Columbia Bank is proud to announce it has won a Corporate Board Diversity Award from the African American Chamber of New Jersey and New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. The prestigious accolade which was received on November 3, 2022 in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, at the first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Trailblazer Awards reception, honors companies that demonstrate tangible and measurable progress in critical areas of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Said Thomas J. Kemly, President and CEO of Columbia Bank, “With the help of its Board of Directors, Columbia Bank has worked to vastly improve its diversity statistics within the Board, but also throughout the Bank. Through training, the roll-out of employee resource groups, tight monitoring and accountability, we're proud to be moving the needle in an industry that traditionally is not considered very diverse."
To date, Columbia Financial Incorporated’s board consists of 33% women and 22% minorities. Additionally, Columbia Bank’s Executive Leadership team represented 30% female and 20% minorities, and the Bank’s Senior Vice Presidents and above comprised 34% female and 19% minorities as of April 30, 2022. These statistics are often considered market-leading.
“Being 'in support' of diversity, equity and inclusion is not always synonymous with proactive advocacy, and cohesive company-wide implementation of measurable equity and inclusion goals," said John E. Harmon Sr., Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey. "The inequities that exist in the marketplace were put in place with intentionality and it will take intentionality to reverse these generational impediments. If we are adamant about making an impactful difference, then we must advocate for a reimagined corporate culture of inclusivity in New Jersey and across the nation. That is the pathway to our mutual success.”
“We are honoring the companies that are walking the walk,” added Tom Bracken, President and CEO of the New Jersey Chamber. “We are recognizing and celebrating the champions who are meeting the challenge and challenging the status quo.”
