The ELC is launching a social media campaign to introduce our new President and CEO to our virtual audience. We kickoff #MeetSkipSpriggs with excerpts from Diversity Woman magazine’s article that looks beyond the obvious and reveals some thoughtful facts about Skip’s journey to the C-Suite of two F500 companies and to his CEO role today.

Skip Spriggs doesn’t believe in making excuses. The world may not be perfect, but he chooses not to focus on the barriers. Instead, he powers forward to meet challenges head-on. It’s a mind-set that he adopted early in life and has fueled his 25-year career in human resources and diversity.

Spriggs has spent most of that time in leadership positions at some of the country’s most recognized companies—UPS, Boston Scientific, Home Depot, Levi Strauss & Co., Cigna Corporation and TIAA — which have more than prepared him for his latest role as President & CEO of The ELC.

DW: When you were young, your parents embodied values that would shape how you approach life and work. How so?

SS: My father was a captain in the army during the Vietnam conflict. He did his tour of duty and came home. In those days, as an officer, once you’d done your tour of duty, you really didn’t have to go back. But my father got called to go back a second time. I was in second grade, and he said to me, “Son, I’ve made a commitment to the army and to defend our country.” That was the reason he was going back. And as much as the family and everyone tried to talk him into not going back, he did. And he ultimately lost his life the second time he was there. So at a very young age, I learned the value of commitment. That always stuck with me.

DW: When did you first start to hear about diversity initiatives?

SS: In the ’90s, when I was working at Levi Strauss. We had heavy manufacturing, we had salespeople, engineer types, and people who were marketing and were very creative. Levi did a very good job of fostering an environment where we could get the best out of all people—regardless of their background—to make hip clothes, recognizing that your consumer of garments crosses the spectrum. Recognizing how your workforce thinks impacts the product you deliver to a diverse consumer base.

DW: What preconceptions have you personally faced in the workplace during your career?

SS: I would say that my personal challenge has been overcoming preconceived notions around ethnic and geographic biases. I’m African American and I grew up in the South, and there are certain biases that come along with that. Managing through those is something that you just have to be accurately attuned to in the work environment.

To learn more about Skip Spriggs, read the Diversity Woman article in its entirety.