For 38 years Johnson & Johnson has observed the life and dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by recognizing J&J senior leaders, employees and community advocates who embody the tenets of our Credo and advance Dr. King’s dream at its annual “Helping Our Neighbors with Our Resources” (H.O.N.O.R.) Awards at our corporate headquarters in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
I remember sitting in the audience 10 years ago at this very event and being wowed as I listened to the inspiring accomplishments of the honorees. Still new to the J&J family at the time, the event really helped me to understand more of what my fellow employees were doing outside of my own department.
Since then, I have had the privilege to co-chair the H.O.N.O.R event with Matthew Johnson. Now in my third year, I have even greater admiration for those who go above and beyond in living King’s dream – both within the walls of Johnson & Johnson and in the community.
Last week, we continued this legacy of recognition and honored three wonderful individuals who are truly making a difference.
Denice Torres, Chief Strategy & Business Transformation Officer, was the recipient of the H.O.N.O.R. Special Recognition Leadership Award for demonstrating a passion for others through caring and service.
Ashton Burrell, a graduate of Highland Park High School and The Lincoln University, was recognized for his outstanding Community Service. As Chairman for the Highland Park Human Relations Commission, Ashton organized discussions involving the police department and his town’s citizens to build a stronger community.
A Senior Scientist in Janssen Research & Development, Audrey Baker was recognized for her Distinguished Service in fueling the pipeline of future J&J leaders in research and development. Audrey recruited a team of colleagues who helped develop curricula and a job shadowing program. As a result of her efforts, more than 200 students in the Philadelphia area have attended lectures, received lessons in biotechnology and participated in guided simple science experiments.
I am grateful to have a role in shining a spotlight on the inspiring work of my fellow employees. I’m also delighted to see the level of support that our senior leaders provide to events like this. They allocate budget to support our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which help our employees to connect to a common cause. But their support has been personal as well. At every MLK event we have had, there has always been an executive present.
Keynote Speaker Juan Williams pictured with Wanda Hope, Chief Diversity Officer and our CEO Alex Gorsky
What I have grown to realize is that fulfilling Dr.King’s dream is not the job of a single person, but of communities of people. As our keynote Juan Williams stated, there is not “one person” who can replace MLK…there are multiple people, working hand in hand.
At this event, we were truly honored to recognize those who exemplify Dr. King’s actions and demonstrate a passion for others through service. They are shining examples of Dr. King’s vision, and our Credo. Congratulations to the honorees!
Aisha Davies is an IT GxP Support Manager in the IT Q&C Shared Operations group of Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. In that role she is responsible for the leadership and daily guidance of the IT Q&C infrastructure qualification, operations, and engineering teams as well as providing oversight of infrastructure qualification compliance activities.Aisha is currently the co-lead of the Howard University and Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) recruiting teams here at Johnson & Johnson. She also is a strong advocate of diversity, where she is the co-chair of the HONOR ERG and past co-chair of the Collaborative Sub-Committee for the African American Leadership (AALC) Corporate Chapter, and the Women’s Leadership Initiative Corporate Chapter.