Three American Water Executives Honored by the National Diversity Council
April 14 2021 - 1:00PM
Business Wire
Susan Hardwick, Valoria Armstrong and Pamela
Richardson included on top lists
American Water (NYSE: AWK), the largest publicly traded U.S.
water and wastewater utility company, announced that three of its
executives were recognized by the National Diversity Council for
their professionalism, integrity and leadership qualities. American
Water’s Chief Financial Officer Susan Hardwick was recognized as a
Top 50 Financial Leader, while Valoria Armstrong, Chief Inclusion
Officer and Vice President, External Affairs, was honored with the
Leadership Excellence Award. Pamela Richardson, Vice President,
Chief Labor Employment and Commercial Counsel, was recognized as a
Top 50 General Counsel.
“American Water believes in investing in our people, our
customers and our communities,” said Walter Lynch, President and
CEO of American Water. “At American Water, we encourage, honor, and
celebrate differences in our employees, including race and
ethnicity. Inclusion and diversity of ideas, thoughts and
experiences are vital to our culture and the way we do business.
Having multiple members of our leadership team be recognized by the
National Diversity Council is a true honor for us.”
Recognized as a Top 50 Financial Leader, as CFO Hardwick is
responsible for all aspects of financial management and strategy,
including directing finance strategy, investor relations, treasury,
financial planning, accounting, internal audit, risk management,
supply chain, regulatory services, and control functions. She leads
a diverse organization that provides continuous opportunities for
growth among her employees and challenges them to achieve their
personal and professional goals. Hardwick treats her employees with
respect, integrity and fairness and is committed to developing and
engaging talented professionals.
Armstrong was honored with the Leadership Excellence Award,
which distinguishes a select group of individuals from diverse
fields. According to the National Diversity Council, the focus of
the award is to give prominence to accomplishments of men and women
who exceed the scope of what is expected in their organizations and
communities. Armstrong has been responsible for strengthening the
American Water’s inclusion and diversity strategy by creating a
comprehensive and integrated focus on driving diversity, equity,
mutual respect, and inclusiveness across the organization. She is
also responsible for leading government and regulatory affairs
across American Water’s regulated and market-based businesses.
Armstrong engages with key external stakeholders like the National
Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, the U.S.
Conference of Mayors, and the National Utilities Diversity
Council.
Recognized as a Top 50 General Counsel, Richardson is a key
leader at American Water, providing advice and counsel on a wide
variety of employment issues affecting American Water’s more than
7,000 employees. She assists the company’s labor relations team
with strategy and provides legal counsel on issues unique to the
company’s 3,000 union represented employees. Richardson is also
responsible for organizing and overseeing the legal department’s
diverse supplier strategic goals and for its Diversity Corporate
Legal Summer Internship Program, which provides promising law
students greater opportunities. Richardson serves as the executive
sponsor to the company’s African American/Black Employee Business
Resource Group, which is a forum for employee participation and
business impacts in the areas of careers, culture, and
community.
“Creating an inclusive and diverse work environment is not
something a company can achieve by checking off a series of boxes.
It requires honest self-examination and a commitment to deep
fundamental change,” said Melanie Kennedy, Chief Human Resources
Officer. “Over the last few years, American Water has worked hard
to embed inclusion and diversity into the fabric of our culture.
These recognitions highlight the efforts our company has made to
hire, develop, and promote diverse talent. As a company, we
understand that our diversity is our strength as reflected in the
inclusivity of our employees and the communities we serve.”
The formal ceremony for these awards will take place virtually
at the 17th Annual National Diversity and Leadership Conference on
April 21-22 and April 28-29, 2021 hosted by DiversityFirst™. The
conference will be held virtually with this year’s theme being “Be
a Changemaker”. The four-day conference will honor a number of
diverse talent from different industries.
About the National Diversity &
Leadership Conference
With thousands of attendees, the 2021 National Diversity &
Leadership Conference remains one of the largest diversity
conferences in the nation. Offering extraordinary networking
opportunities, professional development, and critical conversations
surrounding diversity and inclusion, attendees are able to curate
their experience for optimal learning and growth. This year’s
conference will take place virtually on April 21-22 and 28-29. More
information about the Diversity & Leadership Conference is
available at their website.
About American Water
With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the
largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water
and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,000
dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based
drinking water, wastewater and other related services to 15 million
people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean,
affordable and reliable water services to our customers to help
make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit
amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and
LinkedIn.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210414005675/en/
Media: Joseph Szafran External Affairs Manager
856-955-4304 joseph.szafran@amwater.com
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