The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Pinnacle Awards were announced Oct. 13, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place virtually Dec. 8.
Next is Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Industry Executive of the Year finalist Marie Sylla-Dixon, who’s chief diversity officer at Raytheon Technologies. Here, she talks key achievements, success in her current role, primary focus areas going forward and more.
What key achievements did you have in 2020/2021?
Since joining Raytheon Technologies in January, my colleagues and I continue to evolve diversity, equity and inclusion across our company and beyond. As we implement our strategic pillars for action, we’re inspiring change through creative means of engagement, like our Stronger Together video series, which provides a forum to build camaraderie and allyship through courageous conversations.
I also established a DE&I Advisory Council to govern our company’s efforts. I routinely share updates at events across our enterprise, and this year spoke at more than a dozen internal events, in addition to several external events hosted by organizations like GlobalWin, Economic Club of D.C., the Connecticut Business Industry Association, International Aviation Women’s Association, African Airlines Association and the American Bar Association, where I was privileged to present the Thurgood Marshall Award.
I’m proud of our efforts to support increased diversity in our supply chain, as well as the work we’ve done establishing new optional internal DE&I training and career development programs. We’re transforming our employee resource group program, combining dozens of ERGs into 10 stronger groups and automating the management of the program with an enterprisewide collaboration tool.
Beyond the internal impact of our efforts, the release of our first DE&I transparency report this year not only discloses our workforce representation numbers and future aspirations, but it also shows how we’re driving economic impact and empowerment among small and diverse business owners and in the communities we serve, providing critical jobs and economic growth opportunities as we collectively work to recover from the pandemic.
What has made you successful in your current role?
My experience working as a lawyer, government relations and DE&I executive gives me a unique perspective to address our four pillars for action and to work with my peers to impact change across the government contracting industry. I’m taking a global approach to DE&I, understanding that diversity means different things depending on a person’s unique geography and lived experience.
As a first-generation immigrant from the Ivory Coast of Africa, my passion and commitment to DE&I informs the priority with which we’re addressing these issues across the enterprise. I learned from my parents early on that anything is possible. My father was an electrical engineer and my mother was a computer scientist — they were both trailblazers as it was rare for people of color to hold those kinds of roles in the aerospace industry and they were among the first and only Black people in their companies.
Their work laid a foundation for my work today and helps me better support the company in delivering innovative solutions across the government contracting industry, solving problems and protecting our people and global allies. My colleagues and I are shaping how Raytheon Technologies leverages our size and scale — $64.6 billion in annual sales and 181,000 employees — to influence systemic and institutional change.
What are you most proud of having been a part of in your current organization?
Raytheon Technologies’ laser focus on DE&I is helping the company achieve some significant milestones related to community investment and public policy advocacy. This year, our company launched Connect Up, a 10-year, $500 million corporate social responsibility initiative focused on furthering equitable opportunities in STEM education, career development and community well-being through philanthropic capital, a network of nonprofit partners and a corps of employee volunteers.
This effort included a partnership with SMASH, one of America’s first STEM education programs dedicated to students of color, to provide educational opportunities, scholarships and internships to high school and college students interested in pursuing engineering and technology careers.
With this program, over the course of 5 years, we are sponsoring 600 high school and early college students in going through a series of immersion programs meant to improve their STEM readiness with the hopes they will obtain jobs at Raytheon Technologies once the formal program is over.
In an ongoing effort to provide opportunities for Historically Black Colleges, Universities and minority institutions in the areas of technical, engineering and research services, we’ve also established partnerships with organizations like the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the Business Roundtable to directly recruit diverse talent.
What are your primary focus areas going forward, and why are those so important to the future of the nation?
Increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in our industry is both the smart and right thing to do — from a societal and business perspective. Especially as it relates to gender and racial equity in the STEM pipeline and across the industry, companies have a unique opportunity to leverage their size to increase the presence of women and people of color in the aerospace and defense sector.
At Raytheon Technologies, we leverage our people, purchasing power and platform to drive impactful change across the globe. This is important to our employees who benefit from the inclusive culture and community of belonging DE&I helps create.
Likewise, as a government contractor to the federal DOD and civilian government, our customers care about DE&I and policymakers who make funding decisions want to know how companies are showing up. The president has issued executive orders and now government agencies are doing assessments around cultural inclusivity when looking at suppliers and procurement.
Moreover, our shareholders are looking closely at the companies they invest in and how we are supporting underserved and underrepresented communities.
How do you help shape the next generation of government leaders/industry leaders?
Mentorship and sponsorship are critical to success and ascendance up the corporate ladder. For people looking to advance their careers, I absolutely encourage them to find mentors and sponsors who can help them refine their craft and gain greater visibility within their companies, organizations or the communities they serve.
I’m also a big proponent of the idea, “lift as you climb.” For each new door we open, it’s important that we don’t just blaze trails, but that we also create new opportunities for people to grow and follow the paths we’ve paved to their own success.
It’s incumbent on all of us who have a seat at the table in companies — large and small — to make a difference. This is our chance to make a systemic and generational change.