The annual Simone Morris Enterprises Inclusive Leadership Impact Awards recognize and celebrate outstanding leaders throughout the United States. These awards applaud those who significantly advance inclusivity within their workplaces, communities, and non-profit organizations through impactful initiatives, including, but not limited to, awareness campaigns, the development of inclusion-focused programs, and fundraising endeavors.

 

Award Categories:​

 

Community Team

Two awards will be given in this category, recognizing any group of individuals, formal or informal, who have collaboratively made significant, positive contributions to fostering inclusivity within their local or broader community. The Community Team Category includes, but is not limited to:

• Non-profit organizations and their specific teams or initiatives

• Volunteer groups or grassroots movements

• Coalitions, partnerships, or collaborations between multiple entities

• Teams within businesses, educational institutions, or governmental agencies whose work extends beyond their immediate organization to impact the wider community

• Neighborhood associations or ad-hoc groups united by a common goal of inclusivity

  • The Inclusive Catalyst Award: Honoring a community team that has initiated and driven transformative change toward greater inclusivity. This team's efforts have demonstrably sparked new conversations, actions, and systemic shifts that foster a more welcoming and equitable environment for all community members, navigating complex social landscapes to achieve lasting impact.

  • The Inclusive Bridge Builder Award: Celebrating a community team that has successfully connected diverse groups, fostering understanding, empathy, and collaboration where divisions once existed. This team excels at bringing people together across differences, creating pathways for dialogue and shared purpose, even in challenging or polarized environments.

 

Champion in the Workplace

Honoring an individual who has demonstrated exceptional, proactive leadership in cultivating an inclusive workplace environment where all employees, regardless of background or identity, feel genuinely valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their best work. This award recognizes those who navigate evolving organizational contexts effectively to ensure equitable opportunity and a sense of belonging.

• The Inclusivity Innovator Award: Recognizing an individual who has conceived and implemented strategies, policies, and impactful programs significantly enhancing workplace inclusivity. This award celebrates creative solutions that have demonstrably broadened opportunities, fostered equitable practices, or strategically dismantled systemic barriers within their organization while remaining responsive to current legal and cultural considerations.

• The Empowering Leader Award: Celebrating an individual who consistently champions diversity, actively empowers colleagues from all backgrounds, and cultivates psychological safety and belonging for everyone. This leader builds inclusive teams by listening deeply, advocating for others, and fostering an environment where diverse perspectives are genuinely sought out and celebrated, even when adapting approaches to inclusion.

 

Inclusive Leader of the Year

Recognizing an individual who embodies the highest principles of inclusive leadership, demonstrating a profound, enduring commitment to fostering diverse, equitable, and belonging-centered environments. This leader has made a significant, far-reaching impact in their field or industry, influencing others and driving change on a broader scale while skillfully navigating the complexities of the current landscape.

• The Visionary Voice Award: Honoring an individual whose clear vision, powerful advocacy, and unwavering commitment to inclusivity have inspired widespread progress and influenced practices within their field or beyond their immediate organization. This leader effectively articulates a compelling future for inclusion, adapting their message to resonate across diverse audiences and inspiring action in challenging times.

• The Inclusive Leadership Business Impact Award: This award honors an individual or leadership team whose inclusion initiatives have delivered an undeniable financial impact to their organizations. Winners demonstrate clear, data-driven evidence of how their work reduced costs, boosted operational efficiency, and accelerated revenue growth by unlocking new or underserved markets. Their leadership translates directly into improved corporate financial performance, visible in enhanced margins, lowered turnover expenses, and measurable ROI. These leaders set the standard for inclusion as a strategic business driver—accountable, measurable, and integral to the company’s bottom line.

 

Date:

October 9, 2025

HMTX

29 Oakwood Avenue

Norwalk, CT 06850