Bob's Red Mill grows leadership team with new sustainability and diversity, equity, and inclusion positions
New hires cement company's commitment to fostering social and environmental well-being
On the heels of a year of strong growth, Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods is adding two key roles to help bring its values forward—Zeina Atoui as diversity, equity, and inclusion specialist, and Julia Person as sustainability manager. Each will play a strong part in the company’s progress and future growth as an organization committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of equity and inclusion, as well as taking a leadership role in environmental best practices.
Zeina Atoui steps into the role of diversity, equity and inclusion specialist after several years working for Bob’s Red Mill in recruitment and human resources. Her role supports the company’s goal of ensuring more equitable representation of Black, Indigenous, Latino and Asian communities in its workforce, promoting equal opportunities for growth at all levels of the company, and educating employee owners through training.
“Zeina has been a valued employee-owner over the past several years, and we know she’ll do a great job in helping us on our journey to become a more inclusive company that fosters collaboration and creativity,” said Dennis Vaughn, Bob’s Red Mill CEO. “We believe it’s our responsibility to contribute to the racial justice and equity we want to see in our communities.”
Sustainability Manager Julia Person will help lead and grow the company’s existing efforts, and to help better define the role sustainability will have in all facets of the company moving forward.
She joins Bob’s Red Mill with more than a decade of experience working for companies like the Craft Brew Alliance, where she led sustainability programs focused on environmental, financial and community initiatives, ranging from managing utilities for plant operations, to directing supply chain initiatives.
Person has been drawn to sustainable practices since before it was a recognized role. “I'm guided by my personal belief that sustainable operations is an obligation of any business, not a choice, and climate change is an issue we are in the position to help positively impact, ultimately leading to a healthier business that’s better for all employee-owners,” said Person.
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!
