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18 | TH E M R EP O RT COVER STORY holidays together. Our Cooper Pride team members even go so far to say that they "get to be celebrated vs. being tolerated at work," Dillard added, reiterating the need to understand and accept cultural sensitivities. Speaking of the varied client base at Randal S. Miller & Associates, Miller said, "There has been a substantial change in the faces we deal with on a daily basis. Our client contacts now include a substantial number of women, as well as a jump in Hispanic representation. What we have not seen is a change in middle management to board rooms. That is the area that needs to be looked at the most. While the glass ceiling has elevated, it still exists, and needs to be shattered once and for all." Quoting data from the National Association of Realtors, Cortez noted that single women account- ed for 18 percent of all home purchases last year compared with just 7 percent by single men. "Awareness of more diversity with homeowners has ignited compa- nies to increase diversity efforts of their own. At Ellie Mae, for example, we sponsor several 'Women in Leadership' events across the industry; plus, we have expanded internal employee group engagement. We find that interaction in these groups help impact policy, culture, and innovation and give our team- mates an outlet to share their perspective," she added. Probing the cause of gender leadership gap and the proverbial glass ceiling, Coldwell Banker's recent "Examining Women and Leadership Survey" compared the leadership and professional ambitions of men and women who work in female-dominated industries—as determined by data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The survey revealed a serious dearth of women in boardrooms and C-suites, with 75 percent men more likely than women to hold an executive-level position. Commenting on her collabora- tion with the American Mortgage Diversity Council (AMDC), Maureen Hart, SVP, Vendor Management and Information Security, Aspen Grove Solutions pointed out that she learned how gender equality remains an area of focus despite the great awareness that has been created on this issue. "Further work is required to ensure that people are paid equally for the equal work they perform. The industry, especially through the AMDC, encourages organizations to support gender equality as a strategic objective and to support emerging female leaders. Despite progress, 51.4 percent of workers in the Real Estate Industry group are male and, on average male workers earn more than 1.47 times more than their female counter- parts," Hart said. Miller also stressed on the im- portance of minority communities in the workforce. "If you walked through my various offices, you would find an incredibly diverse and inclusive workforce. The one area where that is not true is with our attorneys. We have a large number of female attorneys, but for some reason do not at- tract a lot of minority candidates. As positions open, we intend to implement better recruiting tools to attract a more diverse applicant pool. Several AMDC webinars have offered such guidance. As positions open, we intend to implement better recruiting tools to attract a more diverse applicant pool. Several AMDC webinars have offered such guidance. I can't hire people that do not apply. This is something I really want to work on," he said. Lessons Learned and Changes Implemented A s we look toward the future, MReport asked these experts spearheading D&I initiatives about the key takeaways of such programs and what changes they implemented as a result of lessons learnt in the past. Explaining how D&I is at the heart of Cooper Culture, Dillard said, "At Mr. Cooper, we want all of our team members to recognize that we lead with inclusion. That is my top priority—every day. Our Leadership program gives up and coming leaders opportunities for one-on-one executive coaching to help them take their careers to the next level. Our D&I initiatives are part of a journey that will never really end." This year, Aspen is focusing on personality types, learning types, and thinking styles. "We are training all our managers in using off-the-shelf tools that can be used to better understand their team members. We are encouraging team members to use these tools to better understand their own team members," Hart said. Cortez believes that great products are built on a diverse and inclusive culture. She reiterated how this is evidenced by the diversity of their customers and borrowers, increased engagement in the company diversity initia- tives, and the advancements in innovative technology. Wilson said, "We have certainly learned a lot. Probably the most significant lesson is that as a team of nearly 2,400 employ- ees, we need to always focus on evolving our processes and initiatives as we grow as people and as a company. We drop what doesn't resonate and are inten- tional about making sure that we are constantly tapping into our network of employees and external colleagues who are passionate about D&I work." In a world where most shrink away from asking the big questions, Hart urged, "Don't be afraid to talk about D&I pro- grams, embrace it! When introducing a program, keep an open mind and make time to conduct the research into best practice and the huge amount of resources that are freely available. One word of warning: don't do it because you think it might increase business—that is unlikely to positively impact the culture— do it because you believe it." DONNA JOSEPH is a Dallas-based writer who covers technology, HR best practices, and a mix of lifestyle topics. She is a seasoned PR professional with an extensive background in content creation and corporate communications. Joseph holds a B.A. in Sociology and M.A. in Mass Communication, both from the University of Bangalore, India. She is currently working on two books—both dealing with women-centric issues prevalent in oppressive as well as progressive societies. She can be reached at donna.joseph@thefivestar.com. "What we have not seen is a change in middle management to board rooms. That is the area that needs to be looked at the most. While the glass ceiling has elevated, it still exists, and needs to be shattered once and for all." —Randy Miller, President, Randall S. Miller & Associates