FORT WORTH, Texas, Sept. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today American Airlines (Nasdaq:AAL) recognized four team members with the 2017 Earl G. Graves Award for Leadership in Diversity and Inclusion.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ecec7760-d5e9-47f5-a1a5-f25dacc1a0dc
“One of the keys to American’s success is fostering an inclusive work environment that embraces the diversity of our team members and the customers we serve,” said Patrick O’Keeffe, senior vice president - People. “These honorees are excellent examples of those principles and American is better because of their steadfast commitment to creating a more tolerant, thoughtful and inclusive world.”
- Marissa Horne, director, Employee Technology, HDQ
Marissa serves as the Executive Sponsor of the IT Senior Management Forum, an organization that helps the career development and mentorship of African American professionals in IT. Additionally she is a member of The Links, a national organization of women committed to community service. She also is passionate about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). As a result, in 2012, she helped launched a STEM Academy for Dallas based middle- and high-school girls. Each month more than 50 students participate in activities that expose them to academic and career interests related to STEM.
- Nisha Pasha, Administrator, Cargo Sales
More than 20 years ago Nisha helped strengthen American’s commitment to inclusion and diversity by helping start the Indian Employee Business Resource Group (EBRG). Nisha encourages others to support diversity related activities by participating first – and inviting colleagues to join her. Every Friday Nisha comes to work in traditional Indian dress (weather permitting), and welcomes questions from colleagues about her attire, creating an open dialogue. Nisha is active in the community and has served on the Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce, organizing all of the cultural aspects of the “Discover India!” festivals for more than five years.
- Flavia Turrini, Reservations Agent, LPL
Through Flavia’s leadership, team members at Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LPL), opened the first international EBRG chapter for American – Language Matters (an EBRG that brings team members with a passion for learning and appreciating languages together), started the first international PRIDE chapter and approached the Professional Women in Aviation EBRG about starting a chapter at LPL. Flavia also actively coordinates community events and has developed several new activities through local universities.
- Danielle Piergallini, senior analyst, Marketing, HDQ
For almost three years Danielle has served on the Diversity Advisory Council for the PRIDE EBRG. Danielle utilized the company’s transgender medical benefits and became a great resource for other transgender team members across the company. For the past two years, Danielle has volunteered every other Tuesday night with the Dallas LGBT Resource Center’s Gender Identity youth program. This work involves her leading group discussions and being a mentor to transgender teenagers from all over the DFW area. Beyond the Dallas community, Danielle also serves on the national board of directors for Lambda Legal and has been actively involved with the organization Reaching Out LGBT MBA for the past six years.
Earl G. Graves was a successful businessman, entrepreneur and former board member of previous American Airlines parent company AMR Corp., who showed us that respecting and appreciating each other's differences is the right thing to do and is key to our continued success.
American's long-standing commitment to inclusion and diversity is part of the company's culture of coordinated, collaborative teamwork and mutual respect and has been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign, the Association of ERGs & Councils, US Business Leadership Network® and the American Association of People with Disabilities. For more information, please visit aa.com/diversity.
About American Airlines Group
American Airlines and American Eagle offer an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day to nearly 350 destinations in more than 50 countries. American has hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. American is a founding member of the oneworld® alliance, whose members serve more than 1,000 destinations with about 14,250 daily flights to over 150 countries. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL. In 2015, its stock joined the S&P 500 index. Connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.
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