Members of the Ford Chinese Association help the company evalute new products during a ride and drive at the Dearborn Proving Grounds in May.

Most of the eight Ford Employee Resource Groups began as grass-roots efforts by employees united by common interests or backgrounds. Appreciating the important role each could play in promoting diversity, the Executive Council on Diversity and Worklife (ECD) decided to officially recognize the groups, and began to provide financial support and to assign each group with an Executive Champion from the council.

Ford Motor Company vehicles were on display at a GLOBE presentation on marketing toward the gay or lesbian consumer.

The program still is growing, and now is stronger than ever. Current Employee Resource Groups are the Ford-Employees African-American Network (FAAN), the Hispanic Network Group (HNG), the Ford Asian Indian Association (FAIA), Ford Chinese Association (FCA), Ford Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual Employees (GLOBE), Ford Parenting Network (FPN), Professional Women's Network (PWN) and the newest, the Ford Interfaith Network (FIN).

Clemente Garcia For nearly 30 years, Clemente Garcia worked as an engineer at Ford. The new year brought new opportunities, however, and Garcia found himself in the midst of a dramatic career shift. Garcia is now the diversity manager in recruiting, and his office is within Human Resources. It's a fresh start which he says he owes to his involvement with the Ford Hispanic Network Group (HNG), a coalition of more than 350 Hispanic Ford employees. For several years, Garcia has served as a member of the group. He is the current chairman and has traveled the country on the group's behalf. "Being in a leadership position with the HNG required that I interface with senior management," said Garcia. "We now have a forum to speak as a group and demonstrate that we have the ability to advance the diversity objectives established by Ford. Without doubt, my involvement with the HNG gave me new skills and brought me new opportunities within the company." Garcia believes the HNG and other employee resource groups are critical tools that could be better used to help advance the company's diversity initiatives. One of his new responsibilities is to formally integrate all employee resource groups into the recruiting process. "In order to become a diverse company, you must have a diverse work force," said Garcia. "Someone considering Ford might ask, 'Does Ford Motor Company value people of diverse backgrounds? Will I feel comfortable working for this company?' "The resource groups help the company recruit, because we present our many different faces to the public. This does create diversity within the organization. Members also gain networking opportunities and a sense of family. The hope is to increase loyalty and longevity within the company."

The groups and the company work as partners to recruit and retain employees from diverse populations. The groups also provide market insight and assist the company with special projects.

Recently, for example, the Ford Chinese Association (FCA) provided assistance and translation for company executives who were meeting with Chinese dignitaries.

Working with both Human Resources and Public Affairs, Ford GLOBE provided important insights last year during the development and public announcement of health care benefits for same-sex domestic partners.

"Our support of Employee Resource Groups demonstrates that Ford is committed to diversity at the highest level," said Allison Trawick of the Diversity and Worklife Planning office. "We appreciate that we must look like the world if we hope to sell to the world. Our groups not only help us with recruiting; they also give us an appreciation for the needs and interests of different consumer markets. They are an important part of our diversity initiatives."

Employee Resource Groups must be approved by the ECD. They also must support company goals and objectives; provide voluntary and open membership to all Ford employees; conduct all social events and membership meetings during non-working hours; comply with company policies and procedures; and request formal management approval from the local Human Resources function before using company property.

The Ford Interfaith Network (FIN), new last year, is the most recently approved Employee Resource Group. Mona Abdelall, F-150 safety project manager, has found kinship within FIN and believes it will be an important resource for employees of many different faiths.

"We want all employees to feel at home within the company," she said. "The Employee Resource Groups help us accomplish that goal."

More information about Employee Resource Groups is available through the Diversity and Worklife Planning office on the Ford intranet.

For information about specific groups, contact:

Ford-Employees African-American Network
Contact: Monica Rivers (MRIVERS)
Executive Champion: Jacques Nasser

Ford Asian Indian Association
Contact: Lucky Vora (LVORA)
Executive Champion: David Murphy

Ford Chinese Association
Contact: Li Tseng (LTSENG)
Executive Champion: Henry Wallace

Ford Interfaith Network
Contact: Mona Abdelall (MABDELAL)
Executive Champion: Martin Inglis

Ford Parenting Network
Contact: Gretchen Zobel (GZOBEL)
Executive Champion: Louise Goeser

Ford Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual Employees
Contact: Lewis Thompson (LTHOMPS2)
Executive Champion: Jim Donaldson

Ford Hispanic Network Group
Contact: Clemente Garcia (CGARCIA)
Executive Champion: Jim Padilla

Professional Women's Network
Contact: Jennifer Nyquist-Bivins (JNYQUIS1)