The Ohio Latino Outreach Team (formerly the Ohio Latino Work Force) has received the 2009 College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences’ Bill Williams Award for Diversity in the faculty/staff category. This honor was presented in recognition of the organization’s commitment to the support of diversity and inclusion in the CFAES.
The Bill Williams Diversity Award was established in 2006 to recognize the outstanding efforts and accomplishments of individuals, groups, or teams who have contributed to diversity and inclusion efforts within the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). William F. (Bill) Williams, was co-founder of Glory Foods, Inc. a company whose product lines began in the Department of Food Science and Technology. From 1992 until his death in 2001, Williams contributed financial support annually to minority students in CFAES and his company continues this support today.
Originally formed in 2006, The Ohio Latino Outreach Team was created in response to the increasing numbers of migrant and permanent Latino residents. The allure of Ohio for these new citizens has been the labor needs of local industries, such as the dairy industry, the nursery industry, and agricultural industries with niche crops like fruits and vegetables. The Ohio Latino Outreach Team identified the need to assist Ohio State faculty and staff who work with industry, businesses, and communities in support of Latino populations. Since then, the group’s mission has been to serve Ohio communities in their relationships with the ever growing Hispanic/Latino population by supporting educational programming across OSU Extension's four areas: Family and Consumer Sciences, 4-H Youth Development, Community Development, and Agriculture and Natural Resources.
To realize their objectives, The Ohio Latino Outreach Team actively participates in research and analysis while simultaneously providing a variety of resources that include workshops, conferences, academic programs, and educational materials. Through these efforts, the organization helps foster understanding and acceptance of Latinos in Ohio rural communities while promoting the collaboration of CFAES faculty and staff from different backgrounds and ethnicities. Candace Pollock and Marusela Anders of Communications and Technology and Francisco Espinoza of OSU Extension accepted the award on behalf of the group at the 56th CFAES Recognition Banquet on May 7 at the Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe.
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