PHILADELPHIA – As part of their drive to become industry leaders in diversity, Comcast and NBCUniversal have created an external Joint Diversity Council to advise their senior executive teams. The Joint Diversity Council held its first meeting in Philadelphia, where they were briefed on the Comcast and NBCUniversal diversity initiatives. 

The Joint Diversity Council is comprised of four separate nine-member councils representing the interests of Asian Americans, African Americans, Hispanics and women. Additional council members represent the interests of veterans, Native Americans, people with disabilities and the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) community. The Joint Diversity Council held the first of its semi-annual meetings in Philadelphia in May.

Before the Comcast/NBCUniversal transaction closed in January, leaders from both companies created a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Asian American community that includes a number of commitments to increase the inclusion and participation of Asian Americans in the companies’ corporate governance, workforce, supplier chain, programming and community investment. The Asian American Advisory Council will focus its guidance on executing Comcast’s diversity initiatives, including the MOU with the Asian American community. 

Karen K. Narasaki, president and executive director of the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), serves as chair of the Asian American Diversity Advisory Council, and Don H. Liu, senior vice president, general counsel and secretary of Xerox Corporation serves as vice chair.

Joining Narasaki and Liu on the Asian American Advisory Council are: Joseph J. Centeno, partner, Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippell LLP and former President of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (Philadelphia, Pa.); Jadine Chin Nielsen, president, Asian American Small Business PAC (Honolulu, Hawaii); Daphne Kwok, executive director, Asian and Pacific Islanders with Disabilities of California (Oakland, Calif.); Ken Lee, president, OCA (Duluth, Ga.); Daniel Mayeda, member of the board, East West Players (“EWP” Los Angeles, Calif.); S. Floyd Mori, national executive director/CEO, Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and Ajay Raju, partner, Reed Smith LLP (Philadelphia, Pa.).