Plano, Texas (Nov. 10, 2015) — Toyota Motor North America today announced that it has named Jyoti Chopra, Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion for BNY Mellon, and Howard W. Buffett, a lecturer in International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, to its North American Diversity Advisory Board.
 
Created in 2002, Toyota’s Diversity Advisory Board plays an integral role in fostering a more diverse and inclusive culture at the company. Working closely with the organization’s senior leadership, the Advisory Board helps drive adoption of best practices and ensures executive accountability. Led by former U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman, the Advisory Board members are among the country's most recognized leaders in diversity and related fields.
 
“Toyota believes that diversity and inclusion are business imperatives that drive innovation and create value for both our business and our society,” said Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota Motor North America. “With international leaders in diversity and inclusion, public policy, economic development and community relations among its members, our Diversity Advisory Board greatly strengthens our D&I efforts with its peerless guidance and deep commitment to our success.”
 
“Jyoti is a powerful addition to our Board, with her extensive global experience developing corporate diversity and inclusion initiatives along with her hands-on experience in guiding them to success,” said Toyota’s Chief Social Innovation Officer Latondra Newton. “Howard brings a fresh new perspective to our board – offering a millennial viewpoint that is increasingly shaping the American workplace and his deep expertise in international development, global philanthropy and sustainable progress is remarkable.”
 
Ms. Chopra said, “Toyota recognizes that its success depends on having employees, suppliers and partners who reflect the growing diversity of the marketplace. I look forward to working with my new board colleagues and Toyota’s senior leadership to help the company continue to successfully serve its fast-evolving customer base.”
 
Mr. Buffett said, “I’m honored to join such a distinguished group of advisors and to work with a company that is clearly committed to advancing diversity and inclusion for the benefit of its business and society. Despite important progress in its diversity and inclusion work, Toyota recognizes that there is more to be done. I look forward to helping them achieve their ambitious goals.”
 
Ms. Chopra is Managing Director and the Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion at BNY Mellon. She leads the company’s award-winning diversity and inclusion practice, including overseeing its D&I strategy and implementation, advancing diversity training and serving on its Global Diversity & Inclusion Council. In addition, she is a member of the company’s Operating Committee, and serves as the company’s representative to the Global Talent and Diversity Council of the Asia Society. Prior to her tenure at BNY Mellon, Ms. Chopra served as the global leader for communications and public relations at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. In 2011, she led the development of Deloitte’s first global diversity report. Earlier in her career, she served as Managing Director and Head of Communications for the Americas and the Global Bank at Merrill Lynch and also worked for the United Nations and UNICEF.
 
Mr. Buffett is a lecturer in International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, where he teaches management techniques to improve the effectiveness of international development, foreign aid and global philanthropy. Mr. Buffett also serves on the Management Advisory Board for the Earth Institute at Columbia, a research institution that advances sustainable development programs. Previously, Mr. Buffett was the Executive Director of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, which works to improve the lives of impoverished and marginalized populations across Africa and Latin America. Before that, he served in the U.S. Department of Defense, overseeing agriculture-based economic stabilization and redevelopment programs in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mr. Buffett also served as a Policy Advisor for the White House Domestic Policy Council. While in government, Mr. Buffett developed “Social Value Investing”, a management framework that makes organizations more effective and accountable to the communities they serve. Mr. Buffett is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and co-authored the New York Times best-selling book 40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World.
 
In addition to Ms. Chopra and Mr. Buffett, the Advisory Board is comprised of five other members:
 

• Alexis Herman, Chair, became the first African American to lead the Labor Department when President Clinton named her Secretary of Labor in 1997. One of the nation’s most recognized thought leaders in strategic corporate diversity, Ms. Herman currently serves as Chair and Chief Executive Officer of New Ventures, Inc., and lends her expertise as a board member to several corporate and nonprofit organizations. She is also the Chairwoman of The Coca-Cola Company's Diversity Task Force and an online columnist for Monster.com.
   
• Phyllis Campbell who is the Chairman of Pacific Northwest for JPMorgan Chase, serves on JPMorgan Chase’s Executive Committee and is the firm’s senior executive in Washington, Oregon and Idaho across business lines. She was previously President and CEO of the Seattle Foundation and President of the U.S. Bank of Washington from 1993 to 2001. Ms. Campbell has received many prestigious awards for her community service work, including the Woman Who Makes A Difference Award from the International Women's Forum, and the 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award from City Year.
   
• Gilbert Casellas served as the Chief Diversity Officer for Dell Inc., responsible for the company's global diversity, sustainability and corporate philanthropy functions. He previously served as Chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and General Counsel of the U.S. Department of the Air Force and Co-Chairman of the U.S. Census Monitoring Board. In addition to his service to Toyota’s Diversity Advisory Board, he also served on the Joint Diversity Advisory Council of Comcast Corporation, Coca-Cola Company’s Diversity Task Force and on the board of directors of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. In 2009, he was appointed by President Obama to serve as a civilian member of the Military Leadership Diversity Commission.
   
• James Lowry is President of his own private consulting firm, James H. Lowry & Associates, and is currently a senior advisor for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). He was previously the Global Diversity Director for BCG, leading the firm's workforce diversity, ethnic marketing and minority business-development consulting efforts. He's been a host of two nationally syndicated TV programs: Inside Bedford Stuyvesant and Minority Business Report. Mr. Lowry is also an adjunct professor at the J.L. Kellogg School of Management, and has served as the Chairman of the Chicago Public Library Board, a member of the board of directors for Howard University and is an inductee into the Minority Business Hall of Fame.
   
• Federico Peña has served in the Colorado State House of Representatives, as Mayor of the City and County of Denver, and has held two cabinet positions in the Clinton Administration – Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of Energy. He's now an investment banker for Vestar Capital Partners in Denver. Before entering public service, Mr. Peña worked as a lawyer for a number of Hispanic groups. In addition to his service on Toyota’s Diversity Advisory Board, he also serves on the boards of Border Media Partners and Sonic Corp.