Steve Fry has come a long wayprofessionally and culturallyfrom the tiny town of Millhousen, Ind., population less than 150, where his parents and three generations before them ran a pig farm.
Today, as Eli Lilly and Company’s senior vice president, human resources and diversity, and a member of the executive committee, he is instrumental in helping the company focus on its internal and external diversity goals. Eli Lilly is No. 29 in The 2012Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity.
His transformation from a member of a homogenous group following in expected footsteps to a worldwide leader in inclusiveness is an example of the value of cultural education. He didn’t have one startling epiphany; he had gradual exposure to those who were “different.”