Ragan’s CSR & Diversity Awards finalists announced

Winners will be announced at an event at the Yale Club in New York City on July 14.

By Allison Carter
@allisonlcarter
June 7, 2022

Ragan's CSR & Diversity Awards finalists announced

Communicators are on the vanguard of change. From those working in corporate social responsibility (CSR) to those leading the way in environmental, social and governance (ESG) to those who striving to make workplaces more diverse and inclusive, these professionals are working on campaigns and initiatives that make our world better.

Ragan’s CSR & Diversity Awards celebrates these changemakers and their commitment to improving their communities.

All finalists will be recognized—and category winners will be announced—at a special event at New York City’s Yale Club on July 14.

Congratulations to all nominees and finalists.

CSR/ESG Professional of the Year

Fred Ferguson: Vista Outdoor
Curtis Sparrer: Bospar
Denine Torr: Dollar General Corporation
Sheldon Yellen: BELFOR USA Group, Inc.

CSR/ESG Team of the Year

Ameresco: Ameresco’s ESG Ambassadors
Curaleaf: Rooted in Good
Vista Outdoor: Vista Outdoor Comms

Brand Activism

3M: Shattering Stereotypes with “Not the Science Type”
Aflac: The #AflacSickleCellSense Campaign Confronts Health Care Inequities
Mars Food: Introducing Ben’s Original™ and A New Purpose
Medela: Supporting NICU Families
Pinterest: Pinterest Havens: Invest in rest
UPS: Proudly Unstoppable

Cause Advocacy Campaign

3M: Shattering Stereotypes with “Not the Science Type”
Aflac: The #AflacSickleCellSense Campaign Confronts Health Care Inequities
BODEN Agency: Juntos Crecemos (Together We Grow) Campaign
Call of Duty Endowment: #CODEMedicalHeroes
Priority Health: Priority Health for Good on the Road
The National Football League “NFL”: The Trevor Project’s Partnership with the National Football League “NFL”
United Way of the National Capital Area: Project Community Connect
University of Maryland, Baltimore: Get The Vaccine Baltimore

Community Affairs

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee: Free and Fun for All: BlueCross Healthy Places
Mars Food: Introducing Ben’s Original™ and A New Purpose
PRLab: PRoBono 2021

Corporate-Community or Nonprofit Partnership

Cricket Wireless: 12 Days of Cricket
Discovery Education: STEM Careers Coalition
DonorsChoose: Racial Justice and Representation in Classrooms Campaign
GoDaddy: Empower by GoDaddy
John Hancock: MLK Scholars Program
Philip Morris International (PMI): United to Safeguard America from Illegal Trade (USA-IT)
org: Salesforce.org’s Power of Us Program and The UC Davis Food Pantry
The National Football League “NFL”: The Trevor Project’s Partnership with the National Football League “NFL”
The Trevor Project: The Trevor Project’s Partnership with YouTube
United Way of the National Capital Area: UWNCA Choose Health Life Campaign

COVID-19 Communications

3M: 3M’s COVID-19 Response
Maximus Corporate Communications: Stop the Spread

COVID-19 Program

3M: 3M’s COVID-19 Response
Cambridge Health Alliance: Vaccine Outreach Campaign
Criteo: Diversity Equity Inclusion and Sustainability Team at Criteo

CSR Agency of the Year

Yulu Public Relations: Yulu Public Relations

CSR Campaign of the Year

Aflac: The #AflacSickleCellSense Campaign Confronts Health Care Inequities
BELFOR USA Group, Inc.: Celebrating Our Humble Heroes
Bospar: Bospar Messes With Texas
Disney Parks, Experiences and Products: Disney Magic Makers
IFS: IFS Change for good

CSR or ESG Event (Virtual or In Person)

ESPN: ESPN’s 15th Annual V Week
Wolters Kluwer Enablon: Enablon Cares

Disaster Prevention or Pandemic Relief

Infineon Technologies: Infineon Technologies
INFUSEmedia: INFUSEmedia Free 100 & Business Reopening Program
The PepsiCo Foundation: Black Restaurant Accelerator

Education or Scholarship Program

BODEN Agency: McDonald’s HACER® National Scholarship | Puertas Doradas
Discovery Education and Jackson Charitable Foundation: ChaChing Money Smart Kids!
Discovery Education and USC Shoah Foundation: Teaching with Testimony
Megaworld Foundation, Inc.: Connect2Connect: Nurturing Megaworld Scholars through Digital Transformation in the New Normal
TIAA Bank: Be the Change Scholarship
T-Mobile: Magenta Scholars
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated: Vertex Global STEAM Programs

Employee Volunteer Program

Megaworld Foundation, Inc.: Green Thumbs-up!: Megaworld Foundation E-Planting Activity
SAP NS2: NS2 Gives
SMUD: SMUD Cares program

ESG Program of the Year

Hyatt Hotels Corporation: World of Care

Fundraising and Philanthropic Initiative

Santa Cruz Community Credit Union: RETURN THE FAVOR Giving Campaign
The Trevor Project: The Trevor Project’s Partnership with YouTube

