The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club is one of six nominees to receive Technology Association of Georgia, (TAG), Business Champion of Diversity Excellence Award at their 5th annual Diversity Leadership Awards celebration being held tomorrow at the Buckhead Club in Atlanta. The award recognizes outstanding efforts by people who champion diversity and inclusion within organizations and companies who go beyond the call of duty to support diversity and inclusion practices.

Nzinga Shaw, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for the Atlanta Hawks & Phillips Arena stated: “We are honored and humbled to be recognized by TAG for our work in the diversity space,” Shaw would continue by saying, “The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club continues to rebuild trust and partnership in the Atlanta community, emphasizing civility, sportsmanship, and human decency. We want to ensure that everyone can be a fan of the team and attend home games, but ultimately we aim to serve as a model for inclusion in the NBA.”

The Hawks have established themselves as an industry leader in diversity and inclusion, becoming the first professional team to hire a CDIO, while also working with internal employees and key external stakeholders in creating the NBA’s first diversity council. The Hawks & Phillips arena are currently working on starting a Woman’s Inclusion Network, to provide a forum for women to learn and grow professionally with input from the prominent women of Atlanta.

Other finalists for TAG’s Business Champion of Diversity Excellence Award include: Agile 1, Dress for Success Atlanta, Georgia State University, Koch Industries, and MarketSource.