ANDREA RAY, a former senior human resources business partner for CVS Health Corp.’s MinuteClinic division, was recently named the Community College of Rhode Island’s new director of diversity, equity and inclusion and organizational development. In her time at CVS, Ray led the company’s diversity efforts, including creating its first diversity leadership team at MinuteClinic, and she managed the company’s review process by identifying and preparing top-performing and high-potential leaders for strategic development and professional growth. At CCRI, Ray will work collaboratively with internal and external audiences to develop an open, diverse, inclusive and supportive learning and working environment with a specific focus on underrepresented and marginalized populations.
What diversity and inclusion initiatives did you help to implement at CVS Health As a senior human resources business partner, the diversity objectives we had were colleague engagement and marketplace diversity. I led the efforts in standing up the first cohort of the diversity leadership team for MinuteClinic, which focused on increasing the engagement and retention of diverse colleagues and increasing patient satisfaction.
How do those initiatives at CVS Health meet the objectives of the diversity strategy? The purpose of these initiatives was to increase the representation of candidates and new hires, create an environment where colleagues can contribute at their best by being authentic in their roles, and ensure equitable opportunities. We exceeded our goals for the internship offers and new hires in the first two conference cycles. We also developed external partnerships with several organizations whose mission is to develop and consult on career pathing for underrepresented professionals.
What are your goals for CCRI as the new director of diversity? A primary goal of the work is to build equity-embedded practices across the college to create an inclusive environment that engages and recognizes the needs of its diverse employees and students. Our goals include building a strategic plan that aligns to the mission and principles of the college; creating effective DEI programs that will help drive successful student outcomes, especially for underrepresented students; and enhancing our learning platforms to provide different levels of training and development for all employees.
Where do you feel you can build upon DEI efforts underway at CCRI? A key reason I chose to work at CCRI is the college’s commitment to improving equity for students and employees. To continue the work already underway, I recognize the urgency for creating a strategic plan to help address the disparity in success rates amongst Black and Latinx students and to increase representation within the workplace. We will work as OneCCRI to sustain a culture that operates from an equity-minded position to ensure we are dismantling any barriers that prevent our students from achieving their educational or professional goals.