Green and Environmental Stewardship

Manulife/John Hancock: Journey to Net Zero
SMUD: 2030 Zero Carbon Plan
SW Safety Solutions Inc: SW 2021 SDG and ECOTEK Awareness Campaign
T-Mobile: T-Mobile’s Sustainability Approach & Achievements

Media Relations or PR Campaign

Aflac: Aflac Engages Media to End Sickle Cell Silence
American Medical Association: Advancing Equity in Medicine
Bospar: Bospar Messes With Texas
Disney Parks, Experiences and Products: Disney Magic Makers
Lowe’s: Lowe’s 100 Hometowns
NOW: Pensions: Fair Pensions For All

Public Health or Safety Initiative

Philip Morris International (PMI): United to Safeguard America from Illegal Trade (USA-IT)
The Jed Foundation (JED): The Jed Foundation (JED)

Report (Annual or One-time) (Print or Digital)

Clyde Group: IDEA Survey & Report
Criteo: Diversity Equity Inclusion and Sustainability Team at Criteo
Webster Financial Corporation: 2020 Environmental: Social and Governance Report

Social Media Campaign

Aflac: Influencing Change with #AflacSickleCellSense
Universal Music Group: Music Is Universal LGBTQ+ Pride celebration

Stakeholder/Employee Engagement

Ameren Corporation: 2021 AMEREN SUSTAINABILITY/ESG ENGAGEMENT
BMC Software: BMC’s CSR and DEI Employee Resources
Megaworld Foundation, Inc.: Rice Together: Megaworld Foundation Community Pantry

Trust & Transparency in Communications

CONSOL Energy Inc.: CONSOL ESG 2021
Renown Health: Embracing Transparency to Transform the Patient Experience

Video or Visual Design

GoDaddy: Made in America
Michigan State University Public Health: Flint Proud: Partners for Change
NXP Semiconductors: SUSTAINABILITY STORIES Magazine

Diversity: Equity & Inclusion

DE&I Professional of the Year

Lanett Austin: Curaleaf
Vincent Chee: Bevel
Jennifer Rojas Clouse: McLane Company
Ted Nguyen: Orange County Transportation Authority

DE&I Team of the Year

Bazaarvoice: DE&I Taskforce
Clyde Group: IDEA Working Group
McLane Company: DEI Council
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP: Skadden DEI

Allyship

Bospar: Outliers’ Ally
ChristianaCare: Serving Together With Love and Excellence for Inclusion and Diversity
IEEE-USA: Women in Engineering Book Series

CEO Communication

BETAH Associates: Michelle Taylor
Bloomberg Industry Group: Communicating on DE&I At Bloomberg Industry Group – The CEO Setting The Tone

Community Relations and Engagement

Beyond Celiac: Voices of Celiac Disease
Cohen Veterans Network: DEI Engagement for CVN’s Remote Work Environment
Johns Hopkins Medicine: COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Campaign
Mars Food: Introducing Ben’s Original™ and A New Purpose
OCTA & FSB Public Affairs: OCTA Diverse Communities Trust Building Campaign
PTC: 22K Push Up Challenge

Cultural Celebration or Event

Color Of Change: Black History Now Awards
Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA): Tết Events for the Lunar New Year

Diversity: Equity and Inclusion Commitment

Acronym: Acronym’s DE&I Commitment
Hy-Vee, Inc.: Hy-Vee’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
LinkedIn: Sparking Equal Opportunity via #ConversationsForChange
Mars Food: Introducing Ben’s Original™ and A New Purpose
Maximus Corporate Communications: DEI at Maximus
Sandia National Laboratories: Sandia Labs’ Social Media: Celebrating diversity, elevating inclusion
Santa Cruz Community Credit Union: SCCCU Commitment to DEI
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA): SEPTA Diversity, Equity, and Belonging: Where Differences Power Innovation
Swiss Post Solutions: DE&I Communications
T-Mobile: Equity In Action

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)

Baystate Health: Black Employees Connecting Business Resource Group
BMC Software: BMC’s Employee Resource Groups
Criteo: Diversity Equity Inclusion and Sustainability Team at Criteo

Event (Virtual or Live)

Department of Culture and Tourism: Living the Values Initiative
Florida Realtors: What’s Cooking in Canada and with our Global Partners?
SHE Media: Inclusive Future
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA): SEPTA Open Book Series, a DEB initiative

Global Diversity: Equity and Inclusion Commitment

Alorica: Alorica’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Cision: DEI at Cision
Criteo: Diversity Equity Inclusion and Sustainability Team at Criteo
Florida Realtors: Kiss Bow or Shake Hands: Diversity Equity and Inclusion A Comparisons of Cultures

Hiring Practices

Cardinal Health: DEI Recruiting Program Enhancements
McLane Company: Warriors to Wheels
Town of Queen Creek: QCPD’s 30×30

Inclusive Language Initiative

AccuWeather: AccuWeather Inclusive Journalism Taskforce
LinkedIn: Inclusive Language in Marketing

Industry Partnerships/Alliances

American College of Allergy: Asthma and Immunology with Allergy & Asthma Network, Eczema in Skin of Color
PRSA/FINN Partners: PRSSA/FINN Partners Mentorship Program
Renown Health: Leaders in Health Equity & Inclusion

Marketing Programs