I was a little embarrassed when I met Tony for his interview in December. It was a rainy day, and sometimes rainy days take their toll especially when a little wind is in the mix, but when I saw Tony Jenkins, he was standing there tall, well-dress and unruffled in spite of the rain. Needless to say, I excused myself to later return feeling a lot more confident.

Then the interview began.

Tony Jenkins is the Vice President of Diversity Strategy and Development at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida. He was raised in a single-parent home with his mother and grandmother. It was a good home and Tony believes his grandmother influenced him the most. Says he, “My grandmother was able to build within me strong foundational characteristics around my faith. I view myself as a very spiritual person. That came from her. I had no choice, I had to go to church like a lot of us had to.” From a child, he knew that there was no substitute for honesty, integrity, and doing one’s very best the first time around. Jenkins was born in Jacksonville. He attended Douglas Anderson Elementary School and graduated from Bishop Kenny Catholic High School. He gives Bishop Kenny the credit for the strong communications skills that helped him to this point in his life. He was fortunate enough to get an athletic scholarship in basketball and baseball to attend Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia. Says Jenkins, “That was the best experience of my life.”

As it turns out, choosing to major in Hotel and Restaurant Management was a good decision. Walt Disney World sent recruiters to Morris Brown to recruit summer supervisors for their restaurants. This was a big break for Jenkins because he was selected to work for Disney during his junior and senior years.

Since Walt Disney World was located in Florida and was close to home, Jenkins decided to go back to Disney for a permanent job when he graduated from college in 1980. In doing so, he was hired and subsequently spent the first 18 years of his professional career managing restaurants at Walt Disney World, first in the Magic Kingdom and then at Epcot Food and Beverage where he managed a restaurant. In 1986, he decided to move out of food and beverage because of the hours it required and because he wanted to add more of a balance to his life. So in that same year, he became a college recruiter for the company.
In this new capacity, Jenkins recruited college students for internship positions. He remained in that position for a while and then moved into professional recruiting where he was responsible for hiring engineers, finance personnel, advertising professionals and the like. It was another great experience ––learning effective interviewing skills. He did this from 1986 until 1992.

As Walt Disney World was beginning to expand––opening up Pleasure Island, additional hotels, and expanding Epcot, Jenkins was asked to hire restaurant managers, hotel managers and chefs. “That was the best job I ever had,” he said. He was going around the country to interview and hire. That meant he had to sample their food, which resulted in him dining in some of the finest restaurants in the country: Miami, New Orleans, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and more. “That really gave me an understanding of the hospitality industry,” he said.

Then things got even better. Jenkins was asked to hire chefs and restaurant managers for France and Norway. He traveled to France and hired from some of their culinary schools. It was another great experience, because one must not forget that France is, says Jenkins, “No doubt the culinary capitol of the world.”

In 1993, Disney began to recognize that the demographics of the people coming into their theme parks were changing. They began to take a look at what they were going to do to better serve, attract, and build a relationship with these diverse groups of guests. In 1993, they decided to develop a diversity office. Tony Jenkins and Fredericka Howard were chosen to take the lead in the company’s diversity initiatives.

Remembering the philosophy of his grandmother, Jenkins along with Howard, set out to do the best that they could do. When he left the company in 1998, they had built the department up to 10 people. From that point to this, 12 years later, he is still working in diversity and Walt Disney World is still operating from the foundation that he helped to put in place.

During the summer of 1998, Jenkins had to move back to Jacksonville because he needed to be closer to his aging parents. He accepted the job as Director of Diversity at CSX. Again, he found himself in the posture of starting a program off from ground “0”. CSX had nothing in place, but he and his team built up a process that is still in existence at CSX. Said Jenkins, “We started diversity Action Teams, which are small diversity councils located throughout CSX. Cont. page 32 We set up a communication plan, which provided training throughout the company and worked with leadership.” CSX still has Global Diversity Council today.

In January 2001, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida hired Tony Jenkins to establish yet another diversity program from the ground floor. His resume now has to its credit two Fortune 500s and BCBS of Florida, which is one of the largest private employers in the state. Right away, he along with one other person designed a successful base on which to meet the challenges of changing demographics in the State of Florida, and the changing demographics in the workplace. There is an internal focus for diversity and an external focus to build relationships with the Hispanic, African-Americans, Asians, Native Americans and other diverse communities in Florida. They do this through sponsorships, outreach programs, and health fairs. BCBS of Florida, being a health organization, one of their primary goals as included in their mission statement is to “serve all Floridians.”

Because of the work of the Diversity Department, Jenkins’ office has been recognized for its efforts both nationally and locally. Diversity Inc. Magazine, in 2003, recognized BCBS of Florida as one of the top 50 companies for diversity. In 2004 – 2005 BCBS was recognized by Diversity Inc. as one of the top 25 up and coming companies. In 2005, the Jacksonville Business Journal gave BCBS of Florida its top award, the Mosaic Award for its superior diversity program. Later, PR News, a national publication, presented their Communication Award to BCBS for the way they communicate the benefits and advantages of diversity inside their workplace.

Jenkins and his nine-member department recently acquired an additional responsibility when the multicultural marketing office was placed under his care. Having once excelled in basketball and baseball, Tony Jenkins wears a new hat now, one that umbrellas the entire State with the capacity of touching millions.

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