As the Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at Ameren, Sharon Harvey Davis has developed a vigorous program to promote workplace diversity. She established metrics to ensure the company made continued forward progress, formed a number of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), and developed corporate-wide quarterly diversity training programs. The ERGs represent a major effort to encourage employees to share perspectives as a strategy for changing stereotyping and to generate ideas for positively impacting inclusion. Sharon also formed a Corporate Diversity Council and instituted an effective diversity communication system that includes a website and newsletter. To ensure the organization was fully engaged, she developed the peer-to-peer Ameren Diversity Ambassador Program that includes nearly 300 Ameren employees contributing to diversity training and supporting diversity initiatives.

One of the notable features of Sharon’s leadership is her boundless enthusiasm for diversity. It is especially apparent in the accomplishment she is most proud of, which is the development of the Annual Diversity Day Celebration started in 2004. It is now a weeklong event involving over 9,000 employees who celebrate the importance of the diversity of cultures and employee uniqueness. Sharon developed an outreach program to schools, colleges and organizations, and she works closely with ERGs in their efforts to take Ameren diversity efforts into the community for recruitment efforts.

Sharon’s efforts have led to Ameren winning a number of top awards including the Human Resource Management Association of Greater St. Louis Diversity Leader Award, DiversityInc Top 5 Utility and the Association of Diversity Council’s Top 25 award. Sharon is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources by the Society of Human Resource Management and as a Certified Diversity Professional Advanced Practitioner by Cornell University.

Favorite Quote: “…. Companies that are able to do both diversity and inclusion well create a synergy that provides a positive business advantage. Seeing that synergy in action is what makes diversity and inclusion and my job exciting… ” - Sharon Harvey Davis

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