On Tuesday, October 31^st, the Greenville Chamber and the Riley Institute at Furman presented the 2022 recipients of the Upstate Diversity Leadership Awards during the Greenville Chamber’s 6^th Annual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Summit.  

Now in its 19^th year, the Upstate Diversity Leadership Awards program honors outstanding individuals and organizations throughout the Upstate community for achievement in promoting diversity and inclusion.

The 2023 Upstate Diversity Leadership Awards recipients are:

• K-12 School: William “Bill” T. Wylie Valued Lives Award for School Excellence – Wade Hampton High School
• Outstanding High School Student – Etta Smith
• Outstanding College Student – Jaimeen Shah
• Outstanding Nonprofit Organization – BEST Skills Academy
• Outstanding Business – Natural Balance Holistic Health
• Calder D. Ehrmann Outstanding Individual – Norma Jean Suarez

Learn more about these leaders:

The Upstate Diversity Leadership Awards originated as part of a capstone project in the 2004 Upstate Class of the Riley Institute’s Diversity Leaders Initiative. This group of Riley Fellows shared a vision to create an annual event to honor outstanding individuals and organizations in the Upstate who are making a positive difference through diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. This was the first celebration of its kind in the state to recognize individuals and organizations for their accomplishments in uplifting diversity in the Upstate.