News Releases

The Center for Health Affairs & CHAMPS Named an “Inclusive Workplace”

The Center is proud to announce it has been recognized as an Inclusive Workplace by Best Companies Group, a workplace culture and employee engagement expert, and COLOR Magazine, a leader in corporate inclusivity.

“As one of just 50 companies in the country to receive this designation – and one of only two in Ohio – we are humbled by this recognition,” said Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Mario Franco. “It is very rewarding to see our collective efforts in the diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging space recognized.”

“The Center has undertaken significant efforts internally to live into our values of being an inclusive organization,” said People Officer Lesley Forneris. “This award is truly a reflection of this process and our strong commitment to a positive and inclusive workplace culture.”

The Inclusive Workplace recognition is based on employee feedback gathered from a thorough and independent survey that gauges employees’ perceptions of workplace inclusion and belonging. Companies are evaluated based on their survey results and only those that earn a high score are eligible for this prestigious recognition.

"Best Companies Group and COLOR Magazine are proud to recognize The Center for Health Affairs as an Inclusive Workplace! This recognition is solely based on their employees’ direct and honest feedback. And they have spoken: The Center is truly committed and excelling at creating a workplace environment that makes people feel included, like they belong, and as a truly important part of their organization," said Jaime Raul Zepeda, executive vice president at Best Companies Group. "The Center is ahead of its peers by putting people first. We are proud to celebrate their excellence!"

The Center has taken numerous steps to establish the organization as an inclusive workplace, including focusing on the individual needs of our workforce when planning initiatives, creating a psychologically safe environment for all of our workforce, making time for cross-cultural discussions, and providing ongoing education on microaggressions and unconscious bias.

The Inclusive Workplace recognition is only available to companies that allow Best Companies Group to survey their employees and tabulate their results.