$500,000 Grant from Wachovia for the Riley Diversity Leaders Initiative

(l-r) Dr. David Shi, Chris Riley, Kendall Alley, Secretary Riley

The Riley Institute at Furman announced that The Wachovia Foundation has generously donated $500,000 in support of the Riley Diversity Leaders Initiative. These monies will be used to provide scholarships for minority participants.

Don Gordon, director of the Riley Institute said, “Each class of the Riley Diversity Leaders' participants includes leaders from a wide range of organizations and backgrounds, and this gift from Wachovia will make sure the cost of the program is not a deterrent to anyone. The Riley Institute's diversity program has become the state’s premier diversity management program, and this financial support from Wachovia will only make it stronger and more inclusive. We’re excited about the opportunities this creates for the widest range of leaders across the state.”

Kendall Alley, Wachovia's regional president for South Carolina, commented that, “Our hope is that through programs like this, we can enhance diversity awareness among the leadership in the South Carolina business community and foster an appreciation for the similarities we all share. We’re pleased to be able to provide support for the Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative through our foundation.”

The Riley diversity program, which was developed with the aid of the Atlanta-based American Institute for Managing Diversity (AIMD), is designed to build leadership skills and develop competencies that can identify important diversity issues and bring about effective solutions. In addition to Wachovia, it is supported by a consortium of companies, including the Coca-Cola Co. of Atlanta, Michelin North America and Furman University. To view the complete news release, click here; to view an article in The Greenville News, click here; to learn more about the Diversity Leaders Initiative, click here.

Wachovia Announcement of their
$500,000 gift to support
The Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative
May 2, 2006

(l-r) Coach Jackson (Furman), Dr David Shi (Furman's President), Merl Code (Greenville Atty)	Calder Ehrmann (Sr Assoc Riley Institute) and Russell Harris (Upstate Class I graduate)	(l-r) Susan Shi, Chris Riley (Sr. VP at Wachovia), Juan Johnson	Secretary Riley
Melanie Harrington, Executive Director, AIMD	Juan Johnson, facilitator for the Riley diversity program	Kendall Alley, Wachovia's Regional President for South Carolina	(l-r) Dr. David Shi, Chris Riley, Kendall Alley, Secretary Riley