Footwear firm Caleres has appointed Amy Hunter as Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I), effective 21st October 2020.
Hunter will help drive the company’s DE&I strategy development and organisation, including overseeing the company’s affirmative action plans. She will guide the organisation in its efforts around its focus on recruitment of diverse candidates, heightening the expectations around development of diverse associates and increasing the slate of diverse candidates for open positions with leadership accountability. Hunter will also lead the assessment of current programmes, partnerships and activities to identify opportunities in the company’s community support, said the footwear firm.
RECHARGING DIVERSITY EFFORTS
“Earlier this year we made a commitment to our associates, partners and customers around several initiatives to recharge our DE&I efforts. This included refining our diversity statement to use as a guide in everything we do, identifying and activating an inclusion and diversity advisory council, providing mandatory unconscious bias training for all associates and hiring a senior-level executive who could focus on these initiatives,” stated Diane Sullivan, CEO, President and Chairman of Caleres. “We were fortunate to find Amy and her extensive experience, tremendous expertise and proven track record of success will be essential as we move forward with our efforts. We look forward to her leadership as we seek to elevate our focus and accelerate our initiatives in the most meaningful way possible.”
Before joining Caleres, Hunter was responsible for leading global DE&I for Boeing Defense and Space, as well as corporate groups. Some of her many accomplishments include leading international women’s initiatives, consulting with the executive team on development and implementation of diversity strategies and initiatives, managing the company’s Business Resource Groups (BRGs) and creating racial equity tools and resources.
DIVERSITY LEADER
Prior to Boeing, Hunter led the D&I strategies and initiatives for BJC Healthcare’s St Louis Children’s Hospital. She was instrumental in focusing on addressing healthcare disparities in the region. In addition, she was the Chief Diversity Officer for the YWCA Metro St Louis, and held various roles of increasing responsibility with Edward Jones, Monsanto and Bank of America. Hunter has presented and spoken around the world, including three TEDx talks.
Hunter holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri, St Louis, and is currently in their School of Education doctoral programme focusing on Social Justice. She is also an active St Louis diversity leader serving the community at various organisations, including her current position on the board of the United Way of Greater St Louis.
Sign up for our newsletter
