Toyota appoints Diversity Advisory Board members Greater Houston Partnership recognizes greatests

AUSTIN – Toyota’s North American Diversity Advisory Board welcomed three new members, including Gilbert Casellas, vice president of corporate responsibility for Dell Inc., during its 18th annual Opportunity Exchange minority business conference and trade fair. The advisory board, formed nearly six years ago, provides outside perspective and guidance to Toyota and establishes clear goals for the company’s efforts and commitment to nurturing inclusion and diversity in the workplace.

New advisory board members also include Phyllis Campbell, president and CEO of The Seattle Foundation, and James Lowry, senior adviser for the Boston Consulting Group.

Current member and former Secretary of Labor, Alexis Herman, one of the nation’s most recognized thought leaders in strategic corporate diversity, will continue to chair the advisory board. The eight-member advisory board also includes retired Federal Appellate Judge Nathaniel Jones; former Congressman and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Jack Kemp; former Congresswoman Susan Molinari; and former Transportation and Energy Secretary Federico Peña.

“Toyota believes that diversity and inclusion are essential to our long-term success,” said Dian Ogilvie, senior vice president of Toyota Motor North America. “Our Diversity Advisory Board’s invaluable guidance, service and dedication for the past half decade have led to a number of significant achievements for our company. The board is imperative to our efforts, helping move us forward in the right direction.”

The advisory board meets regularly with senior management several times a year and provides objective advice and guidance to the highest levels of Toyota’s North American management with respect to the content, implementation and further development of Toyota’s 21st Century Diversity Strategy.

About the new members:

Gilbert Casellas
Casellas oversees Dell’s global diversity, sustainability and corporate philanthropy functions. He previously served as chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, general counsel for the U.S. Department of the Air Force and co-chairman of the U.S. Census Monitoring Board.
Phyllis Campbell
Campbell previously served as president of U.S. Bank of Washington from 1993 to 2001. She has received many prestigious awards for her community service work, including the Woman Who Makes a Difference Award from the International Women’s Forum and, in 2006, the Lifetime Achievement Award from City Year.
James Lowry

Lowry leads the Boston Consulting Group’s Chicago office in its firm’s workforce diversity, ethnic marketing and minority business development consulting efforts. He has hosted two nationally syndicated TV programs, “Inside Bedford Stuyvesant” and “Minority Business Report.” Additionally, he is an adjunct professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, chairman of The City of Chicago Library system board and was recently inducted into the Minority Business Hall of Fame.