Maria Gutierrez and Rachel Kennedy Win July 2020 KA Core Values Award
Maria Gutierrez is a Project Accountant and Rachel Kennedy is an EEO Compliance Coordinator out of the Twin Cities office. They were nominated by Laurie Trousil, Director of Inclusion and Diversity, who writes:
“Maria, along with Rachel Kennedy, worked to create a 3-part toolkit designed for all KA employees, to assist them to
- Understand key terminology related to race and racism
- Have appropriate conversations about race, guiding people about what to say to have constructive dialogues, and equally important, what NOT to say and why
- Access resources to facilitate on-going professional and personal development to better understand and build relationships with people of color/from backgrounds different from their own
The idea for an anti-racism toolkit was discussed during a KA Inclusion & Diversity Working Committee meeting in June of this year. ”
Committee members who reviewed the toolkit shared the following feedback:
- “This is great! Thank you for the work you do and help us learn to be better.” – Cindy MacDonald, KA Realty
- “This is thoughtfully developed and very well organized. Thank you for the investment put into this.” – Jon Diessner, KA Insurance
- “Very comprehensive and useful. I like the tangible examples. Well done Rachel and Maria! Thanks for your time and effort.” – Mike Smoczyk, KA Companies
- “Many thanks to Maria and Rachel! This set of information and perspectives is of great value to many of us right now!” – Terry Hart, KACC
- “This is INCREDIBLE work. Many, many thanks to you both.” – Leslie Greves, KA Companies
KRAUS-ANDERSON CORE VALUE AWARD
The KA Core Value Award is presented monthly to a KA employee. Nominated by their peers, business partners and clients, the recipient of the award is selected based on their representation and practice of KA Construction’s core values:
Integrity: Do the right thing… always be respectful, honest and fair
Commitment: Take ownership, work hard and keep promises
Teamwork: Collaborate to foster trust and success for all
Value People: Support each other in a safe, positive environment where people are recognized and appreciated for their contributions.
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Maria, proud of you receiving this award. They picked the right person. I sent it to Ronny and Dorothy. See you at the next family reunion if the virus lets us. Be safe. Say hi to Your folks for me. John