ORC Peter Robertson Award for Equality and Diversity Champions
ORC Worldwide is very pleased to announce the winner of the first ORC Peter Robertson Award for Equality and Diversity Champions, Frank J. Quevedo.
Frank Quevedo is vice president of Equal Opportunity for Southern California Edison. Since the 1970s, he has earned a reputation as a tireless activist for workplace equity and fairness, and Hispanic Business Magazine selected him four times as one of the nation’s “100 most influential Hispanics.” In 1976, Quevedo was appointed by Governor Brown to the State Bar Board of Governors and was subsequently elected as its treasurer (1979), the first non-lawyer to hold that office. He also held the office of vice chair of the State Bar Judicial Evaluation Nominees Commission in 1981-1983, serving thereafter as a member in 1988 and 1989. In 1982 he served as executive assistant to Commissioner Tony Gallegos of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Having served as chairman of the board of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund for four terms, Frank continues to provide his experience and leadership as an active member of that board. He serves on a number of other boards and advisory committees including the Puente Project; Asian Pacific American Legal Center; Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Institute of Public Affairs; the United Negro College Fund Southern California Advisory Committee; California State University Fullerton University Advisory Board; National Civic League; Orange County Hispanic Education Endowment Fund, and the Women’s Foundation of California.
The award will be presented by Naomi Earp, Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on June 26, 2008. Former EEOC chair Cari Dominguez will offer the keynote address. For more information on this ceremony, please contact Liz MacGillivray at +1-212-852-0406.
The Robertson award was established to recognize an exceptional individual who has demonstrated personal and professional commitment to the proposition that diversity and equality strengthen organizations and communities and who has a record of significant accomplishment advancing the art and practice of managing a diverse workforce.
“Diversity practitioners often must labor in relative obscurity—unknown by the outside world and sometimes underappreciated in their own organizations,” explained Patrice Hall, ORC vice president. “But it’s their passion and ingenuity and persistence that have brought about much of the progress employers have made. We hope this award will increase awareness and appreciation of the contributions of people like Frank and all the dedicated people championing diversity in their organizations.”