Clients Testimonial
Diversity

Communication	Professionalism	Anger Management
Conflict Resolution	Leadership	Sexual Harassment
Diversity	Conferences	Government Clients
Teambuilding	Facilitation

“Cathy Harris’ diversity initiative reduced the number of EEO complaints by 30 percent and saved us over $880,000 in administrative costs.”

Gary Thornton,
EEO Manager, USDA

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“Here at the USDA National Finance Center, we believe that your “Diversity Strategies that Pay Off” workshops have significantly improved the organization culture.

After each Diversity workshop, the feedback was very positive. We received e-mail messages and were frequently stopped in the halls with praise for the program. One participant said, “This class is for all my co-workers, my bosses – everybody … it showed me how to actually do what I needed to improve my ability to connect with others.”

By applying the techniques taught in the workshop, managers and staff now use their time more proactively by addressing diversity issues when they first occur. Before, time had to be dedicated to revisit an escalated situation because team players failed to address differences.

The impact of the workshops has also paid off in the long term. There are fewer situations which escalate to a formal grievance. We believe that this is due, in large part, to the communication skills that you and your associates teach.

They have learned to apply rules to advocate for changes which will make NFC a more inclusive work site.

July Welcker
Training Officer
USDA/National Finance

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“Course evaluations continue to demonstrate that our employees appreciate the opportunity to participate, and are walking away with a renewed awareness and respect for the importance of diversity in the workplace.

Your continued work with our Diversity Champions Group empowers our employees to become true agents of change... This group has made numerous strides in improving communication among our 1700 employees, supervisors, and managers.

I was impressed with your workshop facilitators, who were able to provide an atmosphere that was safe for revealing true emotion and free expression of ideas. The teamwork exercises managed to pull all 25 very diverse individuals in my class into a single team…”

Donna S Maeder
Equal Opportunity Specialist
USDA/National Finance Center

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“While all of the C. Harris and Companies training has been outstanding, perhaps the greatest success in our two and one-half year relationship is the 3-day “Diversity Strategies that Pay Off” training conducted over the past 18 months.

I appreciate the fact that you and your highly skilled trainers took the time to really get to know our agency and then worked very closely with us to design a diversity training program that suited our particular needs. I have been particularly impressed with your trainers’ skills and professionalism in dealing with sensitive issues surrounding race, gender, and equal opportunity. A number of employees have commented that the
C. Harris Companies diversity training was the best they have attended. I attended one
C. Harris Companies diversity training session and I concur with my employees’ assessment.

Your work with the Center has been a factor in creating a unified, productive, and positive workforce and work atmosphere. C. Harris Companies helped us establish a structure that supports the development of ideas and programs that encourage communication, cultural diversity, and cooperation.”

John R. Ortego
Director
USDA/National Finance Center

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“Your seminar was enlightening in that it helped us to concretely identify the characteristics of a successful team and it allowed our employees to “rate” where they felt we were on each of those characteristics. It also demonstrated the importance of creating an environment in which people feel comfortable enough to communicate openly, and to learn to cultivate the strengths that can result from the differences in our talents, styles, skills, and backgrounds.

This type of interaction will allow for greater openness, better communication, and forge a stronger bond between all of us.”

I believe that any organization that requires individuals to function as a team can benefit greatly from this seminar.”

Ellen M. Hazeur
Clerk, First City Court
City of New Orleans, Louisiana

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“Thank you for speaking about “Culturally Sensitive Communication” at our In-service. We enjoyed your talk immensely and we found you to be a very inspirational, warm and sincere person.

Your presentation was truly refreshing. You made us examine our own trust issues and realize how they influence the larger picture. This is such a sensitive topic and your ability to diffuse the issue, provoke thoughtful insight and promote change is unparalleled in our experiences.”

Kat Rice, MSW
Executive Director
Grace House

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“Our employees believe in coming to your training because you have proven your sincerity in advancing diversity. You have also shown your commitment to providing an exceptional level of customer service to your clients.

You took the time to really learn about our agency before the workshop. You masterfully addressed our needs specifically.

The design of your workshop made participating Council members look within ourselves. It made us aware of many different aspects of diversity and that we each have to take responsibility for our own beliefs and actions. For many of us that included some rude awakenings to look at nonproductive behaviors and realize, “Oh, that’s me!”

