The words powerful, influential and distinguished might conjure up images of national leaders past and present, but did you know they've also been used to describe three of our executives right here at Kellogg?

Affirming the company's commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment, three Kellogg leaders were recently recognized for excellence in their professions – two by prominent, national publications and another by an organization committed to fostering diversity initiatives.

We Love Success Celebrating success by highlighting honors like these are a vital part of the company's K Values and culture. Maintaining a diverse workforce has long been a priority for the company. Diversity and inclusion is important because it helps spark innovation, allows for stronger team collaboration and ensures everyone feels respected and included. External recognitions demonstrate that the company is working to build a diverse workforce that reflects the consumer base we serve. The recognitions also help the company to recruit, retain and develop talented people as we seek to strengthen our culture and be the employer of choice in the communities where we operate.

Kathleen Wilson-Thompson, Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources, was recognized in the February issue of Black Enterprise magazine as one of the "100 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America."

Kathleen was recognized for "driving a number of projects critical to the company's long-term success," including the company's enhanced people strategy.

Referring to Program Go!, the magazine also noted that Kathleen and her team are currently undertaking initiatives that "redesign the processes and information systems used to manage all of Kellogg's people needs."

Executives included on the Black Enterprise list had to meet several criteria, such as holding a senior management position with one of the top 1,000 publicly traded companies or an international corporation with gross revenues of at least $1 billion. In addition, each executive either has revenue-generating or operating responsibilities or holds a position critical to product development and the bottom line.

Over on the Kellogg Information Technology team, Rolando Ortiz, Vice President, Application Solutions, was recently recognized by the Hispanic IT Executive Council as one of the"100 Most Influential Hispanics in Information Technology."

Criteria such as achievements in the industry, scope of responsibility, position held in their companies, and involvement in boards and diversity initiatives were used to evaluate nominees.

In addition to being influential within the industry, the council also noted that Rolando is a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Council for Kellogg's IT team.

The Hispanic IT Executive Council was founded in late 2006 by senior Hispanic IT executives seeking to help those within the Hispanic IT community reach the highest levels. The council also works to significantly increase Hispanic leadership in IT roles across the globe.

Norma Barnes-Euresti, Vice President and Chief Counsel, Labor and Employment and Intellectual Property, was recognized as one of Hispanic Business magazine's "25 Corporate Elite" in the January/February issue.

The "Corporate Elite" list honors Hispanic executives who have "defied expectations and obstacles" while rising to top positions at Fortune 500 companies.