Two SP2 alumni named 2024 Diversity in Business Award recipients by Philadelphia Business Journal

Among the 22 individuals recognized by Philadelphia Business Journal’s 2024 Diversity in Business Awards are SP2 graduates Chad Lassiter, MSW’01, executive director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, and Noel Ramirez, MSW’09, director of Mango Tree Counseling & Consulting.

According to the Business Journal, the awards “recognize the top diverse business leaders from organizations around the region based on demonstrated excellence over the past 12 to 18 months. It also takes into account nonprofit work.” Honorees were profiled in a special edition of the Business Journal and recognized at an event.

The Business Journal noted initiatives that Lassiter has undertaken in his role leading the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, including efforts to combat hate speech and intolerance and the establishment of a Civil Rights division, as well as his longstanding work in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Lassiter’s recent accomplishments also include delivering the keynote address at Central Penn College’s Black History Month Celebration and being sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris as a member of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans.

The Business Journal highlighted Ramirez’s leadership of Mango Tree Consulting, a mental health care provider in Philadelphia with a focus on working with the Asian-American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, as well as individuals who identify as indigenous, people of color, and LGBTQ+.

Ramirez has also provided support for AAPI and LGBTQ+ students and early-career professionals working towards clinical practice and has served as a lecturer in SP2’s Master of Social Work (MSW) Program.

Diversity in Business Awardees were chosen by the Business Journal’s editorial board from among “nominations from the public of individuals identifying as Asian, African American, Hispanic or Latino, Middle Eastern, or native Alaskan, Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.”