Myron E. (Mike) Ullman III, who is retiring in November as chairman and CEO of JCPenney, No. 35 in The 2011 Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity, is an exemplary diversity leader, professionally and personally. He has spearheaded the retailer’s innovative efforts to connect with an increasingly diverse customer base through the increased use of its associate-resource groups and the executive diversity council, which he chairs. These efforts and the significant improvement in the company’s results, as evidenced by its data, led to JCPenney being named Fair360, formerly DiversityInc’s Top Company for Diversity-Management Progress at our special awards ceremony in November 2010, with Ullman accepting the award.
Ullman’s commitment to diversity is very personal as well. He has a visible disability (he uses a Segway because he has difficulty walking), he has two daughters with disabilities adopted from China, and he is chair of Mercy Ships International, which brings medical assistance and supplies to third-world countries.
Fair360, formerly DiversityInc CEO Luke Visconti and Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Barbara Frankel interviewed Ullman at JCPenney’s headquarters in Plano, Texas. Here’s what he had to say about why diversity management is so important to the company—and to him.
