The USBLN Annual Conference is Coming to Portland – October 6 – 8, 2008! Our Interview with USBLN President Katherine McCary

The Oregon Business Leadership Network is a proud Chapter of the national US Business Leadership Network. In 2005, the OBLN was awarded the USBLN’s Chapter of the Year Award for leadership. In collaboration with the OBLN, the USBLN’s 2008 national conference will be held in Portland next fall.

A Vice President with SunTrust Banks, Inc., Katherine McCary is the current President of the US Business Leadership Network. In conversation with us, she shared her personal history in the inclusion of people with disabilities, the experiences of her employer- SunTrust Bank, her vision for the USBLN, and her excitement over the coming conference in Portland.

OBLN: Katherine, the USBLN has chosen to work with the OBLN to hold its 2008 national conference here in Portland. What can you tell us about that?

Katherine McCary: The theme of the conference is “Expanding Inclusion: The Business Strategy” and that will be the focus – the business case for inclusion. We decided to come to Portland because of the business community’s commitment and the Oregon BLN’s successes.

We know that the environment is ripe for Oregon businesses that are coming together to exchange ideas and best practices. Here is an opportunity for them to continue that and expand it to more employers in Oregon and the Northwest – as well as to all of us who will come from the other side of the country.

This is our 11th Annual Conference and it will be our 3rd Annual Career Fair. That Career Fair has regularly drawn 500 high school and college students to speak with employers about career opportunities.

We are pleased to announce that the Job Accommodation Network is partnering with us this year. Instead of holding their own national symposium, as in the past, they are going to have an entire “super track” all related to the Job Accommodation Network’s services and expertise. By partnering and building together, we will have a stronger and better-attended conference.

OBLN: How did you, personally, become involved with people with disabilities and the issues around employment?

Katherine McCary: A woman named Meg O’Connell started the whole disability initiative within our bank (Crestar Bank at that time). She was focusing on the marketing piece – making products and services for customers with disabilities. I was in human resources and Meg made a very strong business case to our human resources department as to why we should include people with disabilities in our workforce. We had hired people with disabilities before. We had some in our workforce, but it was never “an initiative”. Her business case really resonated within our department.

Shortly after, in 1999, she and I worked together to staff a sales campaign for the bank.  The hiring manager was completely open to whatever sourcing we did. It was all about talent. They didn’t care about anything else – as long as we had people who could do the job and produce. In putting together the team, we reached out to people with disabilities, retirees and high school students. By the end of the project, they had exceeded their sales goals.

Other departments heard about it and started calling and asking “How did that happen? What are you doing right – that we aren’t doing?” From there the whole idea of promoting the employment of people with disabilities took root.

In 2000, we submitted that project to the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and we won their national Innovative Practice Award. Because of that recognition, senior management got excited and involved. Shortly after that, we were acquired by SunTrust Bank and my job was eliminated. My CEO and HR Director were so impressed what we had accomplished, that they created a job for me. In that role I am responsible for the Accessing Community Talent (ACT) program that focuses on the inclusion of people with disabilities and in the marketplace. And the Corporate Disability Resource Center which, internally, provides disability information to employees and managers.

OBLN: How did you originally become involved with the Business Leadership Network?

Katherine McCary: The bank was involved in the Business Leadership Network before I came on the scene. Meg O’Connell had headed up our involvement with the BLN and our bank was the lead company in the Virginia BLN. When Meg left the bank, I took over as the lead role in our Virginia BLN involvement. and in 2002, when the USBLN formed its first independent Steering Committee, I was privileged to be selected to serve on it. I have been involved with the USBLN ever since.

I have learned so much from being a part of this organization! We are an organization representing more than 5000 businesses. The networking is fabulous – knowing who to call on a particular topic – getting feedback on an idea – even from your competitors. There are a lot of financial institutions engaged in the BLN. While we don’t share information that is proprietary in nature, we readily share best practices around disability issues.

OBLN: SunTrust is obviously resolute about the inclusion of people with disabilities and has a high level of commitment to the Business Leadership Network. What is behind that?

Katherine McCary: For me, and for my employer, involvement in the BLN and our outreach to people with disabilities has always been a business strategy. It has never been the “nice thing to do”. We do lots of nice things in the community. Through our charitable giving we support groups like Goodwill, United Way, MS Society, etc. But this employment and marketing piece is all tied to our bottom line. Including people with disabilities in our workforce has brought us valuable talent.

We are among the top seven banks in the country I would like to think that the value of people with disabilities as employees and as customers is ingrained in every branch that you might walk in to and every office that you might call. It is hard work for us

Two years ago we produced a video, opened by our CEO, which was sent to over 5000 of our managers. It showcased some of our employees with disabilities and the managers that work with them. We are definitely getting the word out there. We have Diversity Councils throughout our entire SunTrust footprint and almost all of them now have Disability Committees on them. Now I can call someone in the bank from Florida, or Carolina or Tennessee and find out what they are doing and share what we are doing with them.

Most companies don’t talk enough about what they are doing to include people with disabilities in their workforces and customer base. Some are hesitant to do so because they don’t think they are doing anything special – or that they will be seen as bragging. But businesses have to talk about this for two reasons; 1) Because, as businesses can learn from each other, and 2) Because the community wants to know what you are doing.

If you are including people with disabilities as a business strategy, you need to be telling people about it. In the workforce, it is about letting people in your community know that you are eager to hire people with disabilities who are qualified to do your jobs. In the marketplace, it is about letting your current and prospective customers with disabilities know your commitment to serving their needs. As your broader community begins to learn about this, it will result in more people coming to your workforce and more people using your products and services.

OBLN: Serving as its President, you obviously have a strong belief in the work of the US Business Leadership Network. How would you describe its primary role?

Katherine McCary: We own the mission of changing attitudes about people with disabilities throughout the business community. Our real goal is business to business education – helping businesses understand the business imperative for including people with disabilities in the workforce and in the marketplace.

If there is an employer who “gets” diversity, it is pretty easy to engage him or her in the disability dialogue. Companies who understand diversity understand that your work force has to marry your marketplace. People with disabilities are in your marketplace. People with disabilities should be in your workforce.

We didn’t hire women because it was a nice thing to do. We hired women because we needed work done. It has been the same sort of issue for every other diversity group and it is the same for people with disabilities. We currently have an aging population with resulting workforce shortages – talent shortages. At the same time we have a huge percentage of unemployed adults with disabilities. We have returning wounded veterans. We have 40 – 45% of college graduates with disabilities who are reportedly unemployed. Employing people with disabilities isn’t just a “nice thing to do”, it is a business imperative. We will eventually get to the point where every employer finally comprehends this from a strategic business perspective.

Interestingly, once people with disabilities do get into the workforce, they become seen as coworkers – not as people with disabilities.

OBLN: It is truly exciting that the OBLN and the USBLN are bringing the national conference to Portland in October. Would you like to say any final words about it?

Katherine McCary: This is a business conference. It is all focused on business. While our partner organizations are represented, the majority of our attendees are employers. This year we are expecting over 500 people. In addition to all the great breakout sessions and keynote speakers, there will be tremendous opportunities for networking, engagement and dialogue.
 

Visit the website of the US Business Leadership Network

View the SunTrust video Focus on Ability

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The Oregon Business Leadership Network
Oregon's business forum on inclusion of people with disabilities
in the competitive workplace and as consumers.
www.obln.org