2006 Work Life Legacy Award Press Release

NEWS RELEASE CONTACT : Elizabeth Miller
Families and Work Institute
212.465.8421
emiller@familiesandwork.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 12, 2006

FAMILIES AND WORK INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES
2006 WORK LIFE LEGACY AWARD HONOREES
Seven Leaders Honored for Their Role in America’s Work Life Movement

NEW YORK, NY– Families and Work Institute presented the Work Life Legacy Award to seven outstanding leaders in the work life movement at an awards luncheon today.

The Work Life Legacy Award was created to have the leaders who have changed the American workplace provide first-hand accounts of this history. Families and Work Institute began documenting this movement in 2004.

Recipients of the 2006 Work Life Legacy Award are:

    • Stacey Gibson
      Senior Director of Work/Life and Diversity Programs, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
    • David A. Hamburg
      President Emeritus, Carnegie Corporation of New York
    • Shelley M. MacDermid
      Professor, Child Development and Family Studies, Purdue University 
    • Anne M. Mulcahy
      Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Xerox Corporation
    • Patricia M. Nazemetz
      Vice President, Human Resources, Xerox Corporation
    • Sheila Wellington
      Clinical Professor of Management NYU, Leonard N. Stern School of Business
    • Judy Woodruff
      Broadcast Journalist, Former CNN Anchor

"Families and Work Institute is proud to honor these leaders for their exceptional accomplishments in the field of work life,” said Ellen Galinsky, president and co-founder of Families and Work Institute. “The Work Life Legacy Award shines a spotlight on these men and women’s achievements and by doing so, shows how economic and social change really takes place.”

Over the last three decades, there has been a transformation in the American workplace that has improved the way work gets done and at the same time, has helped employees manage their work and their personal and family responsibilities more effectively. These changes were created by leaders in many different sectors of society who had the courage and the competence to forge new ways of making work “work” for employees and employers.

When Xerox began researching and developing an approach to work life in the 1980s, Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy said the company’s goal was to make work-life balance a productivity issue – not a working mother’s issue.

“We were trying to break through the structured human resource program approach and build a business case for productivity – how you define it and why is it important that work life be embraced as a workplace necessity,” said Mulcahy. “This wasn’t just a nice ‘to do.’ Our view remains that it is a ‘must do.’ You must build a culture that respects work-life balance in order to truly achieve measurable productivity in the workplace.”

As Mulcahy was making her mark in the corporate world, honoree Judy Woodruff was bringing the issues of working parents who have special needs children to the forefront.

"I think our society has got to realize that people with disabilities deserve every bit as much attention as everybody else,” said Judy Woodruff, former CNN news anchor. “We went through the civil rights movement. We went through the women’s rights movement. There’s a lot of conversation right now about gay rights, and about different sexual orientation. I think people with disabilities need – must have – our respect, and they must have every opportunity.”

While each of these leaders has affected change in their positions, as part of the Work Life Legacy Awards, Families and Work Institute and Bright Horizons Family Solution also recognize one of the Work Life Legacy Award honorees who have made extraordinary contributions as a leader in and an innovator of the work life movement.

Together, these organizations created the Chris C. Kjeldsen Work Life Legacy Award, in memory of Johnson & Johnson Executive and pioneering work life advocate Chris C. Kjeldsen. Stacey Gibson, who exemplifies his spirit and dedication, is the 2006 recipient of the Chris C. Kjeldsen Work Life Legacy Award.

Honorees for the Work Life Legacy Award are nominated by the previous year’s winners, then selected through an internal process at Families and Work Institute.

For more information about the Work Life Legacy Award or to RSVP for the event, please contact Elizabeth Miller at emiller@familiesandwork.org or (212) 465-8421.

 

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ABOUT FAMILIES AND WORK INSTITUTE

Families and Work Institute (FWI) is a nonprofit center for research that conducts extensive research on the changing workforce, changing family and changing community. Founded in 1989, FWI’s research typically takes on emerging issues before they crest. The Institute offers some of the most comprehensive research on the U.S. workforce available. For more information, visit www.familiesandwork.org .

 

Editors Note:

High resolution jpegs are available upon request.


Stacey Gibson, Senior Director, Work/Life and Diversity Programs
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

Anne M. Mulcahy
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Xerox Corporation

Dr. David A. Hamburg
President Emeritus, Carnegie Corporation of New York

Patricia M. Nazemetz
Vice President, Human Resources, Xerox Corporation

Shelley M. MacDermid,
Professor of Child Development and Family Studies, Purdue University

Sheila Wellington,
Clinical Professor of Management, NYU, Leonard N. Stern School of Business
 
Judy Woodruff
Broadcast Journalist, Former CNN Anchor