The 2022 Women of Color Conference will bring together members of the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) community and the employers that support them, including Jacobs, the international technical professional services firm.

Jacobs nominated Denise La Maison-Bell for fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion; and advancing justice and equality in society. She will receive a Diversity Leadership Award at the 27th annual WOC STEM Conference in October.

As a senior project coordinator, Denise helped develop corporate diversity awards, and is active in Harambee, Jacobs’ Black employee network group.

Thanks to her efforts, the company has a pool of top talent from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and membership of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), one of the largest student-run organizations in the United States.

Denise also works with INROADS College Links, whose goals include exposing students to career opportunities in architecture and engineering and building Jacobs’ pipeline of diverse interns and full-time candidates.

During the racial reckoning of 2020, Denise moderated hundreds of courageous conversations. The series served as a watershed for Jacobs, as more than 5,000 employees participated in the virtual sessions.

These conversations were also foundational for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) at Jacobs, providing a platform to express the impacts of increased violence against people of AAPI descent during the pandemic.