Category: PDJ

Senior Vice President and General Manager, BestBuy.com Who is/was your most influential leadership mentor and why? Dick Gray, my manager at General Electric Company, was the “king of accountability” and believed that integrity was what you did when no one was watching. Therefore, being a self-starter, anticipating issues, and developing alternatives were lessons I learned… Read the full article

Senior Manager, Inclusion Practices Who is/was your most influential leadership mentor and why? There are several mentors that have influenced me along the way. I enjoy speaking with a variety of leaders from varying walks of life to understand their journey, challenges, successes, and insights. Some came along earlier in my career, others much more… Read the full article

Division Vice President, Franchise Operations Who was your most influential leadership mentor and why? I once worked with a gentleman named Alan Houston, a senior executive who inspired me because of his commitment to do the right thing. The company we worked for expected high year-over-year growth and he was the first executive I saw… Read the full article

Vice President, Human Resources Who is/was your most influential leadership mentor and why? Don Zrebiec, former Senior Vice President, Human Resources at Xerox. Don taught us the importance of goal setting, resource allocation, flawless execution, and relentless pursuit of excellence while treating others respectfully. Who in your family had the most impact on your success?… Read the full article

Senior Director, Coworker Services (HR) Who is/was your most influential leadership mentor and why? Throughout my career I have had two very influential mentors who were instrumental in my leadership growth. The first would be Ms. Hayes, a high school teacher and coach, and the second Dr. Pierson, a college administrator. Ms. Hayes helped push… Read the full article

Executive Vice President; Director, Citibank Client Services Who in your family had the most impact on your success? My mother has been the most influential person in my life. I grew up in inner-city Philadelphia, in a primarily single parent household—my mother raised my sister and me. As I entered my teenage years, I clearly… Read the full article

Vice President, Internet & PC Software Development Who in your family had the most impact on your success? My father had the most influence on my success. When I was growing up in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, I would work with my father in our family-owned grocery store. He taught me how to… Read the full article

Advisory Director Who in your family had the most impact on your success? Like many leaders in the African-American community, I have to credit my mother for having the most impact shaping me to be the person that I am today. My mother was a high school graduate who cleaned houses for a living. She… Read the full article

Lance Lavergne Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Headquarters: New York City Web site: www.newyorklife.com Primary Business: The largest mutual life insurance company in the United States Employees: 8,830 (domestic) as of January 1, 2009 Who in your family had the most impact on your success? One of the biggest influences in my life, and… Read the full article

Executive Vice President, Community Affairs & Economic Development What is your definition of leadership? I believe that leaders emerge from many diverse backgrounds, sets of circumstances, and for varied purposes. The commonalities they all possess, however, include the vision to see what needs to happen to reach a goal, and the ability to recognize what… Read the full article