68 68
C O V E R S T O R Y / J O E Y P I Z Z O L A T O
When people think of diversity, what comes to mind? Is it a
photograph of friends of varying ages, races, sexes, and ethnicities
sharing a meal, laughing? Or, is it people of various religions—
Catholics, Jews, and Muslims cohabitating the same space as they
did and continue to do in Toledo, Spain?
e answer to all the above is: yes. No
matter what the example, diversity comes
in many forms, and the same fact is true in
business and diversity and inclusion programs.
No one program will look the same, but that
begs a second question. If a business wants to
implement and develop a diversity and inclusion
program, where do they start, and how do they
ensure that said program continues to evolve in
tandem with the company?
e answer lies within.
MIRROR THE MODEL
e beginning of every great endeavor
starts with an idea. Fortunately, for
companies that currently have little-
to-no current infrastructure in place, one can
look to Section 342 of the Dodd-Frank Wall
Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act,
which has outlined a basic voluntary model for
companies to follow. In the mortgage finance
industry, this model has been instrumental in
pressing toward progress.
According to Ashley Woodworth, VP
of Product Management at First American
Mortgage Solutions, this was a step in the right
direction. "ere has been improvement overall
since Dodd-Frank and the Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau created regulations for
servicers and vendors," she said. "e mortgage
industry is a risk-based, data-driven community
that tends to favor evolution over revolution."
is means progress is bound to be slow, but
the industry is certainly making strides, and
for companies that are behind, a few guidelines
from Dodd-Frank should help to get the ball
rolling.
DRIVE FROM THE TOP DOWN
Next, these programs should start
at the executive level, with robust
training programs and quantifiable
goals. One thing to keep in mind: While the
goals should be measured and documented, it
