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Luis Verger
Luis Verger, Regional Education Director, is no stranger to the work of the Diversity Council. As one of the leaders of Equity’s “Diversity No Vacancy” workshops, he says he “always learns something every single time I teach the workshop. It’s about letting people see things from a different perspective – not better, not worse, but different.”
And learning about diversity is an on-going process, as Luis was reminded at a recent meeting of diversity educators from different companies. “Being Hispanic, but not necessarily appearing to be, has opened my eyes to what I guess you can call reverse discrimination,” he says. “One of the attendees asked me how I could relate without being a minority. I told him I was Hispanic, which he didn’t believe. In any case, my race shouldn’t have had any bearing on whether or not I could effectively run a diversity workshop.”
It’s experiences like this that have focused Luis on some specific goals for his time on the Council. “It shouldn’t just be the 10 people on the Council championing diversity – it should be everyone. We need to have ambassadors in every market, helping people embrace and live the concept.”
At Equity, Luis believes, the foundation’s been set and the business case has been made. “We’re already involving everyone, now it’s time to move beyond the basics. It’s a big recruiting tool,” he says. “We really value the individuals for what they’re capable of doing, and it’s the first company that I’ve truly felt that way about. After 23 years in the industry I know that every company says it, but not everyone means it. Equity means it.”
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