Featured Member—Dallas Delaney

At Abbott, diversity is more than just a belief – it is a priority for the company. With more than 55,000 employees in 130 countries, Abbott places a premium on having an employee population that reflects the customers and markets it serves. In fact, GPO employees comprise approximately 10,000 of the company's total employees in 11 countries.

The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry is currently producing a new exhibition showcasing the contributions made by African Americans to the field of Engineering. The exhibit is the centerpiece of the museum's annual Black Creativity Program from January 15 through March 1, 2005, which includes a symposium, an art exhibition, and a variety of educational events such as career conferences and parent/student/teacher workshops for school children in Chicago and the surrounding areas. The goal of this exhibit is to inspire young people, particularly from the African American community in the City of Chicago, to pursue careers in Engineering.

One of our GPO employees, Dallas Delaney, operations manager, Abbott Park Finished Goods Manufacturing, has been selected by the museum for inclusion in the exhibit. As some of you may know, last year Dallas was honored at the Annual Black Engineer of the Year Awards Conference sponsored by U.S. Black Engineer and Information Technology magazines. The exhibit will display his biography, photo and other information related to his engineering work at Abbott. This is a tremendous honor for Dallas, who is both a past Chairman's and President's Award winner, and is another example of Abbott people distinguishing themselves in the community as role models for championing workplace diversity.

Examples like that of Dallas Delaney serve to remind us how important it is that we recognize the role each of us can play, both at Abbott and in the community, in championing the importance of diverse cultures and ethnicities, and allowing the proliferation of different perspectives and ideas to flourish in the workplace.