By Jonathan Lucus, Executive Director, NSITE
Every now and then, we get a chance to work with someone who shows an extraordinary ability to break through “the way things were always done before” and identify a new way forward.
Bob Richardson of Orion Global Talent in Vermont is one of those people, and while in Vermont last month, we were pleased to recognize his contribution to NSITE and award him our first NSITE Visionary Award.
Because of Bob’s dream of building a training program crafted to align with how the blind and low-vision student learns and his commitment to working in partnership with us, NSITE has been able to offer a Sourcing Specialist Certificate program that incorporates class time, as well as a corporate work experience. The program we have developed with Bob is so successful it is already yielding employment for many participants.
The NSITE Visionary Award is unique in a few ways. First, it is not a recognition awarded on an annual basis, but rather, we will bestow it whenever we feel someone has made an extraordinary contribution to our mission of developing training programs and creating diversified workplaces that offer opportunity to all.
The award is a clear quartz crystal, often referred to as Mountain Crystal. No two crystals are alike. This one comes from the Swiss Alps. The mountain crystal is believed to:
- Encourage and strengthen spiritual growth and awareness
- Foster harmony and balance energies
- Enable those who carry it to arrive at just and clear decisions.
I personally know that Bob embodies all those qualities and applies them to bring about positive change in all he does.
Congratulations to Bob and a very warm thank you for all he has contributed to our mission. Bob, you truly embody the term “visionary.”
Jonathan Lucus, EdD, MPA, EML is the Executive Director of NSITE, a DC-based non-profit that connects corporate leadership to exceptional, dedicated employees, and supports organizations across the entire continuum of corporate training, talent recruitment, talent development, onboarding, and long-term support. He was named one of Business Insider’s Top 33 HR.