Maximus (NYSE: MMS), a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced the hiring of Dr. Arvenita W. Cherry to lead the Company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) program, where she will proactively develop and lead the vision, mission, and strategic planning for the program. Dr. Cherry's role will include working closely with colleagues and teams across the organization and reflects the Company's commitment and ongoing focus on building an inclusive environment that fosters innovation and transformation.
Over the last three years, the Company has supported broader efforts for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) to make substantial progress as a good corporate citizen — serving clients well, providing a great place to work and build a career, strengthening our communities, and operating responsibly. Madison West, Senior Director, Corporate Responsibility, Investor Relations, and Communications, leads the Company’s ESG initiative and will collaborate with Dr. Cherry on initiatives that continue to expand on longstanding efforts to foster a diverse and inclusive work environment and remain a valued member to the communities it serves.
In her role, Dr. Cherry will focus on furthering the Company’s efforts in DE&I by identifying opportunities to make improvements, which could range from hiring practices to company culture. She will also actively engage with employees and management in order to capture their sentiments about the Company’s culture, while also working with local leaders and community organizations that seek to bring attention to social justice, human rights, civil rights, equity, and inclusion.
Dr. Cherry brings an extensive background in socio-cultural and educational anthropology and expertise in DE&I related to race, gender, class, and social justice. Before joining Maximus, Dr. Cherry had an extensive consulting career and taught at the university level where she published, trained, and designed programs on each of these topics. Additionally, she has designed and taught courses on race, racism, race relations, gender, the African Diaspora, and research methods.
"We are entrusted to assist some of the most vulnerable individuals every day, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, politics, health or economic status, or any other characteristic. To truly be successful in achieving this, our employees must reflect the diverse communities that we serve," said Bruce Caswell, CEO and President, Maximus. “I’m excited to have Arvenita apply her expertise and experience as a leader and an innovator in building a culture that truly supports all of our employees.”
“I am proud and excited to be joining the Maximus team and continuing to leverage diversity, equity, and inclusion as key elements for growth and leadership within the Company,” said Dr. Cherry. “I look forward to working across the Company to develop a culture that reflects the diverse perspectives of our employees.”
You can learn more about the Company’s ESG and DE&I efforts at: maximus.com/DEI
About Maximus
Since 1975, Maximus has operated under its founding mission of Helping Government Serve the People®, enabling citizens around the globe to successfully engage with their governments at all levels and across a variety of health and human services programs. Maximus delivers innovative business process management and technology solutions that contribute to improved outcomes for citizens and higher levels of productivity, accuracy, accountability, and efficiency of government-sponsored programs. With more than 30,000 employees worldwide, Maximus is a proud partner to government agencies in the United States, Australia, Canada, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit maximus.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201221005076/en/
Contacts:
lisamiles@maximus.com
