Corliss Fong knows that the most successful corporate solutions come from working collaboratively as a team. "It's so important from a leadership point of view to leverage the unique qualities of everyone that you work with," says the vice president for diversity management at Macy's, one of DiversityInc's 25 Noteworthy Companies. "I want all members on my team to feel they can freely express their opinions. It helps people stay motivated because they feel they're a part of the decisions that are being made."

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Fong, a first-generation Chinese American (on her father's side), is no stranger to the benefits of diversity and inclusion at Macy's. She worked her way up the ranks at the retail giant, starting 37 years ago in the administration offices of a Macy's division in San Francisco, and then relocated to the corporate headquarters in Cincinnati five years ago.

"Being Asian is something that I'm proud of, and in my current role, I'm proud to represent my culture in the organization," she says.

Today, Fong is helping to lead Macy's team through a corporate reorganization based on a localized business model, carrying merchandise and creating a work environment that's more reflective of multicultural communities. For instance, to find out why some of Macy's exclusive lines of towels weren't selling as well in certain markets, Fong was instrumental in Macy's using its Black and Latino employee-resource groups for feedback. What they found: "We didn't have the colors assorted correctly," she says. "In more multicultural stores, we had [to put] the strong jewel-tone-colored textiles up front … instead of the neutral colors.

Brainstorming ways to build customer loyalty and to connect with communities "is what I really love about the job," says Fong. "That's because I can see diversity at work."

This article appeared in the May/June 2009 issue of DiversityInc magazine. Click here to read the digital version of this story.