Sara Meyer-Davis · Women's Rights and Economic Development Expert

The most well-known diversity initiative is the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission established by The Civil Rights Act of 1991. Its mandate was “to identify the glass ceiling barriers that have blocked the advancement of minorities and women as well as the successful practices and policies that have led to the advancement of minority men and all women into decision-making positions in the private sector”.

The Commission was directed to conduct a study of opportunities for, and artificial barriers to, the advancement of minority men and all women into management and decision-making positi…

While diversity is frequently viewed as a social good or an altruistic gesture, the facts prove that diversity is a business operating principle. Unfortunately, the detail is often buried in hundreds of pages of material. The following is a high- level summary of some of the more poignant facts. All sources for the quotes are available at [strategicdiversityadvisors.com].

Diversity is proven to increase stock valuation and ROI:

• “The 100 companies rated lowest in diversity averaged 7.9% annualized stock return; compared to 18.3% for the 100 companies that rated highest”.

• “Compa…