to achieve results. With over 18 years of pharmaceutical industry experience, she is familiar with the tools that build successful brands. She accumulated experience in market research, brand management, advertising and promotion, international marketing, and government relations. Previously, as chief marketing officer for a Fortune 35 company, these experiences enabled Lativia to successfully build teams across functional divisions, manage top level professionals and develop corporate branding strategies.

Lativia believes, "While sanofi-aventis has a global mission to build a great organization founded on strong, sustainable and profitable growth--the human objective is clear ... accomplish this endeavor through focused commitments on people development." Applying the fundamental principle of talent recognition and development as it relates to women's issues and needs, sanofi-aventis has endorsed and supported (within senior levels) a Women's Network. The charter focuses on female business associated initiatives. Additionally, it allows for employees to connect with each other to identify, develop and enhance their interests within the organization.

"We continue to focus on building a fertile environment for women to succeed. Bringing together talent, skills and know-how, with a focus on women's needs, will get us to our future."

SCRIPPS NETWORKS

At Scripps Networks, which includes Home & Garden Television (HGTV), Food Network, DIY Network, Fine Living and Great American Country, lifestyle is everything. Work/Life balance is one of the core values of Scripps Networks, along with diversity, integrity, openness, compassion and support.

As Lenore Washington-Graham, Vice President of Strategic Resourcing, notes, "Our company believes employees should have well rounded lives and we have created a benefits package and practices that allow our employees to do so. WICT and the Working Mother Media PAR Initiative survey recognized Scripps Networks as a great company for women because of our efforts towards ensuring pay equity for female employees."

Scripps offers a wide range of benefits to employees, designed to make the job of balancing work and life easier, including medical and dental insurance, domestic-partner benefits, long-term care insurance, short-term and long-term disability, employee and dependent life insurance, flexible spending accounts, flexible summer hours, maternity/new baby benefits, adoption assistance, employee tuition assistance, employee assistance programs and much more.

For Scripps Networks, inclusiveness is not simply a moral imperative, but it is also good business practice. "When people from all walks of life work together and share their ideas, our clients, consumers and employees reap the benefits," explains Robert Gerrard, Scripps Networks executive vice president and general counsel. To that end, Scripps remains committed to making the finest lifestyle oriented programming on TV and enhancing the lifestyle of all employees.

STATE FARM INSURANCE COMPANIES[R]

"State Farm recognizes that diversity is not a program, it's an opportunity," says Margie Southard, Assistant Vice President--Human Resources/Diversity. "Our success is greatly attributed to the diverse talents, experiences, and perspectives of our associates."

Southard oversees the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and several other divisions within Human Resources at the company's headquarters in Bloomington, Ill.

State Farm[R] has a comprehensive approach to diversity and inclusion. As a leader in improving education for children, the company is an active partner with several learning organizations. Their Supplier Diversity Program identifies and encourages equal opportunities for businesses owned by minorities, women, and persons with disabilities.

State Farm employees can also participate in resource groups formed around various demographic segments such as women, men, disabilities, and parents and family. Current groups include the African American Forum, Women's Networking Group, AsiaNet, and Promoting Respect Through Inclusion and Diversity Efforts (PRIDE). These employee-driven groups create opportunities for networking and mentoring and assisting the company by providing valuable insights into the marketplace.

"When associates can work in an environment in which their contributions are valued, they are more engaged in their work," says Southard. "This allows us to better serve our customers."

State Farm is regularly recognized for its commitment to diversity and has been named as one of the 50 Best Companies for Latinas by LATINA Style Magazine and one of the Top 25 Most Military-Friendly Employers by G. I. Jobs Magazine.

One way State Farm is working to meet the needs of women is by helping them understand the importance of being actively involved in their finances. The State Farm Red Portfolio at ww.spreadportfolio.com is an interactive, hands-on planning tool that combines financial services information and worksheets designed exclusively for female customers.

To learn more about being a State Farm agent or employee, talk with your local recruiter or visit statefarm.com/careers.

SODEXHO

At Sodexho, we are proud that 47.1 percent of our work force is comprised of people of color, and 58.8 percent are women. In fact, 23 percent of Sodexho's executive management team are women--all of whom report directly to the CEO. As America becomes more diverse, corporate America is finally giving women their fair share of the C-suites--and it's about time. Sodexho is committed to diversity and inclusion. Not just because it is the right thing to do-but because it is one of our core values that enjoys commitment from the highest levels of leadership.

Our commitment goes beyond the numbers. We accomplish this through Sodexho's comprehensive diversity strategy that includes quarterly executive-level diversity training programs and an Executive Diversity Council aimed at keeping diversity top of mind. We believe in true accountability and have a diversity scorecard that is linked to our top managers' incentive compensation plan to track progress in recruiting, retaining, and promoting diverse employees.

We hold mandatory training for all managers to enhance the understanding of the business case for diversity and inclusion and increase awareness. We encourage formal and informal mentoring initiatives and strong employee network groups that help maximize each employee's potential. And our commitment doesn't end here. We provide opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses to partner with us and open doors for our suppliers to continue to grow and be successful.

At Sodexho, we know that embracing diversity will make us an employer of choice and the benchmark for customers, clients and communities domestically and globally.

MARRIOTT

As an attorney for Marriott, Deanne Avers-Howard learned all aspects of the lodging business and realized that she could become a franchisee. In 1998, she and her husband became the owners of the TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Sterling/Cascades, VA, a three story, 95-room hotel that spans two buildings. Their thriving business, close to Dulles Airport, regularly attracts companies that need space for training or to house relocating executives.

To realize her goal of hotel ownership, Deanne Avers Howard took advantage of resources provided by Marriott's aggressive diversity ownership initiatives, which are designed to attract minorities who have significant business experience.

The lodging leader didn't just recognize the value of the diverse experiences that all owners, employees, vendors, or board members bring to the business. Sixteen years ago, it became the first lodging company to establish workforce diversity initiatives, and it has continued to set the standard for the industry. As a result, championing women's leadership development initiatives is one of the company's top priorities. Measurable objectives for placing female talent in leadership roles as well as implementing initiatives to develop women leaders are directly tied to executive's year-end bonuses.

Because of its strategic diversity initiatives, the company is achieving success in all areas of its business. Terri L. Turner, who joined Marriott International's law department as vice president and assistant general counsel for litigation in 2003, recently became the company's corporate secretary. Turner is responsible for recording board minutes, managing the annual shareholder meeting process and overseeing other corporate governance and compliance matters.

Marriott's diversity initiatives have also been implemented to attract top-tier minority vendors. Last year, the company expanded its spending goals and pledged to spend more than $1 billion with women and minorities over the next five years.