Your workshop opened a new level of discussion about what changes the Diversity Council needed to implement.

Thank you for the extended customer service you have offered as a sounding board for me and others. This workshop helped to establish a structure for the development of ideas for the Council to address promoting cultural diversity and cooperation.

Barbara J. Hall
Diversity Manager
Energy Information Administration
U. S. Department of Energy/Washington, DC

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“Both your superb delivery and the genuine quality in presentation of ideas made this an excellent program for our project personnel. We certainly feel that the workshop achieved its goals.

Special in the workshop was the way you crafted equity/diversity issues into communication and relationship skills that daily impact work and other interactions. Your humor, your down-to-earth examples, your interactive style, the application exercises – all made this a powerful delivery.

Participants loved the workshop. Note some of the remarks they made: “My favorite was Cathy Harris’ professional development workshop!!!” “Cathy Harris was a wonderful presenter.” “Group building games and activities were a favorite aspect.” (The workshop was) Too short – (we regret) not having more time with Cathy.” “Cathy needs to come to all universities/colleges that … (have projects); central administration needs to be sensitized to these issues.” Overall, your impact on their mission was impressive.

You were very flexible and accommodating of our needs and implemented all of our contract with you very well.”

Dr. Margaret Hargroder, Director
University of Southwestern Louisiana

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“The participants at your “Board Diversity and Teambuilding” session were extremely fortunate to have such a knowledgeable and well-versed presenter. I was truly delighted at the transformation of these board members from individual participants to group participants.”

Karen L. Gauthier
Volunteers and Training Programs Manager
Center for Non-Profit Management

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“The sessions relative to Diversity and EEO Laws not only increased our level of awareness, but also provided excellent guidelines for communicating and working together. Your canny ability to motivate the staff to eagerly participate as individuals and during group sessions is to be commended.”

“The staff loved your personal style, the group exercises and the relaxed environment. Several employees expressed that they received more than they hoped for. Additionally, the staff greatly appreciated the fast paced hands-on approach used throughout the entire presentation.”

LeRoy R. Bailey, Jr.
General Manager
Transit Management of Southeast
LA (TMSEL)

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“I am getting steady positive feedback about your flexibility as an expert presenter. EIA employees were impressed at your fluidity to cover the following three sessions: Communication That Works, Relationships for Building Trust and the Multiple Perspectives Discussion facilitated by you between our Administrator, Deputy Administrator and employees.”

“Your dynamic ability to educate skeptics has really paid off. Participants accepted your validity about the value of respecting differences and more importantly, they are actually showing signs of applying this information into their day to day work.”

“Feedback on our evaluation forms rank you in the category of outstanding. You have convinced participating employees that diversity is not “soft stuff” but essential in determining how we do business.”

Barbara J. Hall
Diversity Manager
Department of Energy

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“Your approach has been well received by employees and very effective, but it is the extremely high quality of your trainers that makes the difference. Your ability and your trainer’s ability to create an open, non threatening environment where employees feel comfortable to discuss sensitive issues such as race, sex, national origin, etc., is far beyond that of other trainers. Almost all of the employees I have talked with about your training have expressed a similar view. You and your staff presented the most enjoyable and effective diversity training I have witnessed in my thirty-year Federal career.”

“The real test, of course, for any training is the result. To date, we have trained all of our managers and supervisors and approximately 500 other employees.” “The training has helped NFC achieve a significant reduction in informal and formal EEO complaints over the past three years.”

John Turner
EEO Manager
USDA/National Finance Center

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“The workshops conducted provided a safe forum for sensitive issues to be discussed. The facilitators taught employees how to open dialogue which dealt with race, gender, education and organization hierarchy. Each of us learned how these variables affected how we did things in the plant.

With your help we were able to develop long term strategies which would improve our efforts in dealing with diversity and plant productivity.

However, the overall payoff from our involvement in the diversity process has come from the operator’s themselves.

There is no doubt that the training has caused us to better understand the cultural differences which exist among us and had enabled us to better manage these situations.”

Les Holland
Human Resources Manager
Chevron Chemical Company