News Release

Lecture to focus on diversity in the world of business

March 18, 2009

Luke Visconti, co-founder of the DiversityInc magazine and Web site, says the evolving complexity of America's population makes cross-cultural understanding imperative in the world of business.

The New Jersey-based promoter of corporate diversity brings his message to Penn State Harrisburg April 7 in an installment of the college’s year-long Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture Series. The noon presentation in the Student Center of the Capital Union Building on campus is free and open to the public, but reservations are required by e-mailing syw10@psu.edu.

Recognized as a catalyst in moving diversity from a compliance mandate to a serious discipline, Visconti says, “It would be silly to say that diversity directly affects stock price. But what affect stock price is good corporate governance, and diversity certainly is a part of that.” His appearance is presented in partnership with the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg.

Diversification in today’s business environment is a “competitive differentiator” that is more important than playing golf with colleagues or having attended the same college, Visconti says. “If you develop good philanthropy, and good hiring and promotion policies, and you tell a good story in the marketplace, you can use this as a differentiator against any competitor that doesn’t get it. Small companies can control this better than large ones can,” Visconti said, adding that companies that get it find more business hooks with other progressive companies. “It may have worked in 1950s America, but you can’t survive in this marketplace without associating with a wide range of people,” he stresses.

In addition to his responsibilities with the magazine and web site, Visconti developed and directs the methodology for DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity. “What you see at the top of our list is that the companies have roughly a 65/35 ratio of white workers to workers of color. That far outweighs the labor pool in this country,” he says.

A frequent senior level lecturer on the business benefits of diversity to corporations, business groups, and nonprofit organizations, his blog “Ask the White Guy” is a top draw on his web site. And a recognized leader in the field of corporate and business diversity, he regularly appears on Fox, MSNBC, and CNBC and is quoted regularly on diversity issues in publications such as The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, BusinessWeek, Fortune, and the Wall Street Journal.

Visconti is a trustee for Bennett College for Women and Rutgers University and serves on the board of The Ph.D. Project. He is a member of the U.S. Navy Diversity Senior Advisory Group and Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel. Prior to entering the publishing industry, he was an active duty naval aviator.