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  Qwest recognizes that our future depends on reaching an increasingly diverse customer base. That is why we leverage the strengths and ideas of all our employees, in every department throughout the company. In 2009, Qwest showed through many activities that diversity is alive and growing:
Our employee resource groups are responsible for Qwest’s vibrant diversity culture. For more than 30 years, like-minded employees have banded together to support Qwest’s diversity efforts and provide feedback and direction in several aspects of our business.
In 2009, employee resource groups played important roles that created impactful diversity training, directed more than $200,000 in marketing dollars into the community, partnered with the Qwest State Presidents to direct $30,000 in Qwest Foundation donations and provided valuable feedback that reshaped two advertising campaigns.
The percentage of employees who are resource group members continues to increase and was greater in 2009 than the previous year. This is due in large part to the valuable career development and networking opportunities the groups provide, as well as the involvement of our senior leadership who serve as executive sponsors and help spearhead the annual membership drive.
In 2009, Qwest updated its diversity training program for new managers and made online diversity training part of the mandatory annual Code of Conduct review for all employees.
Diversity also was highlighted at executive meetings as a key to our success. The company’s vice presidents are expected to have a diversity plan for their areas of the business and share best practices. They also have access to trend data for their organizations to raise diversity awareness both for hiring and for development purposes.
The Qwest Diversity Steering Committee, which is comprised of senior executives, meets quarterly to drive the company’s diversity agenda and share vital information and direction
with employees and the board of directors. In 2009, the board emphasized the importance of succession planning and the development of high potential employees, and that diversity
must be part of that effort.
We remain committed to finding the best talent from around the country to work at Qwest. We are long-time sponsors of INROADS, an internship program for diverse college students. In 2009, the number of INROADS students placed in the company increased 50 percent from the previous year.
Qwest has changed its interviewing process and added diversity scenarios to the hiring questions for potential management employees. We want a workforce that understands the value of diversity and are capable of managing diverse teams for maximum contribution. We continue to partner with more than 200 diverse recruiting sites and attend job fairs sponsored by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA), the Multicultural Retention Initiative for the Metro Denver Area (Welcome Denver), and the Army Community Services and Army Career Alumni Program.
Qwest’s Law department is a recognized leader of diversity efforts. The chief administrative officer and general counsel created the Law Department Diversity Committee to advance the company’s diversity agenda within the department and the legal profession. Among the committee’s accomplishments in 2009 were mandatory, in-person diversity training for Qwest’s legal personnel, reviews of the diversity practices at partner firms to gather best practices and naming one of the firms the "Qwest Spirit of Diversity" partner of the year. The award was established when the committee was formed in 2006, and since then firms have competed for the recognition and become more engaged to change their own diversity practices.
While 2009 was a challenging year for the economy, Qwest maintained its support of Minority-, Woman- and Disabled Veteran-owned Business Enterprises (MWDVBE). For the fourth
year in a row, over 12 percent of Qwest’s annual company expenditures, including capital and expenses, were spent with these companies. In 2009, Qwest spent over $400,000,000 with more than 570 MWDVBEs, who are dependable partners in tough times, and we value our relationships with them and how they help us meet our customer needs.
More than 92 percent of Qwest’s charitable giving positively impacts organizations that focus on the needs of diverse communities, and Qwest executives are involved in numerous diversity efforts at many of these organizations, including: Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce, Colorado Campaign for Inclusive Excellence in legal profession, Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce, Mi Casa, Denver Hispanic Chamber, Mile High United Way Women’s Leadership Council, Seattle Asian Chamber of Commerce, Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Arizona Chinese Chamber of Commerce, National Society of Hispanic MBAs, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Colorado Hispanic Bar Association, Rocky Mountain Supplier Development Council.
Qwest also is proud of the awards we have won from prestigious publications for our ongoing commitment to diversity:
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